Motherwell don't deserve top six after inconsistencies this season, admits Paul McGinn

Paul McGinn admits Motherwell simply haven’t been good enough to warrant a top-six slot as they prepare to play high-flying St Mirren this weekend.

The Steelmen are back after the international break and with three games to go before the Premiership split, finishing in the top half of the table is now very much a long shot as they trail sixth-place Hibs by six points with only nine to play for.

The controversial 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen on March 16 – in which VAR calls made headlines after boss Stuart Kettlewell was left fuming – has also left the Fir Park club looking over their shoulder.

Second-bottom Ross County, in the relegation play-off spot, moved to within five points of eighth-place ΄ Well and there is still work to do to ensure safety.

And as Motherwell head into the business end of the campaign, McGinn believes the Steelmen’s season, which included a rotten run of 15 games without a win, hasn’t been good enough for them to be considered among the strongest sides.

The defender said: “The top six was a bit of a long shot for us.

“But we’ve not been consistent enough to even warrant that this season.

“First and foremost, we need to make sure we are fine in the league and win a couple of games again.

“Ideally, we go and win the next three and look for a bit of luck, but it looks like Hibs have turned a bit of a corner and even Dundee [in seventh spot] can be a threat.

“We just need to react in the next game.”

Saints also go into the game at Fir Park off the back of a defeat, although their loss was arguably more painful.

Stephen Robinson, the former Motherwell boss, saw his side hold a 2-0 lead over Kilmarnock before a shocking capitulation in a 19-minute spell of the second half saw them slump to a 5-2 defeat.