LIONEL AINSWORTH has endured a torturous couple of months that one occasion, quite literally, reduced him to tears.

Now that nightmare is behind him, the Motherwell winger is relieved to be able to look ahead towards what he hopes is a long and prosperous future at Fir Park.

Once heralded as the most talented player in at Well by manager Mark McGhee, the 28-year-old’s confidence came crumbling down during one horrific night in Maryhill.

With Motherwell seemingly heading towards a hard-earned 0-0 draw with Partick Thistle on February 2, Ainsworth’s lapse allowed Steven Lawless to get away from him to net a last-gasp winner.

It triggered an extraordinary outpouring of emotion from the Englishman after the game as he sobbed while attempting to explain his error to the assembled press pack.

In the wake of that evening, Ainsworth has struggled for an opportunity to make amends during a purple patch for the men in claret and amber. Until Aberdeen came to town a week last Saturday, that is.

One nil down at the point when he was sent on from the bench, it was the forward’s fine ball into the box that helped Motherwell get the equaliser to put them on the path to a 2-1 victory.

And now he’s helped get the feel-good factor back, Ainsworth is desperate to embrace what the season still offers him.

“I think I thought about it a little too much, to be honest,” said Ainsworth to SportTimes, speaking about that infamous night at Firhill for the first time.

“It was the frustration of not playing, getting six minutes here and there and it’s not good for any player.

“Then in that situation the boys had brilliantly to grind out a draw and to then go and lose it like we did was hard.

“I took responsibility for it then moved on from it. I had a chat with the manager, took everything on board and worked hard in training.

“That’s what I’ve had to do. I’ve had nothing to complain about, I just have to show the manager every day what I can do.”

The 41 minutes Ainsworth was given against Aberdeen appear to have cleansed him of the demons that had troubled him greatly in the weeks prior.

He admits himself that he suffered a few jitters in his early touches in the encounter, but it is worth noting the contribution the former Watford man not only for his cross but his ability to alleviate pressure in the latter stages of the tight affair.

“I just ran myself into the ground,” said Ainsworth. “I hadn’t felt like that after a game in a long while! But it felt good when you come out winning.

“Against Aberdeen I got the chance to come on. For the first 10 minutes it was a bit nervy, I’d not played for three or four games. But ultimately I got into the game and showed them a little bit of what I can do.

“I’m keen to impress and in training I’ve been doing that in training, but the boys have been doing well and there’s nothing I can do about that. I just need to teain hard, keep going, stay fit and when I get my chance make sure I take it.

“I had a few bad touches against Aberdeen so it took me about 10 minutes to get into it. I enjoyed it and there was a lot of encouragement from the fans as there always is.

“I want to be doing my thing for the team every week. I’ve just got to bide my team and hopefully it will come.

There was possibly a point during the January transfer window when many Motherwell fans probably feared they could soon lose the man that has become a favourite since he was signed by Stuart McCall in 2014.

Instead, Ainsworth is already looking to next season – and beyond.

“I have another year left on my contract,” he explained. “I like to think I’m a big part of the team. The manager has told me I need to take my chance.

“I have that year and this is my third season here and I absolutely love the club. I’m looking beyond that and looking forward to next season.

“We could even end up in Europe. With the way the cup goes but that could happen, and people have said we have had a bad season. It’s not that bad.”