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[tab:Match report]

Two incredible second half strikes gave ‘Well a much needed three points against Ross County this afternoon.

After a goalless first half in which County were the better side, wonder goals from Iain Vigurs and John Sutton gave the visitors a two-goal cushion before substitute Liam Boyce reduced the deficit eight minutes from the end.

Stuart McCall made three changes to the side that lost at home two weeks ago: Lionel Ainsworth, Zaine Francis-Angol and Henrik Ojamaa all had to settle for a place amongst the subs – they were replaced in the starting line-up by by Lee Erwin, Simon Ramsden and Iain Vigurs.

County made a decent start to the match but it was Motherwell who had the first effort on goal in the fourth minute when John Sutton did well to win possession but shot wide of Antonio Reguero’s left hand post.

County’s on-loan signing Michael Gardyne forced a save from Well goalkeeper Dan Twardzik in the seventh minute, then a Cardle shot was deflected behind for a corner as County started to edge it.

The hosts kept the pressure on and Gardyne headed a Jervis cross wide of target before firing another a shot off target.

At the other end, Reguero got down to a Josh Law shot but it squirmed out of his grasp for a corner.

As the half drew to a close, the visitors grew in confidence as the half wore on and former County favourite Vigurs made a forceful run into the box before winning another corner.

From the resultant flag-kick, Lee Erwin’s header was cleared off the goal-line by Carey.

Well made a positive start to the second half and Scott Boyd had to intervene to head a Craig Reid cross behind for a corner.

Boyd was in the right spot again to clear the next attack as the visitors went for the opening goal – and it came when the visitors were awarded a free kick 25 yards out in the 49th minute and Vigurs curled a delightful effort into the top corner.

County had a half-chance shortly afterwards when Jervis raced clear but he shot straight at Twardzik, then the same player got on the end of a deep cross from Carey but saw his glancing header fly wide of the target.

However, Stuart McCall’s men doubled their lead in the 54th minute in spectacular circumstances. The ball broke to Sutton in the middle of the park and he lofted a half-volley over the head of Reguero and into the net for an impressive goal.

County threw everything forward as they sought a route back into the match and they pulled a goal back in the 78th minute when Boyce came off the bench to steer Carey’s cutback into the net.

Buoyed by the goal Carey then fired in a curling free-kick which Twardzik could only push over for a corner – but the visitors held on for the win.

[tab:As it happened]

 Ally Reilly at The Global Energy Stadium

‘Well come away with all three points from the highlands!!! #RCFCvMFC COYW!!!!

FT: Ross County 1 – 2 Motherwell #RCFCvMFC

91mins: Fine low diving save from Twardizk to deny Quinn who shot from the edge of the box #RCFCvMFC

4 minutes added on #RCFCvMFC

87mins: Delighful ball in from Vigurs with the outside of his foot is met by Sutton but he can’t get his volley on target #RCFCvMFC

81mins: Motherwell sub, Erwin off for Ojamaa #RCFCvMFC

From the resulting corner, Boyd heads just wide. #RCFCvMFC

80mins: Spectacular effort from Carey from all of 40 yards has Twardzik scrambling to tip it over!

79mins: Lasley is booked for a foul on Cardle #RCFCvMFC

77mins: GOAL! Boyce pulls one back for County, converting a low cross. #RCFCvMFC

75mins: Sutton sees his lefts footed snap-shot from just outside the box fly just past! #RCFCvMFC

118 Motherwell fans have made the long trip up to Dingwall. Thanks to all for their support.

And a Motherwell sub, Carswell on for Lawson #RCFCvMFC

68mins: Ross County sub, Gardyne off for Maatsen #RCFCvMFC

67mins: County fans screaming for handball as is appears to hit O’Brien on the arm in the box but the ref waves play on #RCFCvMFC

56mins: Ross County sub, De Leeuw off for Arquinn #RCFCvMFC

54mins: SUTTON smashes in a cracker from range!!!! 2-0 to ‘Well #RCFCvMFC

GGGOOOAAALLLL!!!!

