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[tab:Match report]

 Andy Ross at The Global Energy Stadium

Motherwell opened their Clydesdale Bank Premier League campaign with a 0-0 stalemate against Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium.

Chances were at a premium throughout what was a closely-fought affair.

Stuart McCall made one change to the side that fell to a 2-0 defeat to Panathinaikos on Tuesday evening, Omar Daley replacing Henrik Ojamaa.

County were presented with the Division One championship flag prior to kick-off and the Motherwell players applauded their opponents on to the park for their first ever SPL encounter.

Motherwell enjoyed the bulk of the opening possession without creating a clear-cut chance.

They did however create the first chance of the match – Michael Higdon failing to trouble Michael Fraser from distance.

The hosts created their first real chance of the match on 33 minutes when Darren Randolph did well to tip the ball over the bar after Grant Munro had risen to meet Richard Brittain’s free-kick.

It was the Steelmen who continued to look the more likely of the two sides though and they finished the opening 45 minutes with three half chances.

Higdon headed over from Tom Hateley’s corner, Simon Ramsden sent a 25-yard effort wide of the target and on the stroke of half-time Higdon diverted Hateley’s goal-bound cross over the crossbar.

The noisy ‘Well support were hoping for more to cheer about during the second half, however it was to follow a similar pattern to the opening half.

Steven Hammell fired well over the top of Fraser’s goal before Chris Humphrey saw his low cross gathered well by the County keeper.

Derek Adams’ men responded with chances with Richard Brittain and Paul Lawson both heading over the top.

Stuart McCall looked to introduce some attacking spark to his side as he replaced Humphrey with Henrik Ojamaa.

The Estonian international played his part in setting up Daley to fizz a low effort which troubled Fraser.

With six minutes remaining Robert McHugh replaced Daley, as Motherwell looked to claim all three points.

They did end with a flurry of corners but the home defence comfortably held out, ensuring they marked their SPL debut with a point.

The Steelmen now can focus on trying to overturn a two goal deficit in Athens on Wednesday evening, but may have to do so without the services of winger Chris Humphrey, who sustained a hamstring injury during today’s clash.

[tab:As it happened]

Alan Burrows at The Global Energy Stadium

FT: Ross County 0-0 Well

90mins – Few corners come to nothing for ‘Well. Brittain flashes a shot just wide at the other end. Still 0-0!

84mins – Omar Daley comes off replaced by Bob McHugh!

78mins – Sam Morrow comes on for County – replacing Martin Scott.

76mins – Left foot shot from Daley has Fraser scrambling but he gets down well low to his left to make the save.

70mins – Ojamaa on for Humphrey now too!

70mins – County sub. Corcoran on for Russell Duncan!

63mins – Attendance today is 4828! Sorry for the lack of updates… Nothing much is really happening to be honest.

60mins – Decent ball across the face from Humphrey but its well held by Fraser low at his near post.

52mins – Long-range effort from Stevie Hammell goes flying over the bar. No real threat to the County goal…

45mins – Teams are back out on the park – no changes I think – the home side to get us underway…

HT: Ross County 0 – 0 Motherwell

45mins – Hateley’s corner looks to be flying into the net but it hits the unlucky Higdon and bounces over the bar…

43mins – Ramsden flashes a long-range shot not too far wide of Fraser’s post. Good to see him getting up the park,

41mins – A Hateley corner finds Higdon in the area but his header gives Mikey Fraser no bother at all!

40mins – Still waiting for a breakthrough here… It’s not been great to be honest. Neither side really getting a firm grip on things.

34mins – Richie Britton free-kick is headed towards goal by Munro. Randolph makes a good save to tip over. Bit of climbing I thought…

33mins – Some of the chants to Bob McHugh from the ‘Well fans, whilst crude, are brilliant.

27mins – Shot from Lawson that blazes just wide of the post… It’s been a low-key opening to the match!

24mins – Henrik Ojamaa goes out to warm up and the ‘Well fans give him a great reception.

18mins – Nothing too much going on up here at the moment. Both teams a little slack in possession…

15mins – Higdon flashes a low shot at Mikey Fraser but the former ‘Well stopper was more than equal to it.

8mins – Great run by Murphy but it breaks down just at the last part and the ball goes out for a goal kick…

3mins – Chris Humphrey fires back at the other end but his shot from the edge of the box curls way over the bar….

2mins – Colin McMenamin has the first half chance as he flicks a header towards goal. No trouble for Randolph though…

2min – Motherwell fans in great voice. Great backing for the lads in the middle of a Euro campaign.

1min – Motherwell get us underway here in Dingwall.

[tab:Reaction]

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall:

“I was disappointed with the fact that we didn’t make more use of the ball that we had.

“We dominated the possession for a long time and we didn’t make any real clear-cut chances.

“They defended solidly but we can play better. We’ve got to take the positives, a clean sheet and the first point on the board.

“It was obviously going to be a tough first game against a newly-promoted side but I’m slightly disappointed in our own performance when we had the ball.

“But we’ll settle for a point because neither side deserved to win or lose.”

