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[tab:Match report]

Phil McGhee at Fir Park

Motherwell made it back-to-back home wins after battling 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock.

After recovering from a Stephen McManus own goal, strikes from front pair Henri Anier and John Sutton before half-time should have put ‘Well in a commanding postition.

But Kilmarnock were revived in the second half and the dismissal of Simon Ramsden gave them hope of grabbing an equaliser as they applied pressure on the home goal in the closing stages..

Thanks to a couple of great stops from Lee Hollis the Fir Parkers survived but any ‘Well viewers watching this televised tea time kick-off might have been suffering from indigestion in the closing minutes.

‘Well started with one change from the side which edged out Partick last week, with Iain Vigurs starting wide left in place of Zaine Francis-Angol. And the former Ross County man might have scored straight form the kick, when a ball over the top found Henri Anier and Vigurs chasing in on goal only for the latter to steer the ball wide of Craig Samson and his left hand post.

Anier had a chance of his own after 14 minutes but having burst past Darren Barr and ready to blast for goal, the Killie defender recovered to block six yards in front of goal.

Within two minutes ‘Well were behind. Stuart Carswell lost possession wide on the left forcing Shaun Hutchison to concede a free kick. William Gros floated the ball into a packed box where the ball deflected off McManus’ head a fly high past Lee Hollis.

Killie’s lead was short lived, though, as Motherwell produced an equaliser in the 19th minute.

Keith Lasley’s reverse pass slipped the ball in front of Anier and the Estonian kept his cool for the third time this season, driving the ball through the ‘keeper’s legs.

With both sides committed to push forward at every turn chances were created at both ends.

Barry Nicholson might have restored Killie’s lead but his fierce shot was straight at Hollis.

As half time approached though the pressure mounted on the visitor’s goal and Samson was forced into a couple great stops. Firstly he stood up well to beat away a thumping angled drive from Carswell. His next save was even better as Sutton’s low volley acoss goal was destined for inside the post until the ‘keeper dived full length to palm the ball away.

Sutton was not to be denied for long and on the stroke of half time he put ‘Well in front. Ramsden whipped in a low cross which was missed by Jackson Irvine in front of his own goal and with the ‘keeper stranded Sutton slipped in beyond the far post to squeeze the ball home.

The same pair combined within minutes of the restart as ‘Well almost made it three. Ramsden crossed into the six yard box and Sutton’s powerful downward header looked a certain goal until Samson somehow stretched himself to block with his knee.

The home goal had a narrow escape when Kris Boyd cut the ball past Hollis but Hutchison in the centre of an unguarded goal calmly lifted the ball over his own cross bar.

Not for the first time referee Craig Charleston upset the Fir park faithful when he waved aside strong appeals for apenalty after Gros bundled Ramsden to the ground four yards out as ‘Well full back raced to get on the end of a Lasley cross. That led to Ramsden’s first booking.

The action was still end to end and Hollis had to dive smartly to smother ashot from Gros. And as the game moved into the last 15 minutes the Ayrshire side gained control and a belief that they could get a point from the game.

Boyd came within a foot of that with an agled shot which sped past Hollis and just beyond his back post.

Stuart McCall the made a double substitution, Anier coming off allowing Lionel Ainsworth to make his debut and Zaine Francis-Angol replacing McFadden.

‘Well then had to survive the final eight minutes with 10 men after Ramsden collected a second yellow card.

It then took a brilliant injury time save from Hollis to deny Jeroen Tesselaar blocking on his goal line and with help of Sutton gathering the rebound as ‘Well held on for all three points.

[tab:As it happened]

Alastair Reilly at Fir Park

FT: Motherwell 2 – 1 Kilmarnock. Big 3 points for 10 men Motherwell. Up to third in the table!

4 minutes added on

89mins: Great save from Hollis to prevent another OG! Done fantastically well to block from Hutchinson’s header.

84mins: Sutton booked for shooting at goal after the whistle had blown.