51mins: Fantastic work from Law to win the ball back in a dangerous position. His shot is straight at Reguero, though.

48mins: VIGURS whips the free-kick into the top corner!! 1-0 to ‘Well #RCFCvMFC

GGOOOOAAALLLL!!

47mins: Erwin wins a free-kick in a great area. Certainly Vigurs territory…

Second half is underway. #RCFCvMFC

HT: Ross County 0 – 0 Motherwell #RCFCvMFC

45mins: Another ‘Well corner, which is punched clear by Reguero. #RCFCvMFC

44mins: Vigurs throws a few dummy’s and gets a left footed shot away on the edge of the box. Routine stop for Reguero. #RCFCvMFC

43mins: Vigurs does well to win a corner….cleared off the line by Quinn! #RCFCvMFC

38mins: Erwin creates a chance out of nothing with a good first touch on the turn. His shot is too tame to trouble the ‘keeper though.

34mins: Corner to ‘Well after Law’s left footed volley from inside the box was pushed wide by Reguero #RCFCvMFC

32mins: Ball looked to have went in but Gardyne’s shot from 20 yards was just past and hit the advertising board. #RCFCvMFC

31mins: Carey fires in a long range free-kick through a ruck of bodies. Thankfully it flies just wide #RCFCvMFC

28mins: O’Brien is booked for a hard challenge on Cardle. County fans wanted red……#RCFCvMFC

25mins: Effort on goal from de Leeuw from range but doesn’t have the power to test Twardzik who dives low to his left to gather. #RCFCvMFC

21mins: Good football from County followed by a Jervis cross in for Gardyne who heads just wide #RCFCvMFC

10mins: Irvine’s shot is deflected out for a corner. From the delivery, ref rules Boyd fouled O’Brien #RCFCvMFC

9mins: Gardyne cuts in from the left and gets a shot away but Twardzik is equal to it, diving low to his left to palm to safety #RCFCvMFC

Boyd clears and County counter through Cardle. His cross is just too hard for Arquin to control and the chance is gone.

6mins: Erwin forces a corner to ‘Well….

4mins: Sutton has a pop from just outside. Unfortunately it curls just wide of the ‘keepers left post #RCFCvMFC

3mins: County have a free-kick about 40 yards out. Carey swings it in but Vigurs is on hand to head clear. #RCFCvMFC

Pre-match formalities over, De Leeuw and Jervis get the action underway.#COYW #RCFCvMFC

Here come the teams, Motherwell in their white away kit, County in their dark blue home kit. #RCFCvMFC

[tab:Reaction]

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall:

“We scored two fantastic goals, we needed that to win the game. I don’t think there was much in it. The first half was a bit of a non-event for us. We started the second half a lot better but we are disappointed to lose a sloppy goal which gives them a lift.”

“We weren’t great today but we got the job done with two great bits of finishing. For all the possession Ross County didn’t create too many problems for us.

“It was always going to be difficult with the new manager and their singing section in the crowd – they were always going to be up for it. “It was three important points – we know we will play better but we have good quality in the team and the two goals showed that.”

Ross County manager Jim McIntyre:

“We had the edge on the game in the first half and created a couple of opportunities. I thought we looked the more threatening. But the reaction from the players was really good after we conceded the goals.

“Motherwell came out better in the second half and scored. It was a poor free-kick to give away but you have to give credit to the boy for sticking it away. You have to give big Sutton great credit for his goal too, it was a hell of a strike.”

[tab:Man-of-the-match]

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Simon Ramsden hopes to put his injury frustrations behind him against Ross County tomorrow.

The experienced defender played in the European matches in July, but has missed the overwhelming majority of the league campaign with a niggly injury.

However, he made his return late on against St Johnstone and with a two-week break after that match, the former Bradford man is itching to get back into it.

“When I played in both European ties I felt I was back, but I unfortunately picked up a little niggle after that,” he said.

