Jake Girdwood-Reich wants to help new-look Motherwell banish their Falkirk blues. The Steelmen were one of last season's top teams, but despite their heroics they couldn't register a win over the Bairns. John McGlynn had Jens Berthel Askou's number with three wins and a draw.
New signing Girdwood-Reich wasn't at the club but he wants to ensure new boss Alfred Johansson can turn the tables for Motherwell at Fir Park tomorrow.
Girdwood-Reich ready to end hoodoo
The defender admitted: "Okay, so I didn't know that (about Falkirk's dominance in this fixture). So we will put that right this weekend. I'm really excited. Obviously, Falkirk, they lost their first game. We want to build our confidence from Edinburgh (Hibs) and hopefully get another three points there."
Motherwell will look to continue their unbeaten start to the campaign. They come into the game on the back of Thursday's draw away to HJK in their Conference League qualifier.
European confidence
The Falkirk game is sandwiched in between the two Euro games and the Australian is confident that Motherwell can finish the job against the Finns next week. The 22-year-old confidently predicted: "Yes, for sure. They're a good side, they want to play just like us. But then again, we need to be confident and back ourselves in front of our own fans next week. For sure, they (the fans) were unbelievable on Thursday as well. They were singing so loud and I think they were louder than their fans tonight. So we want to get that result for them next week. We'll have to focus on Falkirk at the weekend."
Defensive solidity
Motherwell have lost just two goals in their four games. That stat is even more remarkable because three of the back four are new arrivals. Girdwood-Reich, Martin Moormann and Dylan Williams have all clicked. The former Auckland player reckons it is down to the fact they have spent so much time together in Scotland.
Girdwood-Reich confirmed: "Martin, Dylan and myself are the new ones. We actually got brought in at similar times. We were staying in the hotel together. We had a lot of downtime to get closer with each other. I think we've, you know, obviously we've conceded two goals in four games, which, you know, we wanted that to be zero. But I think, you know, there's been some strong defensive performances and I just want to build off that."
International ambitions
Girdwood-Reich is an Australian under-23 cap and is hoping a good spell in claret and amber could open the door to a full cap. He confessed: "Hopefully, just to play as much as I can. Obviously, I had a really good season last season back in the A-League and won a trophy there. So, you know, I just want to build that momentum for me personally and obviously finish really well in the league and hopefully maybe get a cup this year. You know, I think anyone wants to play for their national team. But again, you know, if I do well at club level, I'll get that opportunity."
Johansson's warning
Boss Johansson has already turned his attention to Falkirk and insisted his players need to shelf any immediate thoughts of Europe. "I know they are a good team," the Swede warned. "They have a lot of energy, a lot of stability in the club, a lot of stability in the manager position and are building all the time, going up, exceeding expectations. It's going to be a difficult game. You could say that they have lost key players, but Motherwell did too. So it's going to be a tight game for sure, but that's Premiership is that."
Team news
Johansson took a number of key players off against HJK. The likes of Willy Vogt, Lukas Fadinger, Alex Lowry and Emmanuel Longelo all came off, but he expects them to be fit for the weekend. Johansson explained: "No, all of them were more or less planned. It's a competitive game, so you need to push players, right? But at the same time, you need to find the balance between pushing and being stupid and taking too much risk. I think Lukas Fadinger, he ran 14k in Edinburgh, so, we needed to make changes."
Ibrahim Said returns after a visa issue meant he missed the game in Finland.
