FILLING Jamie Murphy's boots was never going to be easy, but with the aid of some technology, Motherwell new boy Kallum Higginbotham has well and truly got off on the right foot.

The Huddersfield Town striker was brought in on loan at Fir Park until the end of the season with boss Stuart McCall looking to fill the void left by the 23-year-old's departure to Sheffield United.

But after sampling his first start for the Well first team in their 3-0 triumph over Inverness Caley, boss Stuart McCall revealed just how the frontman helped to lead Terry Butcher's men a merry dance on Saturday.

The Fir Park gaffer said: "He got off to a good start, he had a great effort at the start that everyone from the bench thought was in. He did a lot of good things.

"He's playing in a similar role to Murphy. We went through things with him on Friday, showed him clips of how Jamie had played up at Inverness in an area of the park that we could try to exploit.

"He's very similar in that he can play just off the front and slightly to the left. I'm pleased for him."

To single out the Englishman would be doing a disservice to the rest of his team-mates in claret and amber, who marched up into second in the SPL with a mature and aggressive display.

The Steelmen, who cantered to a win thanks to a Michael Higdon double and a second-half Nicky Law effort from close range, looked unshaken after their Killie collapse last weekend.

Even without skipper Keith Lasley and Fraser Kerr through suspension, McCall's men took a firm grip of the game, especially in the second half, with their snappy interplay and quick feet too much for the Highlanders.

And his troops have the ideal opportunity to extend their lead in second to five points tomorrow as Dundee United roll into town.

Despite suffering a suspected broken hand, Simon Ramsden is understood to be available, as is Steven Saunders – the forgotten man of Fir Park – who featured on the bench on Saturday after a year-and-a-half out through injury.

"He just needs games," said McCall. "He's been out for almost two years.

"We've had a few under-20 games on an artificial pitch and he's not able to play on that.

"The more football we can get him, the closer he'll get to being in the starting XI."

Last night cult hero James McFadden looked poised to sign a short-term deal that would see him return to his former club for the remainder of the season after training with the Well squad over the last week.

However, McCall refused to be drawn on any potential agreement being reached, instead opting to focus on tomorrow night's task.

"It's a big game tomorrow, we're in today and we're preparing for that one," he said.