[pullquote]It’s obviously always hard to miss games through injury. Whether the team is doing well or not, you just want to be out there and be involved.[/pullquote]

“I’m not sure how much that was to do with playing on the 3G pitch in Iceland and the travel over there, but since then I have done some intensive fitness work.

“The break has came at the right time for everybody as it gave us all a chance to work on parts of our game and training has been very intense. That is exactly what we’ve all needed and everyone is looking forward to the game tomorrow.

“It’s obviously always hard to miss games through injury. Whether the team is doing well or not, you just want to be out there and be involved.

“I’ve been training for the last few weeks and am l feeling in good shape, just looking forward to getting going again.”

‘Well boss Stuart McCall admits the recent run has been one of the most difficult of his time at Fir Park.

The Steelmen haven’t won since the opening day success against St Mirren.

A combination of debilitating injuries to several key players, low confidence and poor form have combined to leave ‘Well sitting tenth in the table with three points after five matches.

Ross County are in a similar boat but have recently replaced long-term boss Derek Adams with Jim McIntyre.

But McCall is hopeful the short International break will have allowed his players to regroup and really get the season underway.

[pullquote]We’ve had some journey in the last three-and-a-half years and there have been some dark days and poor results. But you have just got to get through it. You never go forward if you keep looking backwards.[/pullquote]

He said: “We’ve had some journey in the last three-and-a-half years and there have been some dark days and poor results. But you have just got to get through it. You never go forward if you keep looking backwards.

“This week, for the first time this season, we have had 16 outfield players training with us, which is great. We do need to find our form, we know that, but when you look at the people we’ve got back…

“There’s only Steven Hammell, who is actually doing ball work now and should return soon, and wee Moorey (Craig Moore) not travelling, and obviously Fraser Kerr is suspended.

“Everyone else is back training. Training has been really good this week; you can tell there is an edge because everyone is fighting for places. We are certainly stronger personnel wise, we just need to find a bit of form.”

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On Saturday 6th September, Motherwell Under 9s girls were playing in a tournament at K-Park training facility in East Kilbride.

The girls played four games, and won them all. The first game was against Rossvale where they swiftly saw the competition off, sealing the win with an 8-1 victory.

Their next game was against Blantyre, where the Motherwell youngsters secured the win in a closely fought match finishing 3-2. Another tough game saw Motherwell sneak the lead to win 4-3 against EKFC and, in their final match, the girls won 5-2 against EK Thistle.

A brilliant morning for participants and thoroughly enjoyed by all. A fantastic display of talent from a host of teams, well done to all involved. Congratulations to Motherwell goal scorers Kristen Heggie (6), Casey Hendry (9), Jessica Lindsay (4)

Not far away at Fir Park, Motherwell Under 11s girls were matched against Rossvale yellow. After a disappointing start and the girls finding themselves down 2-0, a fantastic display of grit, determination and the Motherwell mindset saw the girls dig deep and win the game 3-2 just seconds before the final whistle.

A solid performance at right back saw Stephanie Conner close the door on potential goal threats and Aimme Balfour’s clinical finishing in front of goal saw her walk away with a hat-trick. Lead Coach Laura Daley said: “The Team worked so well in the 2nd half and really pulled together to make sure we came out with a victory, I could not be more proud of these girls!”

Ladies team:

Motherwell Ladies saw a trip to the other side of town last Sunday, where they faced Paisley Saints at Seedhill playing fields. A slow and injury stricken start to the game saw both teams defending well and creating chances, but it was to be Motherwell who came out stronger sealing all 3 points with a 3-1 win.

Pamela Liddell came away scoring all 3 goals for the Steelwomen and racking up an emphatic 12 goals in her last 3 games! This win saw the seniors lengthen the gap between the two sides in the league standings. From all at Motherwell, we would like to wish Susie Lawler of Paisley Saints a speedy recovery after fracturing her foot early on in the game.