82mins: Good strike from Vigurs 30 yards out. Ambitious but tested Samson who tipped it over for a corner.

81mins: Kilmarnock sub, Ibrahim on for Gros

80mins: Dangerous position for this Killie Free-kick……. Boyd fires just past!

78mins: Motherwell subs: McFadden and Anier off, Ainsworth and Francis-Angol on.

76mins: Hollis gets off his line quickly and plucks the ball out the air ahead of Boyd.

73mins: Barr booked for dissent after bundling Anier to the ground.

70mins: Ambitious from Carswell as he attempts an outside of the boot shot just outside the bow. Floats wide.

69mins: Easy take for Hollis from Gros’ effort from 20 yards.

66mins: Kilmarnock sub, Gardyne on for McKenzie

64mins: Penalty shout there for ‘Well. Gros eased Ramsden off the ball after he got on the wrong side. Ramsden booked for dissent

60mins: Tesselaar booked for hacking down McFadden

58mins: Hammell booked for shirt pulling.

56mins: Could easily have been another own goal there! Thankfully Hutchinson managed to scoop over his own bar from 5 yards.

49mins: Corner to Motherwell….ref blows for a foul on Samson.

46mins: Great save from Samson to deny Sutton! Header from only yards out and he gets the block on it.

Here we go for the second half! #COYW #SIWY

HT: Motherwell 2 – 1 Kilmarnock

44mins: Ramsden’s ball across goal is missed by Jackson allowing Sutton to slide it home at the back post. 2-1!!

GOAALLLL

43mins: Great technique from Sutton as he unleashes a volley from a tight angle just inside the box. Samson does well to push it away.

41mins: Vigurs stings Samson’s palms as he bursts past Irvine and Barr and shoots from the angle. Unlucky again!

40mins: McFaddens touch just lets him down as he looked to pounce on Anier’s through ball. Unlucky.

34mins: Decent chance for Nicholson. Fowler finds him 18 yards out and his first-time shot is straight at Hollis.

McManus clears for a corner. Comes to nothing.

33mins: Nicholson stands over another free-kick….from a similar position to what they scored from.

31mins: Gone a bit quiet in terms of chances here….

19mins: Anier levels the game!! Lasley slides him in and the Estonian cooly nutmegs Samson! 1-1

GOAALLL!!!!

It’s an own goal from what looked like McManus! Ball comes off the back of his head from 8 yards into the net. 0-1

16mins: Killie have a free-kick out wide on the left…..GOAL!

14mins: Anier latches on to Sutton’s flick on. The Estonian had to pull the trigger early but delayed and Barr slid in to clear.

14mins: Fowler give Hollis something to think about with a left footed effort from 25 yards. Comfortable for the ‘keeper.

13mins:Killie win a corner from Gros’ shot which was deflected off Lasley.

10mins: Free-kick to Killie about 35 yards out….Nicholson clips it into Fowler who heads straight at Hollis.

5mins: Motherwell with the bulk of the opening 5 mins. Lots of possession down the right with no killer pass as yet.

10seconds: Almost the perfect start! Vigurs latched onto the long ball over the top but poked his shot just wide!

Pre-match formalities over, we’re underway here at Fir Park #COYW

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Motherwell manager Stuart McCall:

“We’ve had times even last week when we had chances to kill people off.

“At 2-1 they are always still in it. There is more to come from us but we’re delighted with three points.

“There is nothing like going into the international break on a win and we needed that.”

Kilmarnock manager Allan Johnston:

“Individual mistakes are costing us dear right now – apart from that with the second-half performance I couldn’t ask for more. We need to defend better than that as a team and individually.

“We passed the ball really well in the second half and were unlucky not to get a goal. I think that performance typifies the way we have started the season.”

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Young striker Lee Erwin has joined Scottish League One side Arbroath on a one-month loan deal.

Erwin, who has represented Scotland at Youth International level, joins the Gayfield club in an attempt to gain vital first-team experience.

