Motherwell target 'two or three' more summer signings

Stuart Kettlewell insists Motherwell need “two or three” more players to compete as he intends this season.

The Fir Park club have worked quickly and efficiently, bringing in 10 players this summer in goalkeeper Krisztian Hegyi, defenders Steve Seddon, Liam Gordon, John Koutroumbis and Kofi Balmer, midfielders Ross Callachan, Tom Sparrow and Andy Halliday, and strikers Filip Stuparevic and Zach Robinson.

But Kettlewell says he’s far from finished in the transfer market.

He said: “We need to add more. I tried to get as much business done as I possibly could.

“I was constantly getting asked the question in the last several weeks of the season: are you thinking of what’s coming next.

“I think the influx of players probably tells you that’s exactly what we had been doing.

“In my opinion it’s trying to bring in that quality, try to bring a robust edge to it so we have a strong group and squad that’s required at this level.

“There’s always going to be a couple of positions where you think you can seal that bit of quality in.

“It might not be right at the start of the window – as much as I would love to get everybody in on day one and work with them, because that’s my bag, in the coaching staff’s aspect that we can help players become better.

“We still feel that we’re two or three short of just making us a stronger group, potentially, than we were last year.”

Kettlewell feels his side are prepared for the start of the season, but insists he won’t use the Premier Sports Cup group stages as ‘warm-up’ games, starting at home to Edinburgh City on Saturday, before heading to Montrose the following Tuesday.

He said: “We don’t get any prizes for winning pre-season friendlies, but I would rather be sitting here undefeated as we have