By Fraser McLuggage.

Motherwell striker Christopher Long fired his side into the fifth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup with his first career hat-trick against Dundee.

The striker netted twice in the first half and was gifted his third when Dundee keeper, Jack Hamilton, parried the ball into his own net in Motherwell’s 3-0 win at Dens Park.

Long said: “It was a bit of a mad one, but a goals a goal and most importantly the team won and we’re into the next round.

“At the end of the day if I score a tap in or I score a 40 yarder, it counts the same. I’m happy I scored three goals.”

Motherwell take on Aberdeen tonight in the return of the Ladbrokes Premiership following the winter break, and Long’s focus is on taking every game as it comes without getting ahead of themselves.

The striker continued: “Obviously our game against Aberdeen is the main focus.”

Stephen Robinson’s men had an impressive first half of the season and are sitting third in the table, one point ahead of tonight’s opponents. The Steelmen will be looking to put some distance between themselves and The Dons’ as they set their eyes on a European spot.

The Lanarkshire team used the winter break to travel to the Canary Islands for a warm weather training camp. Long believes the break gave the team time to recover and puts them in good stead to kick on for the rest of the season.

Long, showing his appreciation for the training camp, said: “It was massive going to Tenerife, training with the lads every day in the sun and we trained hard and the gaffer implemented what we are good at and it worked against Dundee.”