Stevie Hammell says that long-time friend and teammate Keith Lasley is the spark behind the family atmosphere that Motherwell is famed for.

The left-back has known ‘Well captain Lasley since they broke into the Steelmen first-team way back in the late nineties – a time when Lasley was still serving an apprenticeship as an electrician.

As he looked forward to Lasley’s testimonial against Bolton Wanderers at Fir Park today, the left-back reminisced: “I first came across Keith in about 1998 I suppose, we go back a long way.

“He was serving his apprenticeship as an electrician and he used to turn up still with his overalls on.

“We used to think, ‘who is this boy?’

“He served his time as an electrician and I think that helped him realise what a privileged position he was in as footballer.

“He still carries his wee spark card and he’s always promising to fix things because so many things go wrong in here.

“I think he’ll need to take a refresher course mind you because I don’t think I’ve ever seen him fix anything.

“He’s always threatening to go out and get his toolbox but the TV in the players’ lounge has been on the blink for weeks!”

Lasley, now 35, has come a long way since those formative years.

After leaving Fir Park in 2004 to have a crack at England with Plymouth Argyle and Blackpool, he returned to Lanarkshire in 2006.

Since then, he’s been through a rollercoaster of emotions in claret and amber, from the highs of cup final and European appearances, to the lowest day in the club’s recent history, when his friend and former captain Phil O’Donnell was lost whilst playing on the Fir Park pitch.

“He’s been through a helluva lot with Motherwell,” Hammell said.

“We’ve had some good times, of course, but for the older ones like Keith, there have been some bad times too.

“He was here when the club went into administration and, of course, he was back at the club when we lost Phil O’Donnell.

“That affects you in a big way. Keith came through all of that and I think that’s why he really appreciates being at this club.

“It’s a unique club, we’ve been through a lot together and Keith has been here throughout it all.

“He’s just a name you associate with Motherwell.

“In many ways, Keith carried on from Phil and then Stephen Craigan.

“Keith picked up the mantle and he makes everyone feel welcome.

“It’s very rare a player gets a testimonial these days.

“He’s given this club tremendous service down through the years and he thoroughly deserves it, he’s been an unbelievable guy to have around.

“He’s been a part of the great teams of the last few years and he’s certainly a player that will be remembered for a long time by the Motherwell fans.

“He’s a real leader in the dressing room too.

“For any young lad coming through you need leadership and you need experience.

“You need someone to look out for you and make you feel welcome, Las has always done that.

“If the younger lads are having problems on or off the pitch, or even at home, Keith is someone they can always go to.

“We’ve had that kind of mentality in the dressing room for a while and I think that’s a big part of why we’ve been so successful of late.”