Motherwell boss Stevie Hammell admits big moments need to start going their way as they head into a crucial Premiership clash at Dundee United on Saturday.
Hammell was left bitterly disappointed with Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against Aberdeen at Fir Park, and felt his side deserved to take at least a point.
But looking at recent games, he pointed out that the Steelmen are missing gilt-edged chances in front of goal.
Motherwell are now on a run of just one win in their last eight, albeit with a heavy October run of league and cup clashes against Celtic, and Premiership encounters with Rangers, Hibs and Aberdeen, picking up three points from a 5-0 win over Ross County in Dingwall.
And Hammell says the longer that run stretches, the bigger games are going to be.
He said: “They’re all big games. There’s still not a lot, in terms of points, in the division between a lot, but that was a big game for us.
“It was one we wanted to win, to put us back to where we wanted to be, but the longer it is without a win, the bigger it becomes.
“There’s no secret that next week [at Dundee United] is a big game for us.
“It has been Rangers, Celtic, Aberdeen in six days, and again it’s not an excuse, but I think the game in midweek [4-0 Premier Sports Cup quarter-final defeat to Celtic] took it out of some of the boys.
“We’re asking pretty much the same 11, two or three within that, to go again, again, and again, so I think that took a little bit out.”
Goals from Bojan Miovski and Duk either side of a Stuart McKinstry strike gave Aberdeen all three points, though Motherwell were denied what looked like a clear penalty for a pull on Ricki Lamie’s shirt by captain Anthony Stewart in the last minute of stoppage time.
Hammell felt his side deserved more, but says they need to be clinical.
He said: “I think we had most of the second half. It’s fine margins and again we’re on the wrong end of it, but we scored a good goal, created more chances.
“We’re in the game, the pressure is there and the good opportunities in the game are coming to us.
“But again we conceded a sloppy goal, which is pretty consistent with how things have gone recently, and we’re on the wrong end of a one-goal loss.
“It has been quite consistent with the season. We’ve created a lot of chances this season.
“We weren’t anywhere near our best – of course we weren’t – but we still had enough of the game to be coming away with something.
“I felt we deserved that, but when we concede cheaply and aren’t clinical at the other end – and we’re talking open goals, one-on-ones with the keeper in the six-yard box – it’s clear chances, it’s just about those big moments going our way.
“We had to change things at half-time to make us a little bit better, and give us more running power. I think we saw that, but ultimately we’ve come away disappointed.”
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