The 19-year old striker, who scored for the Under 20s against Dunfermline in midweek, is battling with James McFadden, John Sutton, Bob McHugh, Henri Anier and Craig Moore for a starting berth at Fir Park.

He goes into the squad for the Red Lichties match with Brechin City tomorrow.

The third domestic Steelmen Matchday Magazine of 2013/14 is on sale when Kilmarnock visit on Saturday.

But what is inside the 68-page issue?

‘Well boss Stuart McCall and Captain Keith Lasley both return with the regular columns.

Stuart talks about building on last week’s win over Partick Thistle, areas that could be improved and the difficulty facing a ‘wounded’ Kilmarnock side.

The skipper chats about what he expects from the match and how tight he expects this season’s SPFL Premiership to be.

The feature interview is with Zaine Francis-Angol. The Antiguan International talks in-depth about his new advanced role in the team, his relationship with the Motherwell supporters and facing some familiar faces both at home and on international duty.

Zaine also features as the third of a souvenir poster collection in the centre pages.

But that’s not where the features stop!

There is a 12-page section dedicated to our visitors, Kilmarnock.

Kris Jack introduces the Rugby Park side and there is a player-by-player breakdown of who is likely to line up for the Ayrshire side.

We continue our opposition manager section by speaking directly to new Killie boss Allan Johnston. The former Queen of the South gaffer talks about his new role and how he plans to stop a former International teammate this afternoon.

Our guest journalist for this edition is STV’s Scott McClymont, who covers Scottish football for the broadcaster.

He discusses some of the on-going issues both on and off the field and what he expects from the visitors over the coming season.

Graeme McGarry’s ‘Us and Them’ section also makes a return and features former ‘Well and Killie goalkeeper Colin Meldrum.

The former stopper, now coach at Celtic, talks about the current goalkeeping battle at Motherwell and his time at both clubs.

The big features keep coming…

The Sunday Post’s Brian Fowlie takes a look back in history at the first every player in Scotland to score from the substitutes bench – Motherwell’s Gus Moffat back in the 1960s.

Press & Media Manager Alan Burrows returns in ‘The Last Word’ and the next round of new quiz, MFC Eggheads, pits two veterans against each other – Stevie Hammell and Keith Lasley.

But wait, there’s more!

Our match reports section takes a look back at least weekend’s 1-0 win over Partick Thistle.

There’s also an in-depth report from the Under 20s most recent match against Dunfermline, which ended a seven-goal thriller.

We have the latest from The Ticket Office, Commercial and Community Departments, and update from the Well Society as well as the latest stats, facts and figures from the 2013/2014 campaign. We also take a statistical look at the match official, welcome new signing Lionel Ainsworth and there’s a vacancy at Fir Park listed in the Latest News Section.

Another new feature is the ‘Junior Steel’ kids page that will test the youngster’s quiz minds with puzzles and ‘Did you know’ facts.

The programme is available for £3 and is will be on sale from the Club Shop as well as the usual sellers located in and around the ground pre-match.

You can also order back editions or take a season-long subscription to the magazine by visiting the website of our publishers – Curtis-Sports – CLICK HERE

Stuart McCall has warned his players to be wary of a ‘wounded’ Kilmarnock after their midweek League Cup defeat.

Killie lost to Lanarkshire neighbours Hamilton Accies at Rugby Park, which followed a disappointing home defeat against Hibs last Saturday.

However, with goal-getter Kris Boyd returning after suspension and last week’s scorer Barry Nicholson likely to be back amongst the starting eleven, it will be an all-together tougher test that awaits the Steelmen for Saturday’s BT Sport Live match.

Stuart McCall knows Kilmarnock are much better than early results have shown but wants his side to better themselves after last week’s 1-0 win against Partick Thistle.

