Georgie Gent has revealed he dedicated his first professional goal for Motherwell to his dad, who sadly passed away in October.

The 20-year-old defender, on loan from Blackburn Rovers, has opened up for the first time about a “difficult spell” during his first few months in Scotland. His father, Simon, 51, passed away suddenly last year, shortly after the youngster made the move up from England.

After scoring his first professional goal in the Scottish Cup against Alloa in January, Gent pointed to the sky, paying tribute to his late father.

He said: “That was a massive moment getting my first professional goal in the cup. The celebration was for my dad. He passed away in October. That goal was for him.

“It was a difficult time. Everything I achieve is dedicated to my dad, 100 per cent. He was a big influence on my career.

“My family come up as much as they can to support me, and it feels good when they’re here and I’m walking out on the pitch. It gives me confidence.

“I’ve grown as a man, living on my own, I’ve become more mature. The players and the manager, every single one of them were here to support me. That gave me more confidence going into games.”

He added: “That goal, as I say, was a special feeling. But I want more. I want more goals.”

The Motherwell defender responded to praise from his manager Stuart Kettlewell, who recently hailed Gent as one of the best crossers in the Premiership.

“That’s nice to hear," he beamed. "I practice a lot in training. Even staying behind after training to practice. It’s getting better all the time. So it’s nice to hear the gaffer say that.

“I’ve worked on it since I was about 12. I look at players like Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool. He has a wonderful cross on him, so I try to learn from him and practice it after training.

“[The manager] has been great with me. I have learned so much from him on and off the pitch. Pulling me up after training and working on things I need to work on. He’s made me a better player.

“I think I’ve been doing well so far but I need to keep going and finish the season strong.

“I’m growing game by game, getting more confident.”

Looking ahead to the club’s remaining two fixtures ahead of the league split, Gent says eighth-place Motherwell are still in the fight for a top six finish.

He said: “I think it’s where this club belong, in the top six. We know it’s a must win at Dundee. Same against Hibs. We’ve got a chance; we want to grab it with both hands. I’ll do everything I can to help get them there.

“Dundee have been good this season, we know what they bring. We’ll go there fired up and try to get the points.” Motherwell currently sit five points behind Hibs and six below their next opponents Dundee.