Some of the heat in this clash may have been cooled by the delayed timing of the fixture. It was first scheduled only three days after Brown announced, “The enthusiasm of these guys is a very big part in us wanting to stay at Motherwell”. He was on his way within 24 hours much to the dismay and annoyance of everyone at Fir Park. There will be a smaller support in the away stand for the midweek rearrangement but they are sure to remind Brown and Knox of the phrase ‘ liar liar’.
Motherwell fans celebrate a 3-1 win on our last trip
Stuart McCall talked of the defeat at Ibrox as a learning experience for both himself and his young players. He’ll learn a lot more about his charges when he sees how they face up to their old boss at Pittodrie. The manager will have little flexibility in team selection. Given the nature of hamstring injuries we cannot expect to see the return of Saunders or Hammell and our defensive line will still be unsettled. The experiment with three central defenders is unlikely to be repeated for this game and a return to a familiar four at the back will see Hateley and Gunning supporting Craigan and Hutchison.
The home team will also need to make a defensive change as Considine is suspended for this game. McArdle and Diamond are recovering from 'flu and are said to have a good chance of playing. Up front they will carry the threat of Blackman. It will be a strange sight for the travelling fans to see the player who we cheered in the first half of the season wearing Aberdeen’s red strip but we’ll have to hope that he finds no success against his former team-mates.
Motherwell have three home fixtures following this game and while they provide the best opportunity of league points, the chance to pick up something from the team immediately below us in the table cannot be spurned. A hard working display from eleven players determined to recover from a six goal defeat might ensure that we come away with a point in a 1-1 draw.