Motherwell assistant manager Keith Lasley insists the chance to consolidate third place in the Ladbrokes Premiership will more than make up for their unconventional Christmas Day.
The Motherwell squad will train in the afternoon before making a 170-mile coach trip to stay in an Inverness hotel before their Boxing Day game against Ross County in Dingwall.
Festive spirits remain high in the Motherwell camp, though, after Saturday’s victory at Kilmarnock – a fourth win in five matches – lifted them above Aberdeen.
Lasley said: “No Christmas dinner unfortunately. That was one of the perks of retirement, a glass of red with your Christmas dinner, but unfortunately we’ll be travelling.
“We will be preparing as professionally as we always do. We’ll be training on Christmas Day and travelling up to Inverness to prepare properly for the game on Boxing Day.
“That’s our job. We are well used to working at this time of year as a footballer and this day will be no different.
“We will travel on Christmas evening, which has gone down fantastically well in the Lasley household and I’m sure throughout the dressing room.
“But it’s something we are used to in football and we obviously get a break at the start of January, which we will look forward to when it comes round.
“It won’t feel like Christmas Day for the boys. They will have Christmas morning with their families and we will be in here in the afternoon and, as soon as that happen,s it’s professional head on.
“As always with our preparation, every aspect of it in terms of how they are eating and how they look after themselves is monitored as well as we can.”
Lasley, whose side host Hamilton on Sunday, added: “We know we have two big jobs to do before we get that break and they are determined to make the most of this opportunity to continue in our position.
“We know what we are up against but one final push before we get some down time and time to recover.”
