Motherwell star Liam Kelly says belief and trust remains in boss Stuart Kettlewell

Liam Kelly atoned for last week’s howler against St Johnstone to help deliver a precious point for Motherwell at St Mirren.

And the Fir Park skipper insists the club remain in capable hands, despite under-pressure boss Stuart Kettlewell now 14 games without a win.

A 0-0 draw with Saints on Saturday, where Kelly saved a second-half spot-kick from Mark O’Hara, saw the Steelmen slip into the relegation play-off spot, just five points clear of bottom side Livingston, having played two games more.

Newly-crowned League Cup champions Rangers now come calling on Christmas Eve in another tough test, but Kelly says the Steelmen have the belief in their manager to get them out of their Premiership predicament at the foot of the table.

He said: “We are desperate to win and we should have done at St Mirren, but as a group we are so together and positive.

“We know how good our manager is and how good our staff are and that is a comfort for us knowing that we will stick together and get it right at some point.

“The belief is still there, the trust is still there.

“That is vital when you haven’t picked up wins that you still keep that belief in each other.”

On their winless streak, he added: “When you look at the first four games of it, we played Rangers, Celtic and St Mirren who are arguably just as good as every one of them.

“In the Livingston game we had a guy sent off in the first-half. There are four games, so you are down to ten and I think we have drawn six from those ten.”

Kelly had come in for criticism for his showing against St Johnstone the previous week, where he completely missed a cross which then deflected off Bevis Mugabi for an own goal.

And that followed him spilling a Jordan White header during the 3-0 defeat to Ross