Kenny McLean

“We know it is going to be tough.

“And we know we can’t take anything for granted. Although the last result was pretty comfortable, it is going to be a totally different game. It will be a different challenge. I am looking forward to it. The last game we played in the league was disappointing. We need to get back to winning ways in the league. We need to try and keep the momentum going that we have had recently.

“We had a great result in the cup and now it is back to league business and all about the three points.

“We could extend the gap this weekend but we would need both games to go our way. We will just focus on our game on Saturday and concentrate on getting the three points there. We will then go nine points clear and whatever happens on the Sunday happens. Again, it is just about looking after ourselves, that is what we have been doing and will continue to do.

“The fact Motherwell don’t have a manager will not make our task any easier.

“It can get the players going again. Somebody new will be coming in and the players will want to impress him. They maybe have someone lined up. They got a good result against Kilmarnock with the current coaching team so the players are obviously comfortable with the current set up. After what happened last time they will be coming up here to prove a point. They will be on it no doubt.

“But it is all about what we do. Especially at home. Teams can come here and make it difficult for us which I am sure they will. We need to be the team that is in the ascendancy. We need to make things happen. We have been good at doing that at home. We need to keep that going. We need to keep making it difficult for teams coming here.

“Before the split we have five games left and three of them are at home. Our home form has been very good for a couple of years now so we need to keep that going.

“It is all about enjoying your football. When you are winning, it makes it easier and here we are winning a lot of the time. The expectation levels are high which they should be at a club like this. What we expect of each other in the changing room is high. It brings the best out in everyone. Personally, things are going well. They can always get better of course. They can always get better and I am looking to add goals. I think I have been a little bit unlucky with a few efforts in the past few weeks. So I think that is something to work on. But overall things are going well for me personally and more importantly going well for the team. To continue to do that we need to keep the standards up.

“To get into the mind of the Scotland manager, I can only do that by playing well week in week out here. Hopefully I have been doing well enough to get considered but if not you just work harder. I have been there before and being involved makes your hungrier to get back in the squad. I will always do as much as I can to get there. There are a lot of good players around the county and a lot of quality already in the squad.  If I do make it into the squad I will be delighted. If I don’t, then I will keep working hard for the next one.

“Ryan and Graeme have been doing very well and been doing very well for a long time.

“Of course, it is disappointing to lose someone of Pete’s quality. I think since he has been here, going back to when I played against him, he was always such a threat. He has been a big player for this club for a long. He has maybe not had as much game time in the past year as he would have liked so he feels it is time to move on. We need to respect that. The fans need to respect that. What he has done for this club has been brilliant and he has been involved in successful teams. I am sure the fans will appreciate that and between now and the end of the season, knowing Peter like I do, nothing will change. If he is picked to play then he will give everything. That is a fact. It is disappointing to be losing that type of player but when he leaves everyone will wish him all the best and thank him for everything he has done.

“I think the semi-final we need to put to one side because we have got league business to take care of. But looking forward and looking ahead to that game, you need to get some momentum going into games like this. Our full focus will be on Motherwell but we know in the long run we need to be going into the semi-final in good form as it is a massive match for everyone. Hopefully that will drive us on over the next two months in the league. We need to be going into the semi-final with our confidence high.

“Places are up for grabs. In the past few weeks’ players have come into the team and done very well and helped the team out. It has been a really strong squad effort recently and I think it will continue to be like that until the end of the season.

“It is all about getting league points on the board at the moment and that is what our focus is on.”

“It is all about getting league points on the board at the moment and that is what our focus is on.”