Motherwell boss still seeking strength and depth to squad as Premiership season nears

Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell says he needs more strength in depth as his side head into their Premiership opener at Dundee on Saturday, but his squad are as ready as they can be.

The Steelmen came through their Viaplay Cup group on top, going into the last 16, and have brought in new players like Conor Wilkinson, Pape Souare and Davor Zdravkovski, while blooding youngsters like Lennon Miller, Ewan Wilson and Mark Ferrie.

But Kettlewell says they need much more if they are to have a sustained challenge, though he brought in striker Theo Bair on Tuesday.

Kettlewell said: “I think we’re as ready as we can be, given the circumstances and where we are, in terms of trying to shape our squad.

“But we need a little bit more strength in depth and we need to make sure we have not just more numbers, but a little bit of added quality to the squad and make real competition for places.

“It’s a long, old season, and just to have 12-13 senior players at your disposal is probably not going to be enough, so we need to add to that.”

Kettlewell was pleased as a 3-0 home win over League Two outfit East Fife, with goals from Miller, Wilkinson and Connor Slattery, saw them top their group, but there have been consequences for the Steelmen going into the nitty gritty of league business.

He said: “When you’ve got guys dipping in and out, signing sporadically, guys haven’t had a full pre-season, it’s trying to be cautious and careful that you’re getting them up to speed, but not exposing them to injury.

“Unfortunately we’ve come away with a couple of injuries, which is disappointing.

“We’ll assess it and hopefully these guys might be okay in the next week or so, but we add that to Jon Obika, who is a bit of a blow to us as well. Jon is a wee