Motherwell boss Graham Alexander admits a terrible start against Dundee made his side edgy, but he has backed his squad to get through their rough patch after missing a huge opportunity against the depleted basement boys.
The Steelmen are now 10 games without a Premiership win and still searching for their first triumph of 2022 after they fought back to draw 1-1 with Mark McGhee's men.
Dundee were gifted a sixth minute opener when Stephen O'Donnell was caught in possession in his own penalty box and Paul McMullan pounced to curl the ball home, but Joe Efford's first goal for Motherwell 12 minutes later earned a point.
Alexander knows they spurned a massive chance to stop the rot and boost their top six hopes by failing to really test the Dark Blues, who were missing six first team players due to Covid and had to get 20-year-old goalkeeper Harrison Sharp "out of his bed" to replace Ian Lawlor.
The Fir Park boss saw his side slip to eighth in the table - although they are just a point off fourth place Hibs.
And he said: "All the things were there for us, but you have to start well and we started in terrible fashion.
"The goal is so poor. It gets our crowd edgy, it gets us edgy, it makes Dundee puff their chests out and feel better about themselves.
"That's what goals can do when two teams are looking for that glimmer of light.
"My players responded well, but it is 100 per cent a missed opportunity.
"Regardless of what team they put out, we've had a good record at Fir Park this season.
"We go into every game trying to win it, expecting to win it and that was the case today but we feel short.
"In this spell after the Rangers game we felt we could pick up some big points that we knew could put us in a good position in the league and we've wasted that opportunity, I feel.
"But, amazingly enough, that opportunity is still there and that's what we've got to focus on.
"You go through a career and this isn't my first rough patch - and it won't be my last.
"It would be any of my players' last rough patch so you need to find the answers to come through it. We will because we've got good players, good characters, but they are having a difficult moment where we have to help them and that's what we'll do."
Motherwell haven't won since a Boxing Day triumph over Livingston last year but Alexander insists his side are just going through a spell most other clubs in the top flight have already endured.
After taking just five points from their last 30 available, admits it has left the Fir Park faithful a bit edgy and he added: "We've had a cracking first two-thirds to the season where we've raised expectations and hopes, and shown what a good team we are.
"We've found the last couple of months a difficult period and the last two games have been a big disappointment for us.
"Every club outside the top-two have had a similar spell to us - we are just having ours at this part of the season.
"We were flying pre-Christmas and there were other teams who hadn't won for nine, 10, 11 games so I think every team has been affected.
"Most of the teams have come out of it, we will come out of it - but we need to come out of it right now if we want to give ourselves a chance of making this season count."
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