MOTHERWELL manager Stephen Robinson says that ending Celtic’s 65-game unbeaten domestic run tonight would almost be like winning a trophy.

And that his players are determined to do it to make up for the disappointment of Sunday’s Betfred Cup final defeat.

Robinson is still smarting over the circumstances surrounding the 2-0 loss to Celtic at Hampden, and he is hoping to settle some scores by bringing the champions’ mammoth unbeaten run on home soil to a shuddering halt.

And even if they fall short, he is certain that his players will be able to lift themselves to go toe-to-toe with Celtic once more at Fir Park this evening.

“It would be a huge consolation to end Celtic’s run,” said Robinson. “That’s what we want to do.

“We want to win football matches whether it’s against Celtic, Aberdeen or Ross County, it doesn’t matter.

“We’ve won a lot of football matches this season doing things the right way. We’ve got an honest bunch of boys who will pick themselves up again.

“I think what Sunday does is make them more determined. Who knows if the decision would have affected whether we would have won or lost the game?

“All I know was that it was going to be a really good cup final, and that was taken away. We’re determined to make up for that.

“It would almost be like a trophy. I said it afterwards, and I kept my dignity, Celtic are a massive football club with huge resources, and they’ve got top class players and a really good manager.

“For us to beat them, for little Motherwell to compete with them, is huge.

“And we will compete with them, and we will be giving absolutely everything we can to win the game on Wednesday and to win the game on Saturday.”

Robinson revealed that Motherwell won’t be appealing the red card shown to defender Cedric Kipre by referee Craig Thomson on Sunday, despite feeling the decision was made in error.

And he admitted that the club have had to rally around the giant Frenchman to lift his spirits since Sunday.

“We considered appealing the red card, but we made a decision that we had made numerous appeals where we thought we had very good evidence to get it rescinded and it’s gone against us,” he said.

“What that did was waste time and money for the football club, and Cedric Kipre would have been sitting in front of a judge and jury on Thursday instead of preparing for a game on Wednesday.

“The reality is, the suspension will be next year in the first round of the cup, and Cedric could be playing in the Premier League by then with his ability.

“We just have to draw a line under it and try to go and win a game on Wednesday.

“Cedric was devastated. You forget that he is 20 years of age, because he’s like a mountain.

“He’s a brilliant boy, he’s really quiet, so we picked him up, gave him a cuddle and a kiss - on a stepladder - and he’s okay.

“He’s disappointed because he feels that he’s let people down, and he hasn’t. He certainly hasn’t let me down.

“He’s been an absolutely massive success for this football club.”