Motherwell departures have current crop hungry for taste of first team action, says Ricki Lamie

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Ricki Lamie reckons the various departures from Motherwell over the summer has created a hunger within the current squad to get a taste of the action this season under Stuart Kettlewell.A host of last season's Premiership regulars have left Fir Park, with first choice picks Kevin van Veen, Max Johnston, Sean Goss and Dan Casey heading out the door alongside the likes of Dean Cornelius, James Furlong and Mikael Mandron.

Defender Calum Butcher will also miss the start of the season with a foot injury.Only striker Conor Wilkinson has come in so far to fill a void up front, so it has left plenty of places up for grabs ahead of Kettlewell's first proper crack at a Premiership campaign.But vice-captain Lamie, who barely featured towards the end of last season after picking up a knee injury in February before Kettlewell replaced Steven Hammell at the helm, says there's players desperate to play a role for the Steelmen this term.He said: "We've still got that nucleus that finished last season strongly."But, for guys like myself, who were either injured or not playing every week, you know there are positions up for grabs that have been vacated and there's that bit of hunger in the group now as well, where you want to be part of the positive stuff that's happening."Under the manager we showed a real level of consistency and quality at the end of last season so I think it is about picking up from where we left off, but trying to push on to get to that next level."The lack of transfer activity has been a concern for fans of a claret and amber persuasion this summer and Kettlewell himself has expressed his frustration at the lack of business so far, admitting he is "six short'" of where he would like to be.Lamie added: "It was always