The early hibernation of the league season halfway to the split offers Motherwell a welcome break and a chance to refresh and regroup.
Autumn did Stephen Hammell few favours as his team struggled to pick up the points he felt they deserved. As the injury list lengthened and the demands on the first team squad increased only two wins were recorded since August.
Apart from the glorious 5-0 win in Dingwall and the 3-0 home loss to Hearts the points share in all of the remaining fourteen games would have been changed by a single goal. There were eight one goal losses, two draws and four one goal wins.
Hard luck tales do nothing for league position and Motherwell now hold ninth place in the table, two points above the play-off spot.
The game in Perth produced a hard fought point in a contest that had both teams eager to grab the spoils. It had more determination and effort than silky skill and a draw was probably a fair outcome.
Louis Moult played his first full game since his return to claret and amber and that bodes well for the remainder of the campaign. Kevin van Veen took a deeper position in this developing partnership and the manager will have to consider how best to use the pair. Van Veen has had little relief in this opening half of the season and he will welcome the opportunity to recharge his energy bank.
A theme that is repeated in most managerial interviews is that there is little between the teams outside the Glasgow pair. In the congested table every point is valuable it is no surprise that ‘Well fans have identified the first two fixtures after the break as crucial. St Mirren and Kilmarnock are to visit Fir Park before Christmas and early letters to Santa from Lanarkshire will plead for six points.
There’s no rest yet for Liam Kelly as he and the Scotland squad prepare for Wednesday’s friendly against Türkiye in Diyarbakır. Best of luck Liam, let’s see you return with a cap.