With two of the three week winter break now served we can return to Fir Park on Saturday as a rush of season defining games arrives. The Motherwell squad, refreshed and repaired, are determined to return to the heights that delivered a great start to the season.
There is an admission that the end to 2017 was a disappointment. The nine game stretch without a win had us drop out of the top half of the table as the price of fatigue and injuries was paid. Many fans hate the winter break. Football is an entertainment industry and its withdrawal at a time of year when there are few outdoor options does nothing to enhance customer relations.
But there’s no doubt that our boys welcomed the chance to recharge the flat batteries. Some rest at the start of the month followed by a week in the sun at a well appointed training facility seems like the perfect tonic.
On return to chilly Lanarkshire they are presented with the chance to atone for the league loss to our local rivals by knocking them out of the Scottish Cup.
That game will kick off an intense six week spell of at least nine matches taking us to the end of February. A win of Saturday will add another cup tie to the schedule. A cup replay at New Douglas Park will not be welcome.
Of the eight Premiership games until the end of February only the last will have us matched against one of the current top three, when Aberdeen visit on the last day of the month. That will leave us with four tough fixtures ahead of the split. If we have a rewarding haul of points before March the top six and safety will be secured.
Andy Rose, speaking to MFC TV, made it clear that the team is aware of the raised expectations that were built with our early season success. They know the responsibilities that rest on their shoulders.