MOTHERWELL manager Mark McGhee believes his players thoroughly deserve their European place because of their performances against the top sides in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.
Celtic's 2-0 victory over Hibs yesterday assured Motherwell of entry to the UEFA Cup.
The Steelmen had already put Dundee United and Aberdeen out of the equation with their 2-1 victory over the Dons on Saturday – their third win this season agains
t Jimmy Calderwood's men.
Motherwell also put five goals past United in the December game that ended in the tragic death of captain Phil O'Donnell and have beaten Hibs three times, including a four-goal CIS Insurance Cup rout at Easter Road.
McGhee took charge last summer after Motherwell avoided relegation on the penultimate day of the season despite losing at home to St Mirren.
With only two players signed at the start of the season, Stephen Hughes and Chris Porter, Motherwell embarked on an incredible improvement to dominate third place from an early stage. But McGhee insists he has performed no magic trick – just encouraged the players to show their quality.
"The fact is it is not a miracle as these boys are good enough," McGhee said. "They have been good enough to beat Aberdeen three times, they have beaten Dundee United and Hibs really well, we have won at Parkhead and taken points off Rangers.
"They have proven over the season to be good enough and all I have done is brought that out and encouraged it.
"(Assistant manager] Scott Leitch has been a superb lieutenant this year for me. We have worked as a team all of us and we all deserve equal credit."
Motherwell winger Darren Smith agrees the club have been worthy winners of the European race, especially after the death of their captain and a flurry of postponements.
Smith is desperate for Motherwell to hold on to the manager following his incredible impact.
"I think every Motherwell fan wants the manager to be here next season and they can see what he has done," said the half-time substitute, who put his team ahead yesterday in the 61st minute. "If he can do this in one year, what could he do in two years? If he can stay here that will be excellent."
The 20-year-old grew up watching Motherwell, but was too young to remember their last European adventure – a brief UEFA Cup sojourn ended by Finnish side My-Pa 47 in 1995.
"It would be amazing. This season so many things have been thrown at us – the pitch and other things. It has really been putting us down," Smith said. "But we have come back and played some amazing football and I think people can see we deserve it."
Aberdeen boss Calderwood criticised assistant referee Martin Cryans after the final whistle, for not seeing Barry Nicholson's volley going over the line before Graeme Smith clawed it away.
Aberdeen had already levelled out of the blue through Sone Aluko's volley, but Porter went on to steer home the winner with nine minutes left, after Nicholson was denied.
"It was the linesman's decision," Calderwood said. "It has happened a couple of times with that linesman."
The full article contains 539 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
