Keith Lasley has targeted a milestone 500th appearance for Motherwell, and he has cut down on the poppadoms to ensure that he makes it.

The club captain will emerge from the tunnel tonight for the 464th time as a Motherwell player as they look to leapfrog opponents Hearts into second place in the table.

With his legendary status at Fir Park already secure, and with his 37th birthday ticking past last week, he may be forgiven for looking to wind down his career. That isn’t in Lasley’s make-up though, and he is more driven than ever to make the most of every match he plays on the way to that landmark 500th outing for Motherwell.

“Not too many manage that,” Lasley said. “Stevie Hammell is already up there with the post-war record, but why not? You can only go with the way you feel and the way I feel just now I don’t see any reason why not.

“I still like my Chinese and Indians, but I just have one poppadom now instead of 10! That is the way it has to be, I just have to ration them. I still think there is a time and a place where you can still enjoy yourself. Do I go out every Saturday night? No, very rarely, so that certainly gets curbed. I am getting too old for it as well.

“I’m another year older but it makes you appreciate you’ve still got the chance to get out there. It still feels brilliant.

“I feel as good as I’ve ever done, although I can see why some people might think I’m just saying that!

“It does come down to diet and sacrifice here and there when the biscuits come out.”

Although he isn’t looking to swap his boots for the pipe and slippers just yet, Lasley admits he appreciates occasions like tonight’s match even more as he approaches the twilight of his career.

“A game under the lights here, on a good pitch with a good atmosphere it means more to me now being involved in a game like this,” he said.

“We’ve also had a good start and we have the chance to go second and honestly I wish the game was just now.

“You just want to get out there and it helps when you are playing in a team that can compete in the right area of the league. It keeps me going because I wanted to be part of it.”

Meanwhile, Hearts goalkeeper Jack Hamilton will come up against one of his coaches in the Scotland set-up tonight as he looks to shut out Mark McGhee’s side.

The 22-year-old can scarcely believe that he has earned another call-up to the national squad for next week’s double header against Lithuania then Slovakia, and he revealed that the first time he was called up, not even his own family took him seriously.

"It's something you dream of as a kid,” Hamilton said. “To see your name called up is fantastic.

“I remember the first time I got in, Craig [Levein] phoned me. I was a later call-up in the summer. I was just getting ready for summer holidays when I got the call.

“I was in the house getting ready to eat my dinner and I couldn't quite believe it. I was a wee bit star-struck thinking about it. My mum and dad thought I was taking the mickey. They just said: 'Shut up!’ It was fantastic.

“I’m getting a little more used to it now and it's something I always want to be in.

"You're watching the other keepers and trying to learn from them. You're also trying to get better and be ready in case you're called upon.

“The first couple of times I was involved I was maybe like ‘wow, I'm training with these guys.' Now I'm thinking that I’ve got to be there and be ready just in case you get that call.

“It's been good to have Callum [Paterson] there with me both times as well. I was rooming with him. Having somebody you know is really good and the other goalies are all great with you and the coaching staff all make you welcome.

“Mark has been fine with me. Everybody is there if you need advice, they're there to help you,” added Hamilton. “It will be good to go there and play his Motherwell team. We need to get the three points so it's a massive game for us.”