One win is nothing, warns Motherwell boss

Manager Mark McGhee admits life feels "different" following Motherwell's much-needed 3-0 victory over Dundee United at Tannadice on Tuesday night.

The Steelmen's first Ladbrokes Premiership win in six games, following a 2-0 home defeat to Kilmarnock in a performance the Scotland assistant manager described as "calamitous", moved them into eighth place in the table as the battle to avoid the drop heats up.

Ahead of the trip to St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on Saturday, McGhee spoke about the responsibility he feels for keeping the Fir Park men in the top flight.

He said: "Obviously life feels different. There is no doubt about it.

"We had that series of poor results and then that calamitous performance against Kilmarnock.

"I hadn't slept well since Saturday night. I think it is important that our supporters know that.

"I think our supporters would be worried if I was going to bed at nine o'clock and getting up at half eight, having tea and toast and coming to work.

"They can trust that we worry and we take our responsibility very seriously.

"Responsibility was the word that kept resonating in my head between Saturday and Tuesday.

"This club needs to be in the Premiership and it is my job to ensure they get results to do that.

"But one game is nothing. We need a run of four, five, six games without defeat and then maybe we can start to think that we can see something above us that we can say, 'If we can get to that we can be safe.'

"At the moment we are a long way from that."

United chairman Stephen Thompson has apologised for his side's form and told the players they have "13 matches to preserve the club's Premiership status and redeem their own professional reputations".

McGhee does not believe the Taysiders, 13 points behind second-bottom Kilmarnock, are yet doomed.

"I think it will be hard for them," he said.

I think that to give themselves a batter chance they had to beat us.

"But, if they put our result behind them and go back on a run they have been on, they could incrementally draw themselves back into it until they get to the split and then it is a dog fight.

"If they can get themselves to within four or five points of third bottom, I think they would have a chance.

"I don't think that is impossible."

St Johnstone are also in a poor form.

Despite sitting in seventh place, three points ahead of Motherwell, the Perth club have not won since December 5, but McGhee does not read too much into that form.

He said: "They will win though, trust me. They are decent.

"The last time I saw them live was up there against Celtic and they could have been 2-0 up before Celtic scored and Celtic went on to win 3-0 or 3-1.

"I think they were unlucky that day to lose the way they did.

"Like us, they have a performance in them and one of these days it is going to come back out, what we have to do is try to guard against it being Saturday."