Stephen O'Donnell: Motherwell sign Scotland right-back until January
Last updated on .From the section Motherwell
Stephen O'Donnell can still remember how a strawberry tart was used to try and woo him into signing for Motherwell.
Instead, the lure of ending his five-month break from football was enough to sweeten the deal this time around to convince the Scotland international to sign a short-term deal at Fir Park.
The 28-year-old right-back was without a club after rejecting the offer of a new contract at Kilmarnock but has now joined Europa League-bound Motherwell until January, with an option to extend until the summer.
"I could have waited a bit, but I've waited enough, I was fed up in the house," said O'Donnell, who had been training with Hamilton Academical.
"I was training with the boys everyday and they were going and playing it was making a bit worse. It was starting to get a bit frustrating, so I'm delighted to be back.
"When I was younger, my best friend's dad was the coach of the under-14s, Tom McCafferty. Him and Chris McCart entertained me at a Celtic game here. And I remember the strawberry tarts were incredible. I was at Aberdeen at the time and I loved playing my football for Aberdeen and it was never really a goer.
"It was very tempting because it's so close to home and I know so many fans. I have had a lot of texts from people who have Motherwell at their heart and I'm delighted to be here now.''
In June, O'Donnell told BBC Scotland that he had been "sitting tight" but admitted that the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic meant his options were more limited.
He turned down a move to English League One club Oxford United in January.
Bellshill-born O'Donnell, who spent three years at Rugby Park and has 11 Scotland caps, said: "It needed to be right for my family first and foremost.
"I think I was always pretty relaxed that I would have had something [after rejecting new deal at Kilmarnock]. With Scotland starting back up that I knew that if I waited any longer in Scotland they'd be nothing because teams have got their budgets.
"I was thinking maybe worst-case scenario was that I'd need to sign for League One and maybe stay away for a year with my family being up here and me being down working, and I really didn't want to do that. So I was delighted when Motherwell came and showed a real intent to get me."
