Jake Carroll interview: Motherwell FC must learn how to find consistency

Jake Carroll (centre) and Robbie Crawford celebrate with goalscorer Barry Maguire at Kilmarnock (Pic by Ian McFadyen)

Carroll, 29, was speaking after a thumping 4-1 defeat at Kilmarnock – who were bottom of the Scottish Premiership before the match – on Saturday, which followed ’Well having taken seven points from their previous three league games.

The Irish left back said that the stop start nature of the season – the game was ’Well’s first in a fortnight – may be affecting their performance levels.

“Building momentum has been difficult,” Carroll said.

"I think it’s something we might have to look at. We tend to win a few games and then we have a blip.

"So we need to get that level of consistency that we haven’t had this season.

"It’s why we are where we are.

"We can’t have doubt.

"We’ve got to just take it game by game. That’s what’s got us in this position so far.

"A few weeks ago we were right in amongst it and we just took it game by game and got a bit of breathing space.

"The split’s coming so we’ll just see how we get on.”

’Well weren’t helped by their poor defending on Saturday, which contributed to them conceding a goal to Killie’s Kyle Lafferty in the very first minute.

“We started the game sloppy,” Carroll said. “We conceded a sloppy goal, got ourselves back into it.

"I thought we were coming into our own towards the end of the first half and then it’s just sloppy goals from our point of view.

"Maybe it’s concentration when the ball’s coming in the box, just being that yard off and it’s cost us today.”

When asked if he felt the Steelmen should have had a penalty for Brandon Haunstrup’s first half challenge on Stephen O’Donnell, Carroll replied: “Possibly yeah. Stephen thinks it was a penalty.

"It’s hard for me to say from on the opposite side of the pitch but we can’t look for excuses today.”

With Motherwell not in action again until a Scottish Cup tie at Formartine United or Annan Athletic a week on Saturday, the thorny issue of long gaps between playing games will rear its head again.

Their first post split league match will come on the weekend of April 10 and 11.