Jens Berthel Askou has made it crystal clear: there's no lingering hangover from Motherwell's midweek VAR heartbreak. The Steelmen are fully focused on securing a fourth-place finish this Saturday in what promises to be a thrilling showdown for guaranteed European football.

Motherwell travel to Easter Road to face Hibernian, who sit just one point behind them. It's essentially a winner-takes-all shootout for that coveted European spot—a prize that would mean everything to a club that has been rebuilding from the ground up.

Askou and his players were left fuming after a controversial injury-time penalty was awarded for a perceived Sam Nicholson handball, allowing Celtic to snatch a dramatic 3-2 win at Fir Park. But the Motherwell boss isn't letting that moment define his team's season.

"We have to move on," Askou said with conviction. "We have so little time between games now, and we can't say this match is less important than what we played the other night. That's the nature of this business—you have to deal with emotions immediately, put them behind you, and focus on what's coming. The boys and staff have been excellent at that."

Motherwell have earned widespread praise for their attacking style of play this season, but Askou knows style points don't buy trophies. He wants his squad to "achieve something big for this club."

"Now we have a really good opportunity to finish fourth, which gives us a guaranteed ticket to Europe," he explained. "That would be the highest league finish since 2013-14 for this club, aside from the Covid-shortened season. It would be a massive achievement—especially considering the big rebuild of the squad and staff, and all the new systems we implemented in the summer."

The manager's confidence in his players is palpable. "They're just excited and ready. I'm confident and positive they'll demonstrate that one more time. There's a massive determination to go and achieve something."

As for Nicholson, the man at the center of the penalty storm, Askou has nothing but support. "He's absolutely fine. He did everything right in the situation—he tried to clear the ball, headed it away. There was a little contact that the opposition player overplayed. I would never ask him not to go and clear the ball with his head in the 95th minute. We need that same commitment tomorrow. I'd ask him to do exactly the same thing again."

With everything on the line, Motherwell are ready to write their own story—and it starts at Easter Road.