From an early age, Devante Cole has been saddled by comparisons to his dad, former Manchester United striker Andy. But it was another Old Trafford great, his old man’s manager, that was an early influence on Cole junior when, ironically enough, he was starting out at Manchester City.
The nuggets of advice passed on by Sir Alex Ferguson in his formative years are now standing the striker in good stead as he looks to build on the positive signs he is finally starting to show for Motherwell following his summer loan move from Wigan.
“The first place we lived was opposite Sir Alex,” Cole said.
“I was at a young age where football was still just a bit of fun. But, as I got older, I spoke to him once or twice.
“His advice to me was always just to get my head down and work hard. I would have been a young kid at City at the time.”
Those pointers have helped Cole to get over that slow start to his Motherwell career, and he says that the fans have only seen a little of what he is capable of following his winner at St Johnstone last week.
“There’s more to come,” he said. “It’s only been three games in the first-team and there is more fitness to come and more sharpness to come.
“I wanted a goal and needed a goal. I’ve got one now and I’m sure there will be more to come.”
He probably didn’t appreciate it at the time, but when Cole ballooned the ball over the St Johnstone bar from a little over a yard early on last week he may just have been standing at a fork in the road.
Having eventually fought his way into the starting line-up, he was desperate for a goal to get his Fir Park move up and running. As the ball sailed over and out, the fans with their heads in their hands may have thought it was never going to happen for him.
Cole knew better, and he was rewarded for coming back for another bite at the cherry as he hit the only goal of the game to give Motherwell three points that carried them up to third place in the table.
His manager, Stephen Robinson, was delighted with the character shown by the 24-year-old, and he agrees there is far more yet to come from him.
“He’s taken a little bit of time, a lot of the boys who come up from England, they’ve not been playing football regularly,” Robinson said.
“Giving him a wee arm around the shoulder and letting him know that he’s more than a number here has helped Devante. It’s given him confidence.
“I think he showed he has character after missing that chance last week. His movement for the goal, everyone said it was simple, but it wasn’t.
“You have to be in the right place at the right time and I think Devante will keep getting better and better.
“This is only the start for Devante. We’ve got him until Christmas and we’d like to do something maybe longer if it works for both parties, but let’s see how he goes.”
“We’re getting him up to speed and he’s getting that belief, but Chris Long is breathing down his neck, so he has to be at the top of his game.”
Motherwell will be without the suspended Liam Donnelly and Jake Carroll for the visit of St Mirren to Fir Park this afternoon, while Charles Dunne, David Turnbull and David Devine remain sidelined through injury.
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