New Motherwell manager says staying up is top priority
Stephen Robinson's been given the Fir Park job
Stephen Robinson will set about trying to keep Motherwell in the top flight after being handed a contract as manager until the end of next season.
The Northern Irishman - who had been caretaker boss for two games - emerged as the preferred choice from Motherwell's five-man shortlist after a series of interviews.
Robinson only returned to Fir Park as first-team coach last month ahead of Mark McGhee's final match in charge, a 5-1 home defeat by Dundee which sealed his fate.
Motherwell embarked on a full recruitment process but a victory over Kilmarnock and a solid performance in a last-gasp 1-0 defeat at Aberdeen helped Robinson's cause.
"First and foremost my task is to make sure we stay in this division." - Stephen Robinson
The 42-year-old told the club's YouTube channel: "First and foremost the criteria set out is to stay in this division. We found ourselves second bottom when I took over and conceding a lot of goals. In the short term we have stopped that but that is only part of the process.
"It's now looking forward and trying to implement what we want to do short term and then, once we get a bit of a solid base to it, then improving for next season. But first and foremost my task is to make sure we stay in this division.
"We have conceded a lot of goals and that's something we have got to work on. We have injury problems which we are trying to deal with as well. But as a squad of players and a football club we have to make sure we stay in this division.''
The former Bournemouth, Luton and Northern Ireland player - who assisted Michael O'Neill in his country's Euro 2016 campaign - first joined Motherwell in January 2015 as Ian Baraclough's assistant and remained in that role under McGhee before leaving to take over as Oldham boss last summer.
He inherited a threadbare squad at Boundary Park and was hampered by a transfer embargo before losing his job in January. His predecessor, John Sheridan, returned with the club battling against relegation from League One.
Motherwell chairman Jim McMahon revealed the decision was made after a rigorous interview process'' and following a procedure which saw more than 50 applicants whittled down to five candidates.
Former Motherwell midfielder Simo Valakari was reported to be on the list while Raith Rovers boss John Hughes emerged as one of the bookies' favourites late in the process.
McMahon added: "It was clear that Stephen was the outstanding candidate. He has a real vision of what the club needed in the short, medium and long-term and a plan of how he would implement it.
"His values, skills and attributes matched exactly with the criteria we developed to be the manager of this football club and we wish him every success.
"I would ask our fantastic supporters to get behind Stephen and the players as we aim to finish the campaign strongly.''