Stephen O’Donnell keen for Motherwell to hit ‘consistent performance levels’

Motherwell defender Stephen O’Donnell is focused on consistency and making sure they do not fall back into a rut after defeat by Aberdeen followed rare back-to-back wins.

The Steelmen host St Mirren on Saturday looking to bounce back from that controversial defeat, when Well had a goal disallowed following a VAR review.

O’Donnell said: “After that long run without a win, it’s just really important to try to hit consistent performance levels, and when you have a blip, you don’t let that become another run.

“Runs are great when they are positive, but when they start to become negative it can build pressure and snowball

“Both ourselves and St Mirren have won two, drawn one of our last five so it’s a tight affair and St Mirren have shown they are a top side.

“And if we do win, then we see where other results fall and go from there.”

Motherwell are caught between mid-table and the danger zone with the coming weeks having the potential to be pivotal in their season.

Although they are six points off the top six with three games before the split, they play the two teams directly above them after hosting St Mirren.

They are only five points ahead of the play-off place though and O’Donnell believes they cannot get ahead of themselves given their struggles before New Year.

The Scotland international said: “On our season, (the focus) needs to be staying up. For us to sit here after not winning for 12 games and saying we should be finishing top six, it would just be arrogant.

“I think we have good players, we have shown that, we have shown some top performances, but we haven’t been consistent as a squad. Injuries along the way can curtail things but we need to strive for better consistency.”

The 31-year-old is in the same situation as most of his team-mates in that his contract expires at the end of the season.

The start of Brian Caldwell’s spell as chief executive next week offers hope that Motherwell can have some more stability following investment talks with foreign parties.

O’Donnell is now the father of three young children and would welcome some movement in contract talks, but he knows he has to focus on football.

He said: “I think with the third kid coming along it brings a wee bit more uncertainty – haemorrhaging money is the best way of putting it!

“No, look, naturally you want your future sorted sooner or later, but I have been in the industry long enough to know that doesn’t always happen.

“All you can do as a player is try to perform as well as possible to then hopefully have options, because with options comes more positive conversations. That’s all you can hope for.

“You can think about it when you are planning summer holidays, thinking ‘when am I back in?’

“But other than that, it doesn’t really come into your thoughts, you are just trying to perform as well as you can for Motherwell. And if you are playing well then that puts you in a good position.

“There are things going on in the background with the club that are starting to get sorted, so that’s a positive, because all those things do have a knock-on effect to the manager and what he’s able to do.

“It’s trying to be calm and staying positive on the pitch.”