Motherwell right-back Richard Tait hopes a frank meeting has helped bring his team-mates together during a difficult build-up to Saturday's trip to Kilmarnock.

The Steelmen head to Rugby Park with Stephen Robinson in caretaker charge after Mark McGhee was sacked on Tuesday morning in the wake of a 5-1 home defeat by Dundee.

Captain Keith Lasley and other senior players spoke at a team meeting to stress the importance of Motherwell holding on to their top-flight status, which stretches back to 1985.

And Tait believes there will be a positive reaction as Motherwell bid to get out of the bottom two on Saturday.

"Las is the skipper and we had a meeting and a chat and plenty of positives came from it," said Tait, who is fit again after missing the Dundee thrashing.

"It lifted us a little bit in terms of how everyone is feeling and people got things off their chest. We go there on Saturday as a team and togetherness is key. We have that in abundance in the changing room.

"The meeting was a good thing, it needed to happen, and it was positive."

McGhee brought Tait back to Scotland from Grimsby last summer but the 27-year-old knows they cannot afford to dwell on their sadness at their now former manager's fate.

"All the boys would agree we have let the gaffer down and he has ultimately paid the price for it," Tait said.

"I just wish him all the best for the future and I'm really grateful he brought me to the club.

"It's been hard to see the gaffer go but everyone knows that's football and, as horrible as it sounds, we have to make a quick turnaround and focus on the game on Saturday. That's mainly what we have been doing.

"We have to go back to basics, be hard to beat, everyone knowing their jobs. That's what we have been working on this week, and done a lot of shape.

"We just spoke about not conceding goals and that's what we will go out there on Saturday trying to do."