Stephen O’Donnell admits Motherwell will need to raise their midweek levels when they face Rangers but the Fir Park captain believes there is plenty of scope for improvement following an encouraging start to the season.

Motherwell were second best for most of Wednesday night’s visit of St Mirren but went two ahead and were only denied a win by some controversial decisions from the match officials before Eamonn Brophy levelled from a re-taken penalty.

The result at least ended a three-match losing streak and kept Graham Alexander’s side in the cinch Premiership top six ahead of Sunday’s visit of Rangers.

O’Donnell said: “We have had one of the best starts we have had in a long time. There is plenty of room for improvement but also lots of positives.

“There has been a whole new influx of players and to get results as quickly as that speaks volumes of the collective, and hopefully it should suggest we can push on and improve more.

“The cup was good at the start to iron out some problems and I think we have built on that, and hopefully we can go again. We need to improve.

“A lot of games we haven’t performed to a level that we think we can. But we have had a great start overall and will look to continue it.

“Albeit we have had a very good start over the course of the first quarter, to be in the top six is great and where we want to be, but we certainly need to perform on a personal level better than (Wednesday).

“Things can play a part but we know we could have been better. But we go into the game against Rangers on Sunday with optimism because we are sitting in the top six and we will hopefully perform better and get results.

“Football is a funny game. We got a point on Wednesday night but I thought against Dundee United we deserved far more.

“But that’s football, you just want to make sure you have a structure in place that means you will get more positive results over the course.

“We have an intensity about how we try to play and when we play like that we are a good side. When we get it wrong we are not so good but we have still got players who are capable. We have a good squad, a competitive squad, but I think we can be a lot better.”

Motherwell drew 1-1 at Ibrox last month, with Fashion Sakala’s goal for the hosts later shown to be offside, and O’Donnell is keen to put on a show when the champions arrive at Fir Park.

“I would love a result but I hope it’s a good one for the cameras because it’s always good, when you have a game on the telly, that you put on a show and a performance that attracts people to Scottish football,” he said.