Motherwell Under 15s

Motherwell Under 15s battled hard on Saturday against Hamilton, but unfortunately narrowly lost out 3-2 at the full time whistle.

Coach Adam Shaw said: “I thought we played very well in the game and were unlucky not to come away with at least a point.

We pressed Hamilton high up the park and kept the ball well when we had it. Hamilton’s winner was good enough to win any game. We are not disheartened though, there were lots of positives to take and we push on from here, I’m proud of the girl’s attitude and application.

Latest News

Motherwell is a club who has the development of its players at the forefront. With female teams at Under 9s, Under 11s, Under 15s and the Ladies team, the club is already very well established in female football. Sounds great doesn’t it!?

However, that is just the tip of the iceberg! The ball has already been set rolling on starting up another two age levels at Motherwell FC. Jim Irwin has recently been appointed Lead Coach at Motherwell Under 17s, a fantastic addition to the Motherwell Family. Trials for this age group will be held in the coming weeks.

It doesn’t stop there either! Under 13s coaches have recently just been appointed and the player recruitment process is already in full swing. So in the not too distant future, you can expect to see U17s, U15s, U13s, U11s, U9s, U7s all competing in claret and amber.

With plans in place and moving fast for the development of the new Motherwell FC £1.9 million training centre, there has never been a better time to get involved in female footy. Why not come along and give it a go.

For more information, please contact:

Girls Performance Centre

Lead Coach – Laura Daly: 07767392557

Training: Monday and Wednesday, 3/3.30pm – 5.45pm

3/3.30pm Drop off Fir Park (Davie Cooper suite, top floor box 1)

3.30 – 4.10 Homework (Tutor)

4.10 – 4.30 snack/juice (provided by club)

4.40 – 5.45 training (full training park)

5.45 – pick up back at fir park

Under 15s

Lead Coach – Adam Shaw: 01698 239926

Training; Fir Park: Mondays and Wednesdays 6.30pm – 8pm

Ladies Team

Team Manager – Graeme McArthur: 01698 239926

Training; Fir Park Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8pm – 10pm

International Fixture:

Fir Park

Saturday 13th Sept, KO 5.30pm

Scotland Women v Faroe Islands.

World Cup Qualifier

Tickets available at the gate on entrance to stadium but if you cant make the game then watch it on BBC Alba and look out for interviews by Graeme McArthur our Ladies Team Manager, and Ainsley Douglas the Ladies Team Captain at half time talking about our new Girls Performance Centre.

Good luck Scotland, we are all behind you!

This weekend’s club fixtures:

Under 11s: Saturday 13th Sept, Festival at Ravenscraig: 2.30 – 4.30

Under 9s: Saturday 13th Sept, Festival at Fir park: 2.20 – 4.20

Motherwell LFC v Claremont LFC, Sunday 14th Sept League fixture: Daisy Park 12pm KO

Under 15s don’t have a game this week due to an international camp.

Referee for Saturday’s SPFL Premiership game with Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium will be Steven McLean.

It will be McLean’s second ‘Well appointment of the season have previously handled the home defeat to Inverness less than one month ago.

Incredibly, he was in charge of seven Motherwell matches in the SPFL Premiership last year – three of the seven won’t live long in the memory; one will be cherished forever.

The first of those to forget was back in November, when a depleted Steelmen crashed 4-0 at home to Dundee United. One month later, as ‘Well were already hurting from a Scottish Cup exit, he was the man in the middle for Celtic’s 5-0 win at Fir Park.

Thankfully, he handled our 5-1 win at Firhill in late December but also the controversial 2-2 draw with Aberdeen at Fir Park.

‘Well were holding out in the face of intense Aberdeen pressure and looked to have saw the match out, but a late Russell Anderson equaliser levelled things up.

He also handled the 3-3 draw at Easter Road when ‘Well threw away a two-goal lead but still showed tremendous character to net late on to save a draw.

