Stuart McCall has praised Michael Higdon for his all-round contribution to Motherwell’s play after the striker’s hat-trick against Hibernian.

Higdon’s treble helped the Fir Park club win 4-3 in the SPL match on Wednesday night and moved the side to just three points behind second-placed Rangers in the league table.

Motherwell manager McCall said he was delighted with the forward’s goals but highlighted the other work that Higdon does for his team.

"Obviously as a centre-forward he is judged on goals, but although he hasn't been scoring recently, he has been a big part of our team," the manager said.

"I am delighted for him, he has received a bit of unfair criticism from a minority of the support but he has got on with things and given everything.

"He's never let us down and even if he hadn't scored tonight I thought his all round play was excellent."

After narrowing the gap on Rangers, McCall was cautious about the prospect of leapfrogging the defending champions in the standings. He said that with a trip to in-form Celtic had to be his sole focus in the short-term.

"It's a fact we are three points behind Rangers, but we go to the toughest place in the league on Saturday," McCall added.

"We have to just focus on the next game and see where it takes us, but if we keep producing performances like that and amassing points like we are it would be natural to look up."

IN DETAIL

• Motherwell 4-3 Hibernian