Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson has urged his threadbare squad to step up to the plate for Saturday’s crucial Lanarkshire derby after seeing his options further diminished by the imminent loss of Ryan Bowman.
Motherwell have allowed the striker to travel south for signing talks before the trip to Hamilton after an unnamed Sky Bet League Two club succeeded with an offer.
Robinson had already lost forward Curtis Main to suspension and centre-backs Carl McHugh, Charles Dunne and Christian Mbulu to injury following the Boxing Day defeat by Kilmarnock. David Turnbull is still struggling with illness and central defender Peter Hartley has just returned to training after a month out, latterly with a calf injury.
Motherwell have suffered three defeats in a row to leave them precariously close to the Ladbrokes Premiership bottom two, and Accies are aiming to move within a point of them on Saturday.
Robinson, who is without Liam Donnelly, Craig Tanner, Chris Cadden and Trevor Carson long term, said: “Peter Hartley will train and we will decide whether it’s too soon to be put him. But it’s a big game and people need to step up now, and we might just have to take that risk.
“It’s a huge game and we are not going to use the injuries as an excuse. There’s about 12 out altogether, but we need to get on with it. We will put out a team that I firmly can believe can win the game.”
Motherwell rejected a summer bid from Grimsby for Bowman, but, with six months left on his contract and Robinson looking to reshape his front line next month, they are now looking to cash in.
“We have accepted an offer from another club from Ryan,” he said. “They have made him an offer that we couldn’t compete with. At the end of the season there is no way I could compete with the figures mentioned there.
“Ryan is speaking personal terms now and heading down there for a medical. So we will see what happens with that one.
“We are a selling club, we sell players, and it frees up his wages to try and go and replace him if he does get the deal done.”
Meanwhile, Motherwell are continuing to monitor the three defenders who were taken to hospital on Wednesday.
“It was scary at the time,” Robinson said. “Dunney was knocked out completely but he is back in. I think he thinks he should be playing on Saturday, but with the protocol for concussion there is no way that’s happening. But he’s OK, he’s doing better.
“Carl, with his history, he had a serious incident a couple of years ago, we are just taking it easy with him.
“Christian, we are waiting on results next week. He has a lot of bleeding in the back of his eye, so they are waiting to see exactly what it is. We are hoping it is not as bad as first feared.
“The medical staff have been excellent. I think we have inroads at Wishaw General, we go straight through casualty now, we have had that many people up there. But they are fantastic with the boys and we are keeping them monitored.”