He also officiated the 5-1 demolition at Tannadice when Lionel Ainsworth’s late conciliation goal was the only ray of light in an otherwise horrible afternoon in Tayside.

Most recently was the final game of last season at Pittodrie when Craig Reid’s controversial 91st minute winner game Motherwell the win they needed to seal second and spark incredible celebrations that will rival any moment in Motherwell’s recent history. Maybe decisions do even themselves out over a season after all?

His overall record in charge of Motherwell reads eleven wins, six defeats and two draws from nineteen matches. In those games, ‘Well have scored 41 and conceded 35. 48 cautions have been dished out, 29 flashed at those wearing Claret and Amber.

Four people have been sent off, two for ‘Well (Fraser Kerr and Keith Lasley in the same match against Killie last year).
He had an extremely busy season in 2013/14 – handling twenty-five SPFL Premiership matches.

He has also had two League Cup matches, both at the Falkirk Stadium, and two Europa League Qualifiers – Omonia Nikosia’s 1-2 defeat by Romania’s Astra Giurgiu and Serbian side FK Vojvodina’s 2-2 draw with Bursaspor.

He also handled the Europa League Group game between Standard Liège and IF Elfsborg Boras.

McLean will be ably assisted by Gavin Harris and Frank Connor with Greg Aitken on fourth official duties. Referee observer is Mike Peacock and SPFL Delegate will be Ricky Gray.

Representatives from 149 ECA Member Clubs attended the 13th European Club Association General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

Amongst them was ordinary members Alan Burrows (Motherwell FC), along with Peter Lawell and Eric Reilly (Celtic FC) and associate members Andrew Dickson (Rangers FC) from Scotland. Other associate members from Scotland not in attendance were Aberdeen and Hearts.

ECA MEMBER CLUBS WELCOMED UEFA PRESIDENT

ECA Member Clubs were pleased to welcome the UEFA President, Michel Platini, for a special address at the beginning of the plenary session.

In his speech, he re-iterated his intention to seek a third term as UEFA President and hailed the great relationship between UEFA and ECA, which has led to some significant achievements over the last couple of years, notably the elaboration of the Financial Fair Play regulations.

He called upon the clubs to further strengthen this partnership in the future to allow for a solid and united European football family.

QATAR 2022 WORLD CUP

ECA Members were updated on the first Qatar 2022 Task Force Meeting which took place at FIFA Headquarters in Zurich on 8 September with ECA Vice-Chairman, Umberto Gandini, and ECA General Secretary, Michele Centenaro, in attendance on behalf of ECA.

The meeting’s main focus was to understand the different stakeholders’ position vis-à-vis a possible switch to a winter competition. FIFA made clear that, in accordance with the hosting agreement, the World Cup in Qatar must be held in 2022.

As a result, the options of January/February 2022 and November/December 2022 were put forward as alternatives to a summer world cup. The Task Force will meet again in November to analyse in more depth the impact of a switch from summer to winter.

FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY

With nine clubs having been sanctioned by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) for non-compliance with the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations in the past season, and ultimately agreeing to sign settlement agreements, the FFP project has entered a crucial phase.

Despite aggregate losses in European club football continuously decreasing, which can be taken as a positive sign and a direct result of the FFP implementation, ECA Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge reminded ECA Member Clubs of the importance to continue to operate responsibly.

Commenting on FFP, the ECA Chairman said: “We should definitely not think that club finances are now in perfect order. A true picture of Financial Fair Play can only be drawn once the break-even assessment is in place over several consecutive years. We are certainly not on the safe side yet and UEFA will continue to take this project very seriously. I call upon every single club to adhere to the regulations and remind you that these rules should not be seen as an attack against clubs but as a positive move for the long-term future of the game.”

Since the launch of FFP, ECA has called upon UEFA to ensure that any withheld prize money, as a result of non-compliance with the regulations, should be made available to all clubs participating in European competitions and that ECA would make proposals as to the distribution method to be used.