Ross County manager Derek Adams:

“I thought we coped with Motherwell very well, a team that came off a Champions League game with Panathinaikos.”

“They are quick on the wings and direct. I’m delighted to keep our 35-game unbeaten run going. We are happy.

“Motherwell started well and kept good possession. They didn’t open us up and that was important.

“It was a difficult occasion for us, our first game in the SPL, but we coped well and we are delighted to get the day over and done with and a point on the board.”

[tab:Man-of-the-match]

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Stevie Hammell says ‘Well must be wary of some of their former charges when the teams meet in Dingwall tomorrow.

The Staggies are managed by former Steelmen midfielder Derek Adams whilst Mikey Fraser and Marc Fitzpatrick form back of the Highlanders rearguard.

And Hammell, facing County for the first time, reckons his former colleagues will be right up for their first season in the new league, starting at the weekend.

[pullquote]Having played alongside Derek for a few years, it’s no surprise to see him doing well there.[/pullquote]

He told members of the press at ‘Well’s weekly press conference: “It will be a tough game, definitely.

“I think it’s one of the toughest fixtures we could have got for the first tie. With them being promoted, they’ll probably have a full house and knowing Derek Adams, he’ll have them well up for the game.

“Having played alongside Derek for a few years, it’s no surprise to see him doing well there. They were struggling until he went back and he’s taken them to promotion with a crazy unbeaten run which is still going I think.

“If the team play as well as Derek did, they will be a hard team to beat.”

-WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE ON MFC TV-

‘Well boss Stuart McCall reckons his side couldn’t have landed a tougher match than facing newly-promoted Ross County on their own turf for the SPL opener.

The Highlanders romped to the First Division title last year and start their first ever season in the top-flight full of confidence.

Their manager, former Motherwell midfielder Derek Adams, is joined by familiar faces such as Mikey Fraser and Marc Fitzpatrick for the clash at the Global Energy Stadium.

[pullquote]They have been terrific and have had a great last few seasons. I saw them last season against St Mirren and I thought they were outstanding.[/pullquote]

And McCall is wary of the threat they pose: “We couldn’t have been given a tougher start,” he admitted.

“You don’t want to go to the side that has just been promoted, especially when it up at Ross County.

“They have been terrific and have had a great last few seasons. I saw them last season against St Mirren and I thought they were outstanding.

“I saw Derek Adams’ comments in the paper this morning about how it could be an open game as we’ll go up there and try to win and that is the case. We’re best going forward and we actually won nine SPL games away from home last season,

“We’ll be going up there knowing it will be a difficult opener especially after the exertions on Tuesday but the lads are in good form after not only the Panathinaikos game but the Everton game as well.”

-WATCH THE FULL BROADCAST PRESS CONFERENCE ON MFC TV-

Referee for the Clydesdale Bank Premier League opener with Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium tomorrow is Alan Muir.

Muir will be a familiar face to Fir Park fans after taking charge of five matches last term. It started with Celtic’s 4-0 win in early September, then a 1-0 win over Aberdeen, Bob McHugh scoring the winning goal, some fourteen days later.

The third was a resounding 3-0 victory of St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park before Dunfermline were swept aside 3-1 at Fir Park in a re-arranged game from Boxing Day. Most recently, back in February, he was the man in the middle when Motherwell memorably beat Hearts 3-0 on their way to securing third in the SPL.

His overall record in charge of Motherwell is fairly decent. The Steelmen have won seven, draw three and lost five from fifteen games. ‘Well have netted 21 times whilst conceding 25.

In all those games he has produced 46 yellow cards, 24 of which were shown to a player in claret and amber, and four red cards.

The first given to former defender Paul Quinn for a professional foul on David Fernandez in a 1-0 defeat to Killie in 2008, another to Michael Higdon, then an opposition player, in a game with St Mirren in November 2010, to Stephen Craigan for an off-the-ball incident in the match with Dunfermline earlier this year and, most recently, to Keith Lasley for a second bookable offence in his last match in charge.

Alan will be ably assisted on the day by Willie Conquer and David Watt with Craig Charleston on fourth official duties.

Tickets for the Champions League Third Qualifying Round, Second Leg in Athens have gone on sale from the Fir Park Ticket Office.

Panathinaikos have couriered x800 £8 tickets which have gone immediately on sale.

They will be on sale, including this Saturday between 10am and 2pm – until close of business on Monday (6th August) and then at the agreed meeting point in Athens thereafter (full details below).

We strongly advise that tickets are purchased/collected prior to leaving for Athens.

Agreed meeting point for Ticket Collection/Sales:

Hotel Divani
Caravel
2 Vas. Alexandrou Ave
16121 ATHENS

Hotel Telephone Number: 00302107207000

Tickets will be on sale from a member of staff at the above hotel. It will be cash only, as no card machine will be available.

They will be available strictly between the hours of (Local Time)

6pm and 8pm -Tuesday 7th Aug
9am and 12 (noon) – Wednesday 8th Aug

Club official contact numbers in Athens only:

07985 459213
07590 775708
07595 650467

With the new season of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League only days away, we’re happy to announce that Score Selector is back and ready for you to enter your first set of scores at www.cbfootball.co.uk.

