Motherwell have been given a boost ahead of their trip to Ross County this weekend with the news that Keith Lasley and Stevie Hammell should be passed fit.

Hammell has missed the majority of the season with a groin problem whilst Lasley picked up a calf injury against Aberdeen.

With Stephen McManus missing the game through suspension, the return of the experienced pair is timely for the Steelmen.

Lasley said: “I’m back training now and I’m hoping to be available and involved at the weekend.

“There’s no doubt that Stevie has been really unfortunate, but he’s been training for a couple of weeks now and I think he’s going to be available for Saturday too which is a great boost.

“He’s one of Motherwell’s most consistent players and when someone like that drops out for any length of time it can only be a big blow to the team.

“I know how frustrated he’s been and he’s itching to get back involved and make a contribution, and it looks like that will happen sooner rather than later, so that’s a boost not only to Stevie himself but to the club as a whole.”

Motherwell skipper Lasley is hoping that the trip to Dingwall can get Mark McGhee’s second Fir Park rebuilding job back on track.

A home defeat to Inverness last time out was disappointing off the back of good results against Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.

“Going into the break we were looking to cement those results against Inverness,” Lasley said, “But I think there were still many aspects of the performance that were good.

“Inverness got a penalty and a deflection and all of a sudden we were 2-0 down, but the boys battled away well and did have chances, and possibly we could have got back into the game.

“Obviously the result sets us back a little, but certainly in terms of training and the atmosphere around it, it’s all still positive. There’s been some really positive things that have happened since the manager has come in and we’re looking to build upon that for Saturday.

“Any time a new manager comes to the club they’re obviously looking at two or three things that they can tweak slightly to try and get a reaction and try to turn the fortunes around, and the manager is still in that period where he’s still assessing everybody and different ways of playing.

“He’s starting to get there though the more he works with us and with the more training sessions we have, and the players are starting to know a bit more about what the manager requires.

“I think it’s a gradual process and that’s been evident in the performances that we’ve had so far, and we’re hoping that is something that builds and we can get the results off the back of that.

“Ideally any manager taking over would like to do it in pre-season. They would want that period of 5 or 6 weeks where you don’t have competitive games to deal with when you’re trying to work on your shape and style of play.

“There’s no doubting Mark’s capability though. When he came to the club the first time we had a struggling side, a side that almost got relegated, and he certainly was able to turn us around and transform us into a squad that was not only able to improve, but improve dramatically.

“Hopefully if he can even get half of that or part of that going again then there will definitely be some good times ahead.”