Stephen Craigan believes having a new manager will give Motherwell an extra edge this season - despite new boss Jim Gannon suffering the worst possible start to his tenure.

Hopes were high when the highly-rated former Stockport manager took over the Fir Park hotseat last week, but he endured a shock defeat at the hands of Welsh outfit Llanelli just a few days later to leave the Steelmen's Europa League hopes hanging in the balance ahead of the return leg.

But Fir Park captain Craigan said: "The fact that Mark McGhee left has now opened a new avenue for a new manager to bring new players in and refresh the squad."

He added: "Suddenly it raises new expectations. Players have to take their game to a new level, they have to work a little bit harder and add a little bit of an edge to their game.

"That didn't happen on Thursday night but I believe, over the piece, bringing in a new manager and new players will add a little bit of an edge to our game and hopefully take us on."

Craigan believes a period of transition since the end of last season and Mark McGhee's departure to Aberdeen did little to aid Motherwell's cause in their European opener. But he has warned Llanelli not to write off the Lanarkshire club just yet.

He said: "There have been major changes, there have been things going on and it has been a long drawn-out process with the new manager coming in.

"He has only really had a few days to get us into shape. We probably should have been beating someone like Llanelli but we knew if they scored first it was going to be difficult for us to come back.

"Thankfully it is a two-legged affair and I think we have enough in our locker to go down there and get the first goal.

"There is still a lot to play for and thankfully it is not over after one leg but we have to improve."