Whilst in some cases a certain percentage is withheld conditionally and will be returned to the respective club if it fulfils the operational and financial measures agreed with the UEFA CFCB, it was announced that the unconditional amount available for immediate distribution to clubs amounts to approximately 24 Million EURO.
Following discussions with UEFA, ECA’s recommendation foresees that the 24 Million EURO available will be distributed among all clubs that participated in UEFA’s club competitions in the 2013/14 season. 80% of this amount would be allocated to the Champions League and Europa League Group Stage participants in equal shares, whilst 20% would be distributed among all clubs participating in the qualifying rounds, which is a further sign of ECA’s commitment to enhancing solidarity.

This recommendation will be presented to the UEFA Executive Committee for final approval. With regards to the conditional amounts, discussions on the distribution method remain on-going.

INTEGRITY MATTERS

In March 2014, the UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council decided to adopt a position paper and action plan on Integrity in Football. A dedicated working group, composed of representatives from all European football stakeholders, was created in order to elaborate concrete initiatives in an attempt to combat match-fixing in European football.

Based on a joint Code of Conduct, which is expected to be officially launched next week, ECA presented to its member clubs the ECA Charter on Integrity in Football, which they were all invited to sign as a sign of commitment to enhance Integrity.

The ECA Charter on Integrity in Football is a declaration of ECA’s commitment to ensure Football is free of match-fixing or any other external interference, which could influence the normal running of the game.

By signing the Charter, ECA Member Clubs recognise the importance of safeguarding the Integrity in Football and commit to a continuous endorsement of an internal policy and practice in this respect. More precisely, signatories commit to:

• Uphold Integrity in Football and to refrain from any attempt to breach this Integrity, such as by fixing a game;
• Support the Code of Conduct, endorsed by ECA, UEFA, EPFL and FIFPro, and to share this Code of Conduct with their club’s employees and players;
• Educate their employees and players on the importance of Integrity in Football, the prohibition of engaging in match-fixing and the risks of betting on games;
• Facilitate in any way possible the communication between the club, its employees and players in relation to match-fixing;
• Report any attempt(s) to fix a game to the relevant Football and public authorities, to strongly encourage their employees and players to do the same, and to cooperate with other stakeholders in order to create a reliable reporting procedure;
• Cooperate fully and at any time with any investigation conducted either within the Football Family or by a public authority;
• Call for other clubs to safeguard the same level of Integrity and the same vision against match-fixing and betting on Football.

To emphasise the importance of the above, signatories shall:

• Have their employees and players demonstrate their commitment by signing a document by which they acknowledge the importance of Integrity in Football and to avoid any engagement in match-fixing;
• Appoint a reliable contact person to whom their employees or players should report any information on match-fixing.
• Include in their standard player contract a clause which explicitly refers to the prohibition to engage in match-fixing and the risks of betting on Football games in accordance with the applicable competition regulations and/or State Law, as well as the reporting of attempts of match-fixing;

Furthermore, ECA calls upon their Member Clubs to actively cooperate with all initiatives organised by European and local stakeholders with the aim to both strengthen Integrity and fight match-fixing.

Is your dream to play for Motherwell and run out at Fir Park? That can now become a reality with the third ‘Motherwell Matchday Experience’ this October.

The club and its partners have run various events in the past allowing fans and clients to play on the hallowed Fir Park turf, but none have ever been the true matchday experience.

You only have a few hours left to bid for this incredible event and for one day, you will feel and be treated like a first-team player.

-CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS, INFORMATION & TO BID –

 Highlights from Fir Park as ‘Well battle back from a goal down to beat Dunfermline 2-1 in the SPFL Development League.

Jonatan Johansson was pleased with the spirit shown by his side to come back from a goal down to take all three points.

The Steelmen were trailing as early as the ninth minute, but second half goals from Chris Cadden and Steven Higgins gave ‘Well their second consecutive win.

The 106-times capped former Finnish striker praised his side but also said there was plenty for his young players to work on too.