This is your opportunity to show off your SPL knowledge by predicting scores for each SPL fixture throughout the 2012/13 campaign. 

You can create your own mini leagues to see how you compare against friends, family and workmates, as well as measuring up how you perform amongst your fellow supporters in a Motherwell fans league.

As well as the grand prize of £10,000 for the overall winner, Clydesdale Bank have a weekly prize of an iPod shuffle, and a monthly prize of £500 for the person with the most points over the month.

There is also £5000 up for grabs for the first person to correctly guess all 6 scores in a fixture group – remember this is a one off, when it’s won, it’s gone. 

Accounts and mini leagues from last year are still valid, and you have the opportunity to change your screen name up until the first day of the new season.  So check out the Score Selector section at www.cbfootball.co.uk and enter your predictions for the first set of fixtures for this season, or register if you’re a newcomer.  Good luck for the season ahead!

Score Selector is open to over 18s only. Terms and Conditions apply, see www.cbfootball.co.uk for full details.

Motherwell Football Club would like to sincerely thank each and every ‘Well fan who was at Fir Park last night.

The atmosphere inside the ground was incredible from start to finish and the players and management team want to express their gratitude for such a loyal, patient and colourful support.

The big task for the club and its supporters, in the spirit of the Steelmen Forever campaign, is to try and encourage some of the fans who perhaps don’t enjoy the Motherwell Experience on a regular basis to do just that.

With such a great atmosphere, such colour and excitement as well as the amount of families with youngsters in the crowd, this is an example of what Fir Park, and the weekly experience on a matchday, can be be like if we can continue to grow our core fanbase.

Unfortunately, there was significant seat damage in sections of the East Stand which the club will now need to try and repair/replace in time for the St Johnstone game on 11 August.

The club has made significant effort to try and work with supporters to create a better atmosphere inside the ground and acknowledge that the damage was in no way malicious.

However, we would plead for fans to take care of the stadium facilities when they are enjoying the match as the repairs required are both time-consuming and expensive.

Thanks once again though to everyone who came along and enjoyed what was a special and historic night for Motherwell Football Club, despite the score line.

Lee Erwin has been included in Scotland’s Under 19s squad for the forthcoming Vauxhall International Challenge Match against Germany at The Falkirk Stadium.

Erwin, who signed a three-year contract extension in the summer, will form part of Ricky Sbragia’s 21-man squad for the match on Tuesday, 14th August 2012 (kick-off 2pm) will serve as preparation for Scotland’s UEFA Under-19 Championship qualifying campaign which starts in October.

FULL SQUAD

Goalkeepers

Philip Anderson (Dundee United)
Jack Hamilton (Heart of Midlothian)

Defenders

Joseph Chalmers (Celtic)
Alex Davey (Chelsea)
Marcus Fraser (Celtic)
Ross Gilmour (Dundee United)
Jack Grimmer (Fulham)
Stephen Kingsley (Falkirk)
Michael Miller (Celtic)

Midfielders

Ryan Fraser (Aberdeen)
Jay Fulton (Falkirk)
John Herron (Celtic)
Lewis MacLeod (Rangers)
Callum Paterson (Heart of Midlothian)
Sam Stanton (Hibernian)

Forwards

LEE ERWIN (MOTHERWELL)
Christopher Johnston (Kilmarnock)
Matthew Kennedy (Kilmarnock)
Barrie McKay (Rangers)
Declan McManus (Aberdeen)
Thomas Reilly (St Mirren)

Tickets for the match are available on the gate at the Falkirk Stadium priced at £5 for adults with kids going free.

Highlights from Fir Park as a brave Motherwell side crashed to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Greek giants Panathinaikos in the UEFA Champions League.

-WATCH MATCH HIGHLIGHTS ON MFC TV-

‘Well boss Stuart McCall had mixed emotions after watching a brave Motherwell side crash to a 2-0 defeat at home to Panathinaikos.

The Steelmen created a number of good chances throughout the ninety minutes but were unable to properly test Orestis Karnezis in the away goal.

However, the Greeks were clinical with Lazaros Christodoulopoulos and Charis Mavrias giving them a commanding 2-0 advantage to take back to Athens next week.

Despite the harsh scoreline, McCall was upbeat and praised his players and the fantastic Fir Park crowd for their night’s work.

[pullquote]We’ve created chances and maybe picked the wrong options at times but over the 90 minutes I couldn’t be more pleased with their performance, the fans performance and I just don’t think we got the score we merited.[/pullquote]

“I have mixed emotions after that,” said McCall.

“I’m pleased that the players came out and got to the standard that we wanted from them. I think sometimes crowds can lift players and players can lift crowds and I thought that worked both ways tonight.

“The fans were outstanding. The noise and to see the stands full was terrific. The players, for parts of the game, dominated it.

“We’ve created chances and maybe picked the wrong options at times but over the 90 minutes I couldn’t be more pleased with their performance, the fans performance and I just don’t think we got the score we merited.

“We deserved at least a goal.”

-WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ON MFC TV-