STUART McCALL has been forced to take some drastic strike action of his own ahead of Motherwell's Friday night football outing against Hibernian.
Although the Fir Park side are riding high in third place in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League table, they have scored just eight goals in front of their own fans all season long – with three of them coming on the first day of the season against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
At training yesterday, the Motherwell manager was concerned enough to order extra shooting and finishing drills for his players. "The Hibs Cup game was probably our best in terms of chance creation at home and how we didn't manage more than two goals that night I'll never know," McCall said.
"Our park is a little bit tighter than it was last year and that can make defending a little easier. Maybe the way we play and counter-attack can benefit from some of the away pitches we go to – and that it can be a bit easier to sit in here. But it's down to us to improve that aspect at home. It's no-one else's fault.
"I'll tell you what, though," he added. "We did what most would expect when you are not scoring enough, a bit of extra crossing and finishing. We had six strikers shooting at training – Jamie Murphy, Michael Higdon, Gary Smith, Bob McHugh, Steven Lawless and Jamie Pollock. The finishing was excellent – they were all hitting the back of the net regularly. But we didn't have a goalie in. You've got to give them confidence somehow, haven't you?"
McCall is a traditionalist at heart but feels there is nothing wrong with Friday night football as a one-off. He has witnessed teams such as Halifax and Tranmere Rovers get a spin-off from it in the past and welcomes the club's decision to bring ticket prices down to £10 for adults and £5 for kids, with season tickets holders allowed to bring a friend for nothing. "I used to go and watch Halifax play on a Friday when I was at Bradford and I know Tranmere did it because of Liverpool and Everton," he said. "I've had some letters from people saying they will be able to come and watch us for the first time because they either play on a Saturday or run teams. I wouldn't have thought we could get a spin-off out of it like Tranmere but it would be nice to have a Friday night game in the summer because that really would appeal to people."
The match will be Pat Fenlon's first as Hibs manager, and McCall knows only too well that alone can pose a challenge for the opposing team. "Naturally, slates are wiped clean when a new manager comes in," he said. "People who have been on the fringes might get a chance. It's a new era for them and it's always difficult going up against a team in that situation."
Fenlon has already assembled his coaching team at Easter Road, with his new first-team coach, Liam O'Brien, having followed the Irishman from Bohemians. O'Brien plans to use his experience of playing under Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United to help turn Hibs' fortunes around.
"Everybody knows how good Sir Alex is, particularly his discipline, which is very, very good," said O'Brien, who was at Old Trafford in the 1980's. "He was a very strong disciplinarian and, while I'm not as strong myself, I do like things to be done properly. I've worked with some great managers and you like to think that you've taken little bits from them all. "
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