Motherwell star Sam Nicholson on wonderstrike he hopes can go some way to earning a new deal at Fir Park

Motherwell winger Sam Nicholson hopes his wonderstrike can spark a longer term future at Fir Park.

The 29-year-old, who signed a short-term deal in January, came into the side for the suspended Jack Vale yesterday and netted what gaffer Stuart Kettlewell described as a 'goal of the season contender'. He took Stephen O'Donnell's pass and unleashed an unstoppable strike into the top corner from 30-yards in the Steelmen's 4-1 triumph that relegated Livingston.

It boosted Motherwell's bid for a seventh place finish and all but ensured their top flight status for next season. And asked if that could help convince the club to offer him a new deal, the former Hearts star said: "I hope so. As a player, all you want to do is play and Blair Spittal and Jack Vale have sort of been in my position and they have had a great season, so it has been very difficult for me to complain.

"It is up to me to show what I can do in the moments I get my chance. Jack and Blair have been outstanding, so it is difficult. I'm just hanging fire until the end of the season. I am not the type to kick off at a manager or anything like that.

"The thing about the gaffer is he has been so open and honest with me from day one. As a player that's all you want, someone who tells you where you stand and he has been outstanding at that. I've got no issues. I'm happy here and enjoying it."

Nicholson was modest about his strike, which came in between a Theo Bair penalty and a fantastic header from the Canadian strike, before Dan Casey's strike sealed the points.

The former Colorado Rapids player, who has made 13 appearances and scored twice since leaving the MLS, added: "It was obviously good to get the goal. To be fair, I didn't expect it to go where it went but I just thought that sometimes you need a moment where someone does something, so I might as well try it.

"I'm delighted it has gone in and it helps the team get three points. I've not scored a better one in terms of quality but I've scored goals in Edinburgh derbies and stuff where they are big moments.

"It's nice of the manager to say that [it is a goal of the season contender] but when you look at the goals Spitz [Blair Spittal] has scored, he's scored a few like that and I've only scored one so I think he probably deserves a crown at the end of the day. "His quality is unquestionable but it is nice to hear that. I think Spitz takes it, for me."

Motherwell now sit ninth in the table after yesterday's results but have moved to within two points of seventh-place Hibs, while Aberdeen sit within a point in the battle to finish best of the bottom six.

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