MOTHERWELL manager Stephen Robinson thinks that the unity between his team and their supporters can help them overcome the odds and make history by beating Celtic in the Scottish Cup final.

Robinson and his players took time last week to chat to supporters queuing up for tickets for the match, and the Fir Park boss also chipped in £100 to help fans put on a display at Hampden.

And he is certain that if the club’s fans can show the same passion and desire in the stands as his team will on the pitch, that their collective efforts will give them their best chance of lifting silverware since 1991.

“We’re a fan-owned club and these boys are creating history in getting to two finals in one season,” Robinson said. “It doesn’t happen very often.

“We’re desperate for people come and watch and we’re desperate to get a display on that really encourages them and shows the passion and desire around the town and the community for this football club.

“I can assure you, the passion and desire to win that football match will be shown on the pitch, and if they can match it in the stands – which I’m certain they will do – and bring as many people as we possibly can, then that will be fantastic.

“I think it’s important that everyone sticks together, and we do show that there is a unity at this football club right from the top right the way down, from Alan Burrows, Jim McMahon and the board all the way down.

“Why not [contribute to the display]? If it means we get a display to be proud of and we get our fans right behind their football team, and match what we will do on the football pitch in our determination to win that game, then who knows? I think together, we can create history.”

Robinson says that there is no danger of his players affording Celtic the sort of respect that Rangers did last week, and he has vowed that his players will do everything on the day to make life uncomfortable for their opponents.

“I think we’ve proved in the games already against them that we won’t stand off them, and we will do our utmost,” he said.

“We don’t doubt that they are a very good side with talented individuals, but we will make it difficult for them, we will get in amongst them, and we will try to play our game and dictate our style of play onto them.

“We looked at clips of any times they have struggled this season or where they’ve been put under great pressure, and most of them were against us.

“We’re well aware of the task and the difficulty we face, but we’re also well aware of the opportunity we have to go and take the game to them.”

Celtic enjoyed a sunshine break in Tenerife this week after clinching the league title last weekend, but Motherwell’s preparations will be altogether humbler.

 “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that, so our rest was a game of head tennis at Dalziel Park,” he said. “I didn’t join in, but the boys enjoyed it and they enjoy what we do.

“You try to give them a day off and they don’t want a rest, and that’s the attitude and the desire I want at the football club.

“We’re just going to have our usual week in the lead up to the game. We’ll give the boys a couple of days off after the Hamilton game and then we’ll go right at it from the Tuesday.

“We go to Turnberry on the Friday morning and that’s more than enough for us. We’ll go to a nice hotel, we’ll prepare properly, and we’ll be fully focused on the game for Saturday.”

Before the big day, Motherwell have three league games to contend with, starting with a chance to all-but clinch seventh place with a win over St Johnstone at Fir Park this afternoon.

Young striker James Scott has broken a toe in training, and Ryan Bowman trained for the first time this week yesterday, and Robinson admits that he has a tricky balancing act to manage his squad in the coming fortnight.

“I would never do anything other than respect everybody in the league, but my job is to look after Motherwell Football Club, and that’s what I’ll do,” he said.

“We’ve got a squad of players that have been right up there all season and have got to two cup finals, so whatever team we put out there will definitely be competitive.

“It’s a real difficult one because I’m damned if I do and I’m damned if I don’t. If I don’t put a strong team out and we lose the next three games, we’ll be going into the final on a poor run of form as opposed to playing a strong team and then picking up injuries.

“But people can do that in training, they can do it in the warm-up or unopposed as Craig Tanner did, so I just think we need to put out the team that feels right for us and not worry too much about what is going to happen in two weeks’ time.

“It’s the old saying, take each game as it comes.”