Speaking to MFC TV on the clubs’ official You Tube channel, he said: “The spirit and the teamwork we showed last week was there again in abundance as was the belief we could go on and win it.

[pullquote]The spirit and the teamwork we showed last week was there again in abundance as was the belief we could go on and win it.[/pullquote]

“Our best spell was probably the last twenty minutes of the first half. I thought we played well; we were composed and kept winning the ball back.

“The second half wasn’t something you like to see as a coach, with the game going back and forth with lots of chances for both teams. It could have gone either way at that point, and when we were starting to look a little leggy, Higgy (Higgins) pops up with the winner.

“There were faults and things we can work on to improve, but the spirit was there and we had good spells too.”

Motherwell U20s made it back-to-back wins after edging out Dunfermline 2-1 at Fir Park this evening.

The Pars went ahead after just nine minutes when Ross Millen curled home a beautiful free kick from 20 yards.

‘Well passed up the chance to level when Dylan Mackin was thwarted from the penalty spot, but Cadden did eventually equalise on the hour mark, slotting home after great build-up play from Dom Thomas.

It stayed that way until Steven Higgins won it for ‘Well, the striker capitalising on a goalkeeping error to win it with just seven minutes left to play.

Jonatan Johansson kept faith in the side that dismantled Hearts six days ago with just one change, goalkeeper Max Currie coming in to replace Ross Stewart having to be content with a place on the bench.

Although Dunfermline made the better start, it was ‘Well who had the first chance but Dylan Mackin’s volley did little to trouble Jamie Wilson in the visitor’s goal.

Pars wasted no time in replying, immediately going on the attack and were unlucky not to take the lead when Allan Smith’s shot whistled just past Currie’s post.

However, it wasn’t long until John Potter’s men were in front and it was a goal of some quality.

Thomas gave away a free kick on the edge of the area, allowing Millen to step up. He curled an effort high into the top corner, leaving a full stretch Max Currie absolutely helpless.

‘Well went on the search for an equaliser and Cadden tested Wilson from distance, before Higgins had a shot deflected wide and from the resulting corner, David Ferguson’s effort was straight at the Pars stopper.

Higgins had another shot for ‘Well before Dunfermline had a great chance to double their advantage, Smith racing away one on one with Currie, but the keeper came out on top, blocking with his foot.

At the other end, Wilson looked smart to deny both Cadden and Higgins before making another great from the penalty spot. Higgins was brought down in the area by Cammy McClair, with referee Grant Irvine quick to point to the spot.

Dylan Mackin stepped forward, but again Wilson made the save, diving low to his left.

Motherwell started the second half on the front foot, Higgins firing just wide after cutting in from the flank before Morgyn Neill flashed a header just wide.
However, with their next attack, Motherwell drew level and it was all down to the creativity of Dom Thomas. The little winger beat three players before squaring it for Cadden who coolly slotted past Wilson for 1-1.

‘Well sensed blood and went looking for a second and it was Cadden again, this time his low shot was again saved by the visiting keeper.

There then followed two penalty claims, one at either end but neither were given. ‘Well were claiming first, Higgins’ cross appeared to hit a hand, but the officials were having none of it.

Two minutes later, Smith went over in the area and was booked for simulation. It looked harsh as there did appear to be some contact, but enough for a spot kick is certainly up for debate.

Both teams traded chances, Stuart Urquhart’s long range free-kick was tipped onto the bar by Currie before Thomas pulled a shot wide when the goal was at his mercy.

However, with seven minutes left, ‘Well grabbed the winner. Cadden’s long ball was uncharacteristically missed by the outrushing Wilson, allowing Higgins in for a open goal and he tapped home into an empty net to take all three points.

Motherwell U20s: Currie: McMillan, Ferguson, Hall, Neill, McCall, Mackin, Cadden (R.Leitch – 84mins), Higgins, Thomas, McLean

Subs: Stewart, Watt, Campbell, Watters, McNulty