St Mirren boss Gus MacPherson believes a lot of the criticism which has been levelled at Scottish football recently has been unjust. And he used the example of Motherwell - who have drawn with both halves of the Old Firm this season - to see that homegrown talent can make a difference.

MacPherson said: "Motherwell have had a lot of plaudits and the younger players, especially, have had a lot of attention and quite rightly so.

"At the moment, Scottish football is getting criticised by all quarters and we sometimes forget there are some really talented youngsters making their way in the game.

"Motherwell have one or two of them and Ross Forbes has had a fantastic start to the season.

"We've got to be as positive as we can. It is a difficult time for clubs financially but the young players give everybody a bit of hope that the talent is still there within the game."

MacPherson has also been impressed by Well boss Jim Gannon, who took over the Fir Park hotseat from Mark McGhee in the summer.

He added: "They were in early for pre-season because of the European ties and he has had the time to put his mark on the team.

"It's all about getting results and they've done that. They have had two fantastic draws against the Old Firm and they won up at Tannadice, which is never easy to do.

"They've had good results but I think everyone is also commenting on the way they have been playing."