Peter Hartley Well aware boss Stephen Robinson will be target for other clubs

Peter Hartley applauds the Motherwell fans after their 4-0 Betfred Cup win over Annan Athletic. Picture: Rob Casey/SNS

Robinson, pictured, who has guided Motherwell to two major domestic cup finals since taking charge in February 2017, recently signed a new contract which runs until the summer of 2022.

The Northern Irishman’s revamped squad have made an eye-catching start to the current campaign, romping through their Betfred Cup group games with a 100 per cent record which saw them score 13 goals and concede none.

Central defender Hartley, who replaced Carl McHugh as skipper this summer, believes his team will continue on an upward trajectory as long as they can hold on to Robinson.

“There is no doubt there will be interest in the gaffer,” said Hartley. “I’ve been with him for two seasons now and he’s been top class.

“He’s still young as a manager himself but he has developed. His preparation and training methods are different class. He knows when to push or hold back players.

“We’ve got a fantastic team and staff and if we can keep everyone together we will definitely improve and get better each season.

“We’ve started well this season. You can only beat what’s in front of you but we’ve seen a few Premiership clubs slipping up in the Betfred Cup, so we’ve done alright.

“It’s been a good pre-season, then we’ve kept four clean sheets and scored a few goals in the Betfred Cup, so you can’t ask for more.

“Our holding midfielder Liam Donnelly is our top scorer so we must be doing something right! He’s on fire but we’ve had a lot of possession in games and turned it into goals. It’s not easy when you’re playing teams with ten men behind the ball but we seem to have been able to create a lot of chances and put them away.

“It’s been pleasing seeing everything clicking into place but there’s a long season ahead of us. It’s Catch 22 sometimes – you can will all four games in the cup and get a little bit over-confident. We don’t have that type of dressing room, to be honest, but I’ve been at teams where it’s been the opposite.

“When I was at Plymouth we lost all our pre-season games and ended up in the play-off final. So you can’t look too far into what happens in pre-season but we’ve certainly got a lot of players with ability who have really bought into what we do here.”

Motherwell were subject to widespread criticism for the robust nature of their play in the early days of Robinson’s tenure but underwent a significant change of style last season. They have been more pleasing on the eye as they continue to produce exciting homegrown talent, with 18-year-old forward James Scott the latest to make a big impression.

“It’s been a bit of a transition period with the way we play,” admitted Hartley. “But we have been in the top four teams in the league in terms of form since January.

“The manager has signed a few new players and there are a lot of quality youngsters coming through.

“We have the kind of dressing room that will help these youngsters keep their feet on the ground and they will go on to brighter and better things.

“You’ll see a lot of the likes of James Scott this season. Time will tell. A lot of players don’t fulfil potential but if he stays fit and working hard then he will definitely be one to watch.”

Scott, who has scored three times already this season, found himself at the centre of controversy when he made his first start for Motherwell at Celtic Park in February, incensing the champions when he failed to return the ball to them after an injury and set up a goal.

“James hit the headlines with that Celtic game but he’ll learn from that,” added Hartley. “Genuinely, it was an honest mistake. He played at a noisy Celtic Park and just continued running.

“He never even scored the goal in the end but he got the blame! But he’ll live and learn. The good thing about Motherwell is we bring these young players through and develop them. We have a lot of talent like the lad Reece McAlear who has just gone to Norwich. He’s going to have a fantastic career but unfortunately we couldn’t keep hold of him a bit longer.

“But there are a good few more who are coming through and the sky is the limit for them. The club lives and breathes by producing players like Jake Hastie and David Turnbull.

“We just want to keep progressing this season and the target has to be a top six finish in the Premiership with more points that we got last season.”