MOTHERWELL'S win over Dundee United last Friday may have come seven days too late to keep Stuart McCall at the club but Lionel Ainsworth is adamant it was nine weeks overdue.

An Iain Vigurs goal was enough to give Well all three points at Fir Park to end a dismal run of five Premiership defeats in a row.

It was that series of demoralising reverses which persuaded McCall to resign from his post early last week.

Only the man himself will know if a victory a week previously against St Johnstone would have been enough to keep him at the Lanarkshire club.

But Ainsworth told SportTimes that Well should have hit the winning trail again even earlier than that.

The winger said: "The United game showed what we are capable of.

"But that result did not come a week late, to be honest it was about nine weeks too late.

"We should have been getting victories like that a long time ago.

"It had been coming for a while with our performances against Aberdeen, St Johnstone and our first match against Dundee United at Tannadice.

"Sometimes things just don't go your way. In games this season I've hit the post and also had a goal disallowed for offside when even their defender told me it should have stood."

So far Motherwell have received more than 50 applications for the vacant manager's post.

It's unclear yet if caretaker Kenny Black will be adding his C.V. to the list but Ainsworth praised the No.2 for the part he played in last Friday's victory.

The 27-year-old wide player said: "Last week was stressful but we handled it well.

"Before the United game Kenny gave us a little speech which was really inspirational.

"We all knew we had to go out and apply ourselves more than we had done before. We put in 120 per cent.

"It's unfortunate that the win came after the manager had left but he will be proud of us."

Ainsworth added: "I didn't expect the gaffer to go but things can change so quickly.

"The club did a lot for Stuart McCall but he did a lot for the club.

"What he achieved at Motherwell over his four years here was amazing. He is a great man.

"I owe a lot to him for bringing me to this club last year. I don't think that he will be out of a job for too long."