MARK McGHEE claims Motherwell beating Celtic at Parkhead last month is the highlight of his managerial career as he approaches 900 games in the dugout.

The Fir Park boss is just one away from that landmark number, something he will achieve tomorrow when he takes his team to Tynecastle to face Hearts.

In a coaching career stretching back to 1991, the 58-year-old has been in charge of eight teams including Reading, Leicester, Wolves and Millwall.

During that time, McGhee’s sides have been in the Premier League, English play-off battles, FA Cup runs to the semi-finals and jaunts into Europe.

But now reflecting on the various highs and lows, the Scotland assistant manager gazed back into the not-so-distant past to pluck out one of the top moments from almost 25 years as a manager.

“I don’t have a great memory so the best in my mind at the moment is beating Celtic at Parkhead a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “I can go back over it and think of games but that one is fresh in the memory and it’s what gets me out of bed in the morning.

“The next best will be to beat Hearts on Saturday.

“Losing in play-off games were the worst moments of my career. I lost narrowly in the last minute with Millwall against Birmingham in the play-off semi-final. That was painful.

“I lost with Wolves in the same circumstances to Crystal Palace. These were chances to go into the Premier League and they were life-changing games.

“That is the reason – and don’t misinterpret me here – why I’m managing Motherwell and not Liverpool.

“If II had won promotion on either of these occasions the chances are that’s the kind of place I would be.

“That’s the progression you need to make if you want to manage in the Premier League and II failed to make it so that’s why I feel unfulfilled."

Racking up his 900th game is something McGhee is understandably proud of, but it is not the final goal for the man now back in his second spell at Fir Park.

Not content with being well into three figures, the Well boss is already looking to break the 1000-game barrier, a feat only achieved by five post-war Scottish managers in Sir Alex Ferguson, Matt Busby, Jim McClean, Jim Jefferies and Jock Stein.

“I’ve got 1000 games in my sights, so I asked the guys in here to look up how many I’d done – and they came back to tell me I was on 899,” he said.

“That’s just coincidence that Saturday is my 900th game – but I’m quite proud of that.

“When I got up to the 800s, the 1000 became a thing in my mind, a target. It was one of the reasons I was so determined to stay involved, to get back into management.”

A win in his next game in charge will bring huge satisfaction to McGhee for a variety of reasons.

Going to one of the toughest venues in Scottish football, a positive result would not only extend Motherwell’s unbeaten run to seven games, but would also be achieved without two key men in their midfield.

Captain Keith Lasley is suspended for the trip through to Edinburgh while Manchester United loanee Liam Grimshaw has been recalled by his parent club in preparation for a permanent switch to Preston.

“We’re not going to use that as an excuse. I think we have a team that can go there and do itself justice on Saturday,” said McGhee.

“We’ll have to do it in a different way and it’s up to me to find that with what we’ve got.

“I believe I have that and it will be up to the players to go out and stand up to what they will face.”