MOTHERWELL defender Rickie Lamie has backed Kevin van Veen to celebrate his new deal by shooting down Sligo Rovers tonight and repairing the damage from last week's dismal home defeat.
The Fir Park side travel to the west of Ireland in the Europa Conference League, second qualifying round, second leg with it all to do at a sold-out Showgrounds.
Sligo were fitter and sharper than a sluggish Well, who have received a barrage of criticism for that loss in Lanarkshire.
However, Well were handed a boost ahead of the game after Dutch talisman van Veen extended his deal by another year until 2024 and he will need to be on his game tonight against a fired-up Bit O'Red, with the winners being rewarded with a potentially lucrative tie against either Sparta Prague or Viking Stavanger.
Lamie, who himself signed a new deal with Well at end of the season after changing his mind about a pre-contract deal with Dundee, believes the extra week will help Well in terms of fitness and reckons van Veen could help them ease into the third qualifying round.
He said: "Everyone saw last season just how influential Kevin can be and the quality he possesses. Time and again he comes up with game-deciding actions and he's a massive player for us.
"It's great that he's signed an extended deal and he's also a valuable addition in terms of the experience he has. He's a great character within the dressing room as well as the pitch and hopefully, he can come up again with the winning element on Thursday night.
"At the end of the first tie, there was certainly disappointment. We knew we could have done things better and the result didn't go our way, but we know there is only one goal in the tie so we have to use that time to rectify things.
"I felt as though we were a wee bit rusty and lacked a bit of a competitive edge and Sligo were that bit sharper.
"It's certainly not an excuse on our part as we came into that game and I felt we controlled it for large spells and we created plenty of chances, but couldn't take them. The chances we did create came from going down the sides and getting crosses into their box. We didn't take advantage of that and we had a load of set-piece opportunities as well.
"There was plenty there for us and it's just a case of being able to work our way into a game and being more clinical."
Lamie knows what to expect from Sligo having being part of a Well side that squeezed through against Northern Irish side Coleraine two years ago after a penalty shootout and he expects a similar battle against the League of Ireland side.
He said: "I'm sure it'll be an occasion which we will thrive on. The atmosphere won't be a negative for us, it all adds to it.
"I remember that night in Coleraine, it was 100-miles-an-hour and in any cup competition that's always going to be the case. It's now a one-off game. We only have that 90 minutes between ourselves and the next round. Both teams will be well up for it and I'm sure there will be a good atmosphere."
But Motherwell manager Graham Alexander insists their lack of sharpness last week has been exaggerated and claims the stats back him up.
He pointed out: "Personally, I didn't think we were that off the tempo. Given that was the first competitive game I was happy with the players' physical condition. I saw the stats from the game and their condition was high.
"Even in comparison with our first league game last season which was maybe our fifth or sixth competitive game because of cup games, we were above that.
"But match sharpness and match intensity, you never get until that first competitive game. It's just impossible to recreate.
"I don't think that had anything to do with how the result went to be honest. We gave a poor goal away and didn't take the chances we had.
"The more 90 minutes you get into players, the better they become physically and mentally. I would like to think there will be a little bit more sharpness in terms of our movement and our thoughts."
Meanwhile, Sligo boss John Russell admits he will use being written off ahead of the tie as motivation.
He stressed: "When you’re playing games against teams from the UK or Scotland and you hear some of the comments, they are reflecting on the league from ten or 15 years ago. But the league has come on leaps and bounds since then.
"A lot of these teams are signing our players so it is funny when you see some of the 'minnows' comments in the media, but we can use it as motivation. It drives you on and it's ammunition, it’s something we can use and channel it in the right way."