[pullquote]We need to be sure we respect the opponent whilst all the time focusing on ourselves and carrying out our game plan. We want to improve ourselves as an attacking threat whilst remaining solid defensively.[/pullquote]

Speaking to the broadcast press at this afternoon’s press conference, he said: “Allan (Johnston) has had a tough task to go in there and follow someone like Kenny Shiels.

“Obviously a lot of players have moved on and he has tried to get new faces in but he hasn’t been helped with injuries to the likes of Sammy Clingan and Manuel Pascali, both of whom are big players.

“The other night (versus Hamilton Accies) obviously Kris Boyd was suspended and Barry Nicholson was on the bench so they have experience to bring back in tomorrow.

“We need to be sure we respect the opponent whilst all the time focusing on ourselves and carrying out our game plan. We want to improve ourselves as an attacking threat whilst remaining solid defensively.”

-WATCH HIS FIRST INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

Motherwell FC will host every Scotland home match in the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 qualifying campaign.

Anna Signeul’s side will start their campaign in the Faroe Islands before facing Bosnia and Herzegovina in North Lanarkshire on Thursday 26 September. The Scots will also face Northern Ireland, Poland, and her home nation, Sweden.

Anna said: “We can’t wait to get the campaign started and I know that Motherwell feel exactly the same way. Everyone at the club has been very enthusiastic and supportive, particularly Leeann Dempster, and this feels like a great fit for us.

“Motherwell is a fantastic community club, and I’m sure that this partnership will help us to attract new fans from across North Lanarkshire and beyond, as we begin our journey towards qualification for the finals in Canada in 2015.”

Motherwell chief executive, Leeann Dempster, said: “We are very excited about this partnership and look forward to welcoming the Scotland women’s national team to Fir Park.

“As a club we work hard to offer an unrivalled match experience for everyone who visits the stadium. We have vast experience of hosting all types of matches, including UEFA Europa League qualifiers, and this is an opportunity to show what we can bring to an international campaign.

“Women’s football is growing across Scotland, and we’re delighted to offer our support to Anna and her squad as they strive to reach the finals of a major tournament for the first time.”

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 home match schedule:

Scotland v Bosnia-Herzegovina
Thursday 26 September 2013, kick-off 7.35 pm

Scotland v Northern Ireland
Saturday 26 October 2013, kick-off 5.30 pm

Scotland v Poland
Saturday 5 April 2014, kick-off 5.30 pm

Scotland v Sweden
Saturday 14 June 2014, kick-off 5.30 pm

Scotland v Faroe Islands
Saturday 13 September 2014, kick-off 5.30 pm

Motherwell Football Club is today delighted to confirm the signing of Rotherham United’s Lionel Ainsworth on loan until January 2014.

The 25-year old right-winger becomes the ninth new recruit of the summer and offers pace on the flanks manager Stuart McCall has been searching for.

The nature of the short-term loan system south of the border means Motherwell will be Ainsworth’s thirteenth club in an eight-year professional career so far.

The former England Youth International came through the ranks at Derby County and made his debut for the Rams in February 2006. He enjoyed brief loan spells at Bournemouth, Halifax Town and Wycombe Wanderers before joining Hereford in the summer of 2007.

He quickly established his place in the side and was an almost ever-present during his time with the Bulls. In only his second match he scored his first senior hat-trick in a 4–1 League Cup first round win over Yeovil Town.

He went on to score another hat-trick, this time in a 3–2 league win at Stockport County. Ainsworth’s last match for Hereford saw him score a 3rd minute winner against Leeds United, in the FA Cup First Round.

His performances at Edgar Street attracted Championship club Watford who signed him on a permanent basis. He spent two years at Vicarage Road, including another brief loan spell back at Hereford, before signing for Huddersfield Town.

[pullquote]I am really looking forward to it, meeting the players and meeting the fans. It is going to be something different for me but I am going to embrace it and do everything I can to make everyone happy.[/pullquote]

He spent just one year at the Terriers before moving again, this time heading for Shrewsbury Town. He had two good years at New Meadow, including another brief jaunt on loan to Burton Albion, before leaving the club in 2012 for Rotherham United.

