Hammell: So much riding on play-off

Hammell has spent all of his football career at Fir Park bar an 18-month spell in England, where he helped Southend produce a cup shock against Manchester United.

The 33-year-old's Motherwell appearances include Champions League qualifiers, Europa League play-offs, a League Cup final and a Scottish Cup final but the coming week's Scottish Premiership play-off matches against Rangers will eclipse them all in terms of importance.

Motherwell's 30-year stay in the top flight is at stake - only Aberdeen and Celtic have been there longer.

The Lanarkshire side could not face a more challenging play-off opponent than a Rangers side who have been rejuvenated and solidified by Stuart McCall, the manager who led Motherwell to a Hampden final and a hat-trick of top-three finishes before resigning in October, claiming the team needed a fresh voice to overcome a poor start to the season.

Hammell, who was rested for Motherwell's goalless draw against Partick Thistle on Saturday, said: "It's probably even bigger than the cup final. The cup final doesn't determine what league you play in the next season.

"There is so much riding on it, the future of the club and of staff at the club who I'm really friendly with as well. We have to make sure we put absolutely everything into it and make sure we come away with no regrets.

"I'm just as friendly with the staff in here as I am with the players, in terms of the office staff and cleaners and others. It has an effect on everyone."

Hammell is not the only current Motherwell player who made his name in claret and amber. Keith Lasley, Scott McDonald and Stephen Pearson have all returned and even emerging striker Lee Erwin is approaching a decade at the club.

"I think it's important to have people here who know what the club is all about," said Hammell, who made his Motherwell debut in 2000.

"We do things a little differently here to other clubs but it's such a great place to be. It's such a great club and it's important to have people here who know that and realise that. It needs to hurt you when you lose, it needs to hurt you when you don't put in a good performance.

"That's important and if you've got people in the dressing room where that's the case, then you know you are going to get the best out of everyone."

The aforementioned players were also rested as Ian Baraclough made nine changes against Thistle with Thursday's first leg at Ibrox firmly in mind.

Goalkeeper Dan Twardzik made several impressive saves from Thistle midfielder Gary Fraser while John Sutton came closest for Motherwell, seeing a low free-kick well stopped by Scott Fox before turning Craig Moore's cutback wide with the goalkeeper stranded.

The game allowed James Craigen to say goodbye to the travelling fans after the 24-year-old former Edinburgh University midfielder was told on Thursday that his contract would not be renewed.

Partick manager Alan Archibald said: "He has been outstanding. Jackie (McNamara) signed him from the uni team and he was a fringe player, out on loan at Forfar.

"But he broke into the team and scored a critical goal in our season when we won the league. He scored the goal against Morton.

"He has been fantastic for us. Restraints in the budget mean we couldn't keep James on. I would have liked to have kept him on but the budgets are getting tighter and tighter and I need to let the younger ones come through as well.

"James has been a casualty of that but he has been an outstanding servant and he is a lovely boy as well, a great personality.

"It was a very hard decision because he is such a good lad and gives so much to the team."