Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson is looking to climb the Scottish Premiership table after their coronavirus-enforced lay-off left them in 10th place.
But he will be without one player for Saturday’s visit of Ross County after tests recorded a positive Covid-19 case.
Robinson also has fresh injury problems which he did not elaborate on, as he prepares for his team’s first game of October after trips to Kilmarnock and St Mirren were called off because of their opponents’ virus outbreaks.
Motherwell retested their squad on Friday morning after the positive case was confirmed earlier in the week. No further positives were recorded and no other players have been instructed to self-isolate.
On the frustration of recent weeks, Robinson said: “It’s just the world we live in now, it is nothing we can really control.
“The biggest frustration is you have got to cram the games in with a small squad. But we are no different to anyone else, everybody outside the top two or three has small squads.
“It’s going to be a real push this season but we are happy to be playing football in any shape or form and we are going to have to deal with what’s put in front of us.
“I don’t think there is an advantage or disadvantage now, people are going to get hit by this virus now no matter how hard we try. It’s in society and we just have to cope with it and get on with it.
“We have got a small squad, we have a couple of injuries. I am not having to look for injuries at the back at the moment, I have to say.
“But we will put out a team as best we can and start trying to climb that table.”
Robinson argued the Scottish Professional Football League should “get a move on” with their investigation into Kilmarnock’s postponement and hours later the league opened disciplinary proceedings against the Ayrshire club.
Motherwell could be handed a 3-0 win if Killie are deemed to have breached the league’s Covid-19 protocols while St Mirren remain under investigation.
Motherwell’s trip to face Jim Goodwin’s side last weekend was cancelled two-and-a-half hours before kick-off.
When asked if more notice could have been given, Robinson said: “Possibly but I don’t know the full circumstances. I always have a policy of not commenting on anyone else’s situations when I don’t really know what happened.
“I spoke to Jim during the week and I have every sympathy with everybody who is dealing with it. We are dealing with it now as well.
“You are relying on other people, the track and trace and different people, whether you get that information quickly or have to wait a couple of days.
“I’m sure people are doing everything in their power to get the information as quickly as possible. We were literally getting on a bus at 12 o’clock but what can you do? You have to get on with these things.”
