Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson admits he is still trying to find the right formula up front following the January departures of Devante Cole and James Scott.
Well have not won in five matches, four of them since Scott left for Hull in a potential £1.5million transfer.
They have only scored twice during that run and Robinson’s attempts to boost their firepower have since been hit by injuries to recent signing Mikael Ndjoli and top goalscorer Christopher Long.
Tony Watt is in line for his first start should Tuesday’s William Hill Scottish Cup replay against St Mirren survive Storm Dennis while Rolando Aarons has shown flashes of talent since arriving on loan from Newcastle.
With Jermaine Hylton established on the left wing, the likes of Ross MacIver and Sherwin Seedorf have also been challenged to make their mark.
Tuesday’s game is in doubt after a league meeting between the teams was postponed on Saturday because of the waterlogged Fir Park pitch, but Robinson used the free afternoon to get Watt further up to speed following his recent signing.
“We did 11 v 11 between ourselves on astro on Saturday so we got another 45 minutes into Tony Watt. So he becomes a live option as well,” Robinson said.
“What people haven’t mentioned is Devante Cole and James Scott. A lot of physical presence has been taken out of a very successful front three. So we are still trying to find the right combinations and the right way to go about that for people to step up and make that impact.
“We feel we are getting there again. There isn’t too much wrong but we will tweak certain things to make sure that works.
“For the first part of the season we played with one out-and-out winger and we had James or Devante on the right. It gave us a physical outlet, both boys are six foot. It allowed us to play the ball a little bit longer at times and not be too predictable.
“We have put different people in different positions. Rolando has come in and done really well, I think there is more to come from him.
“And it’s up to other people to step up. We are looking for consistency from our front three. It’s the hardest part of the game.
“We have to find that and I don’t think we are far away from it. We were 20 seconds away from a great result against St Johnstone and being third in the table.
“We have the opportunity to be in a quarter-final of the cup and whatever combination we put out we are a threat.”
On the prospect of the replay going ahead, Robinson said: “It will be touch and go again. I think the forecast isn’t great but it is meant to calm down towards the game.
“We have a superb groundsman and ground staff and they will do everything in their power to get it on. We are desperate to get it on, play the game and make sure we progress.”
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