Motherwell 0 - 0 Kilmarnock: Shiels remains confident draw specialists will hit winning trail

Shiels felt his team should have won the game after an impressive display from Gary Harkins kept Motherwell on their toes in what was a lively enough encounter at Fir Park.

Harkins hit the post from 14 yards as Kilmarnock enjoyed a dominant spell before the break, but home goalkeeper Darren Randolph was never seriously tested.

Visiting keeper Anssi Jaakkola made the most impressive saves, brilliantly pushing wide Chris Humphrey’s early drive and making an excellent double stop from Steve Jennings and Michael Higdon just after half-time.

Motherwell were also denied by the woodwork when Tom Hateley’s corner hit the bar before Stephen Craigan headed over.

Home manager Stuart McCall felt a draw was a fair result, but Shiels was adamant his team should have won on the balance of play.

The Ayrshire side have drawn six of their 12 SPL games this season, winning twice, but Shiels says there is no chance his players will lose confidence in their ability to win matches.

“That comes when I stop believing in them and that will not happen,” the Northern Irishman said. “If one goes off the backside of someone we will take it, but we are not dependent on that. We have too much creativity for it not to happen. There is a belief there, the confidence is oozing out of the players. We’re a couple of points off the top six, in the quarter-finals of the cup and playing with fluency.”

He added: “We’re looking to convert chances obviously. I think a criticism of us would be that we have cut through them, and the end product was almost there. We were too dependent on a little break here and there. I feel it’s just a little bit of an end product to our game and we’ll be okay. We have hit the woodwork six times in four games.”

McCall joked his side had put in a substandard performance to temper expectations after they did enough to retain second place in the SPL for another week.

He warned fans against the dangers of getting carried away by their position in his programme notes but he was satisfied his players showed no signs of complacency.

McCall said: “I’m not concerned in our group but people outwith might think ‘what a disaster, the team in second only got a point’. It’s not like that. Outwith the Old Firm, everyone can beat everyone. There are a lot of decent sides in this league and you’ve got to be at your best, which we were today in certain areas but not in the key area, which is putting the ball in the net.

“We know we can’t turn in sparkling performances week in, week out. We’ve won a few games this season 1-0, and deserved to win.”