After a positive start with the Millers, the pint-sized winger spent the second half of last season on loan at League Two Aldershot Town.

He will now try life in Scotland with the Steelmen and goes straight into the squad to face Kilmarnock.

Speaking exclusively to the clubs’ online television channel MFC TV, Ainsworth said: “I am very pleased to be here; it’s great to have joined a big club in Scotland.

“I am really looking forward to it, meeting the players and meeting the fans. It is going to be something different for me but I am going to embrace it and do everything I can to make everyone happy.

“In particular, I want to repay the faith the manager has in me by bringing me in. I’ve heard nothing but good things so I just can’t wait to get started.”

‘Well boss Stuart McCall added: “It’s an area we’ve been looking to fill for a while now.

“I got a call out the blue about a week ago to alert me to his situation and that he would be available.

“I know of him when my team at the time, Bradford, played against him whilst at Hereford and he was flying. He’s been about, won a couple of promotions but has fell out of favour at his parent club for whatever reason.

“Initially it will be a short-term loan but we’ll see what happens. He has a good pedigree, is super quick and hopefully he will add a different dimension for us.”

-WATCH HIS FIRST INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

‘Well fans who are subscribed to our e-newsletter got this information first. Click Here to join to ensure you don’t miss out on the breaking news from Fir Park.

Motherwell will face an away trip to Livingston in the Third Round of the Scottish League Cup.

The match will take place on Wednesday 25th September – 7.45pm KO.

Confirmed details around the match, including ticket information, will be published shortly.

FULL DRAW

Hibernian vs Stranraer
Dundee vs Inverness CT
Celtic vs Morton
Livingston vs Motherwell
Hearts vs Queen of the South
Falkirk vs Aberdeen
Hamilton vs St Johnstone
Dundee Utd vs Partick Thistle

Kilmarnock visit Fir Park this Saturday and we are putting on a fantastic evening dinner menu in our hospitality suites.

It’s a Saturday and it’s a 5.30pm kick off so an idea opportunity to combine a lovely evening meal with a SPFL Premiership match.

We will be serving:

• Fresh tomato and basil soup served with a continental bread roll.
• Pan-fried sirloin of beef smothered in a wild mushroom and red wine jus, served with baby-buttered potatoes with a glazed melody of fresh market vegetables.
• Dark chocolate profiterole crown served with a dark chocolate cream.
• Freshly brewed Coffee/Tea and mints .

All hospitality packages include your match ticket, award-winning matchday magazine, team sheet and half time tea.

Former players will host the evening with your chance to meet first team players and club staff whilst enjoying your night.

You have a choice of three packages:

Centenary Claret – Arriving from 3.30pm onwards for meal. Full service with access to a pay bar till kick off and then again for an hour post match. All this in the comfort of our Centenary Lounge. Book now from only £60 for an adult and £45 for a child under 16.

Centenary Amber – Arriving from 3.30pm onwards for meal. Full table service with complimentary bar and then again for an hour post match. All this in the comfort of our Centenary Lounge. Book now from only £99 for an adult and £55 for a child under 16

Millennium ticket – Enjoy a lighter bite with a complimentary bar for one-hour pre & post. Soup pre-match and half time refreshments, team sheet, match day programme for only £70 for an adult and £35 for a child.

Remember, Season Ticket holders can upgrade to hospitality for just £25.

If you would like to book a place at our fantastic Kilmarnock Evening Hospitality Dinner, you can do so online by CLICKING HERE.

Alternatively, please phone Jennifer Reston on 01698 333 333 or email commercial@motherwellfc.co.uk.

Some behind the scenes shots from Saturday’s SPFL Premiership win over Partick Thistle at Fir Park.

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Highlights from East End Park where Dunfermline U20s ran out 4-3 winners against Motherwell.

-WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS ON MFC TV–