Graham Alexander eyes Motherwell improvement against Dundee

Motherwell manager Graham Alexander is looking for improvement against Dundee after getting some continuity in recent weeks.

Alexander experienced some pre-season disruption but he is closing in on a full squad ahead of Saturday’s Premier Sports Cup tie.

The Well boss handed Connor Shields a debut in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with St Johnstone after the former Queen of the South forward was hampered by fitness issues.

Alexander is looking for a clean sheet on Tayside after taking one point from two league matches.

“The first three/four weeks of pre-season were difficult, we had a lot of trialists in and players missing through injury and illness, and it took a while to get a consistent squad together to bed down how we want to play,” he said.

“We have had that for the last two or three weeks and I can see the improvements in the team and the understanding of what’s required and how their team-mates play.

“We will be looking for those improvements on Saturday. I am really confident in the strength of our squad at the moment. I still think we need to improve it if we can but we have certainly got enough to win games of football.

“We want to keep clean sheets, we are working hard on the training pitch to improve.”

Another summer signing, Callum Slattery, arrived the day before Motherwell’s final group fixture and has had to find his match-fitness through competitive games.

The 22-year-old, who joined from Southampton, said: “It was 100 miles per hour at the start, I got up here and straight into training and a game the next day, so it’s been full on. I had been training for a couple of weeks before heading up here.

“As time goes by it can only get better for myself and the team. I’d like to say I came in just shy of full fitness but as the weeks go on I feel like I am going to get fitter and fitter.

“There’s a few lads in the same situation as myself, quite new to the team, but the experienced lads have made it very easy and I think we have gelled quite quickly as a team.

“We know each other quite well now and we set high expectations for each other.”

Mark O’Hara and Liam Grimshaw are both closing in on comebacks and will be assessed ahead of the trip to Tayside.

O’Hara has been back training for two weeks after suffering a hamstring injury early in pre-season while Grimshaw has been out for seven months because of illness.