Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson is ready to unleash his attacking arsenal against Hamilton tomorrow night, after surprising Rangers by going on the offensive at the weekend.
Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha had expected his visitors from Lanarkshire to be conservative at Ibrox, but they came out all guns blazing with three up front and caught Rangers off guard.
Robinson’s only regret is that his team didn’t take more than the point they earned after creating numerous chances to win the game.
But he believes his attacking approach has been vindicated, and if goalscorer Louis Moult can shake off an ankle injury picked up in the game, he has told the Motherwell support to expect more of the same against Accies.
“It did make me smile when I heard Pedro Caixinha’s comments that we’d come with one up and put everybody behind the ball when we done the complete opposite of that,” Robinson said.
“You have to be brave and I think that the braver you are, the luckier you get, although obviously within an organised shape as well. But we’ve got players here who can take the game to teams, so why not use them?
“I thought Chris Cadden and Elliott Frear were superb on Saturday carrying us up the pitch, and the three forward players caused them lots of problems, so why not go and be positive instead of sitting in and hoping for the best?"
While a home tie against second-bottom Hamilton may be a different proposition to an away match against Rangers, there is no doubting the importance of the fixture for the club, and not just because it is a local derby.
With Accies just a point adrift of Motherwell, the outcome of this game could go a long way to determining the fate of the Fir Park side this season.
“Of course, there is pressure,” Robinson admitted. “I took the job in a pressure situation and I’ve got to keep the football club up.
“This game isn’t the be all and end all, there are a lot of points still to play for, but believe me this is a game we want to win and it’s a game we will be setting out to win.
“When you have boys like Cads (Chris Cadden) and other local boys as well as guys who have had a long affiliation with this football club then it’s massive to everybody.
“I have the utmost respect for Hamilton, but there won’t be a lot of respect shown on Wednesday night, we’ll be going out to win the game.
“We’re well aware that the fans have had a tough season, and we want to give them a reward on Wednesday night.
“Both teams are down the bottom so what’s at stake is huge. It’s always feisty, it’s always competitive, and we’ve got boys who want to get involved in that.
“We play a certain way and I think it was noted by the Rangers manager on Saturday that we won a lot of second balls, we were aggressive, and that’s what the fans want to see. They want to see their players winning balls, running about and giving absolutely everything.
“You can have good and bad days, we’re human beings, but you can never drop your effort levels from 100%.”
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