Well fitness not a concern for Brown

MOTHERWELL interim manager Craig Brown is confident his players have the strength and stamina to cope with their second game in three days.

Well convincingly won their first match of 2010 when they ruined Jimmy Calderwood's debut as Kilmarnock manager with a 3-0 victory at Rugby Park on Saturday.

Goalscorers Lukas Jutkiewicz and Jim O'Brien, who netted a double, were taken off to preserve them for tonight's Active Nation Scottish Cup fourth-round tie at Inverness, who last played on Boxing Day.

"Our lads are very fit, we've seen that in training," said Brown.

"That fitness showed in the second half – they were actually full steam ahead after the interval. I genuinely believe their fitness should be good enough."

St Johnstone are now the only SPL team not to play this year but they should break their duck at Forfar tonight.

Manager Derek McInnes is expecting a tough test against Dick Campbell's Third Division side and he wants his players to use their Co-operative Insurance Cup form as inspiration.

"Regardless of whatever Forfar team lines up, we know they have real experience and a really experienced manager," McInnes said.

"They will relish the cup tie. We're expecting nothing less than a difficult game. Our approach to playing teams from leagues below us has been good. We beat Stenhousemuir 5-0 and Arbroath 6-0, which has helped us get to a semi-final."

Forfar have been even less fortunate with the weather – their last game was a victory at Livingston more than five weeks ago. McInnes added: "We had them watched on 12 December, which is just as well. We know enough about them."

McInnes has had an impressive start to management, quickly establishing Saints as a competitive SPL side after winning the First Division. But that almost did not come to fruition because of Campbell's intervention.

"He tried to take me to Partick Thistle when I was coming back from Millwall but I ended up at St Johnstone," McInnes said.

"He offered me the chance to take the reserves, which I appreciated, but I was also getting that up at St Johnstone with Owen Coyle. I think I made the right decision."