Stephen Robinson has said Motherwell can turn a good season into an incredible season with Scottish Cup success.

The Fir Park side face Aberdeen in the semi-final on Saturday and Robinson said winning the cup would ensure his players become heroes in Lanarkshire.

The 43-year-old believes that should his men go on to lift the trophy for the first time since 1991 then they would go down in folklore, like the Northern Ireland Euro 2016 squad who qualified for their country's first major tournament since 1986.

He said: "I've used the comparison to some of our players of Northern Ireland.

"They hadn't qualified for any major tournaments since 1986 and all everyone spoke about was the previous players and what they'd done and rightly so.

"But once we qualified for the Euros all of a sudden those boys became heroes and they'll be remembered in folklore.

"The Motherwell boys have the same opportunity in getting to a Scottish Cup Final.

"There is a huge incentive.

"What can be seen as a relatively good season could turn into a incredible season."

Motherwell tasted cup final defeat when they were beaten 2-0 by Celtic in the League Cup final in November and Robinson believes experience will stand his players in good stead.

"The first time we went it was a new experience.

"We've got boys who have come from non league football and league 2 and played in front of 1500 people for the early stages of their career.

"All of a sudden there's 50,000 at Hampden, the press going crazy and they're seeing themselves in papers for possibly the first time on that level.

"So that's settled them, they've been there and done that and they have the feeling of not getting a result there and getting one there [beating Rangers in semi-final]."

Aberdeen and Motherwell have met each other four times already this season, with each side winning two apiece, and it is not only in results that Robinson believes there is parity.

The Dons go into the game missing key players Kenny McLean, Shay Logan, and captain Graeme Shinnie whilst Robinson's side will also be without three first-team members in Carl McHugh, Craig Tanner and Peter Hartley.

He added: "Carl is out but Craig Tanner is out and Peter Hartley too.

"Three big players for us.

"The players that are missing from both sides are boys who start in both teams.

"What is does is provide huge opportunities for other people to stand up and make a name for themselves."

"There's not a lot between the two teams Derek's put a very competitive squad together, their league position tells you that.

"We're well aware that we'll need to be at top of our game.

"If we're not the result that happened last week will happen again [2-0 to Aberdeen] but if we produce performances like we have done away at Pittodrie and in the earlier cup game then we've got a great chance."