Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson ready for the biggest game of his life

STEPHEN ROBINSON is set for the biggest game of his life at Hampden today.

The Motherwell boss has had some heady days as an assistant with Northern Ireland in recent times.

But he admits that beating Rangers in the League Cup semi-final would top that.

He said: “Being involved in the Euros with Northern Ireland, getting to the last 16 and playing against teams like Germany and Poland, in front of 60,000 people, is quite similar.

“But it’s not on my head. Michael O’Neill is the manager and I’m only on the coaching staff.

“We had experience of playing our first game of the season at Hampden against Queen’s Park, but we are expecting a different atmosphere!”

He says there are some comparisons between his club and country.

Although Motherwell have made an excellent start to the season, Rangers are strong favourites to reach the Betfred League Cup final.

Robinson said: “We go into most games as underdogs at the moment.

“I don’t think it does us any harm. We put all the pressure on the other side and we will just do what we do.

“It gives you an inner drive within the dressing room to prove people wrong.

“That is what I have always used throughout my career, as a player and manager.”

Robinson believes Motherwell is a club that is helping a lot of players to progress in their careers.

A big game like today’s can only help raise their profile.

He said: “The hard part is getting people to Scotland because there’s a lot of ignorance about the game up here.

“I’d be the first to hold my hands up to that.

“I played my entire career in England and didn’t realise how big it was – the fanbase, the stadia, the media.

“Scottish football is a massive attraction to people now.

“Louis Moult has come from non-league at Wrexham, where you don’t get a mention. He’s on the back of every paper now. His profile is massive.

“He couldn’t have dreamt of that when he signed for a nominal fee.

“Motherwell has been very good to Louis Moult.

“When Louis doesn’t work hard, he’s an average footballer. When he works his socks off, which he does for us, he’s a very good footballer.

“He doesn’t get bullied. He has a wee bit of bite to him. That is something he probably didn’t have when he first came up.

“He has a little nasty streak in him, which we like.

“That’s maybe the key to some of the top players who have that ruthlessness in them. Louis has that.

“This is a great stage if you’re prepared to come up here, make sacrifices and work hard.

“You put yourself in a massive shop window.”