Boss Craig Brown hopes the European experience in the coaching and playing staff can propel Motherwell into the Europa League group stages. The Lanarkshire side will enter at the second qualifying round, which starts on July 15.

Brown has a wealth of experience of international competition, having led Scotland to World Cup and European Championship finals.

Assistant Archie Knox won the European Cup Winners' Cup as assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson to Aberdeen and enjoyed years of Champions League experience under Walter Smith at Rangers after leaving Manchester United weeks before Ferguson repeated his first European success.

Brown said: "I have a lot of experience in European football.

"That's been my job for 16 years. I had 71 internationals and maybe 100 under-21 internationals and youth internationals. So it could add up to 300 European games.

"We were in two European semi-finals with the under-21s when Tommy Craig and I had the team.

"Archie, apart from Walter, must be the most experienced coach or assistant in Europe, the years he has had.

"Experience doesn't mean expertise, but you would be pretty daft if you didn't learn from that experience - even the best way to travel, organising hotels and preparations.

"The boys played Steaua Bucharest last year and Nancy the year before so they have had good European experience.

"We have to try to continue that and get through the rounds into the group stages."

The former Preston boss joked: "If we can do what Fulham did, we will be quite happy."