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Motherwell FC is today delighted to confirm the signing of midfielder Morgaro Gomis from Hearts until the end of the season.

The 30-year old former Senegal International spent several years in the English lower leagues before moving to Cowdenbeath in 2006.

It was whilst with the Blue Brazil that he impressed the then Dundee Utd boss Craig Levein, who took him to Tannadice in 2007. He spent four productive years on Tayside, playing just short of 200 games for the Terrors and winning the Scottish Cup in 2010.

His standout performances tempted English Championship side Birmingham City to offer him terms and in 2011, he moved to St. Andrews.

It didn’t quite work out at Blues and Morgaro was soon returning north of the border again, again signing for Dundee United in October 2013. He played 23 times that season, before being reunited with Levein at Hearts for their assault on the Scottish Championship in 2014/15.

Gomis was a virtual ever-present as the Jambos romped to the title and he has featured a further 21 times this term for the Gorgie club in the Scottish top flight.

More to follow…

Extended highlights from Dens Park as Chris Cadden and Stephen Pearson strike in a 2-2 draw with Dundee at Dens Park.

Action images from today’s 2-2 draw with Dundee in the Ladbrokes Premiership at Dens Park.

Snaps courtesy of SNSPix.

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Mark McGhee couldn’t help but feel aggrieved after a late penalty cost his side all three points against Dundee this afternoon.

The Fir Parkers looked to be heading for an impressive 1-2 win, when John Beaton inexpicably pointed to the spot when Chris Cadden and Kevin Holt clashed just inside the area.

Hemmings duly converted; denying the Fir Parkers what would’ve been their first league win of the new year.

Asked if he felt hard done to by the decision, McGhee said: “I feel absolutely aggrieved at the decision.

“These decisions are so important as we are in a dogfight to avoid the play-offs or worse, to avoid relegation.

“Every point counts and to be almost over the line after a heroic defensive performance in the second half, after getting our strategy right, I felt we deserved to win the game.

[pullquote]”The referee has made a terrible call really and that has cost us two points.[/pullquote]

“Young Cadden scored a great goal early in the game and he shouldn’t be embarrassed by what happened later on as there is no doubt it wasn’t a penalty.

“He hasn’t got to worry about that because the referee made a bad call and the I think the referee will realise that when he looks at it.”

The draw did move ‘Well a point clear of Partick Thistle ahead of their meeting at Firhill on Tuesday night.

McGhee was pleased with his team’s performance on Tayside but believes they still have a lot of hard work to do before they can pull clear of relegation trouble.

“We have taken one point from the last three games and that is not good enough,” McGhee said.

“That’s why we have to keep ourselves firmly anchored by looking at teams below us and make sure we get enough points.

“Every point counts, even the one today will count at the end toward safety, hopefully, and that is the only way we can think at the moment.”

[tab:Match report]

 Phil McGhee at Dens Park

A highly controversial 88th minute penalty denied Motherwell all three points at Dens Park this afternoon.

The Steelmen had raced into a 1-2 half-time advantage when goals from Chris Cadden and Stephen Pearson came either side of Paul McGowan’s close-range strike.

The Dark Blues had all the second half without really testing Connor Ripley’s goal and it looked as if the Steelmen were going to hold on for what would’ve been a big three points.

However, with just two minutes left, match official John Beaten harshly awarded a penalty when Cadden and Kevin Holt both tangled for the ball. Kane Hemmings was in no mood for mercy, coolly slotting home the resulting kick to earn his side a share of the spoils.

Motherwell made just one change to the side that lost last weekend against Ross County with Josh Law returning to the starting eleven in place of Kieran Kennedy.

And for all the frustrations of last Saturday against County, when well created by missed a host of chances, those memories were cleared quickly as the Steelmen got themselves in front just four minutes in.

Marvin Johnson’s cross from the left misses everyone and lands at the feet of Cadden who took a good touch before volleying home his first ever goal for the Fir Parkers high past Bain.

Unfortunately, ‘Well couldn’t hold their lead for long as Paul Hartley’s side hit back inside two minutes. Great play by Greg Stewart released McGowan in the inside right channel and after it held up perfectly in the wind, he controlled the pass before hooking the ball home from a tight angle.

Motherwell regained their composure and only a terrific Bain saved denied Lasley after the skipper’s free-kick bounced through and almost into the net, but for the outstretched arm of the former Alloa stopper.

Soon after that, and down the other end, Stewart went on a mazy run and crossed from the right for Rory Loy, but his somehow shot came back off of the underside of the bar from just a few yards.

Then, in 13 minutes, Stewart was again involved with a darting run into the box, skipping by several Motherwell challenges, only to see his eventual shot saved by Ripley.

It was end-to-end stuff and Motherwell twice almost got in front when McDonald found himself with the freedom of the six-yard box but his shot on the spin was straight at Bain.

However, it was Pearson who eventually put the Steelmen back in front with another excellent goal in 23 minutes. The veteran midfielder burst through the Dundee defence, played a one-two with Moult, before drifting past Darren O’Dea and angling in his seventh goal of the campaign.

Both teams created chances as the snow-ridden first half raged on. Bain had a stinging long-range shot that forced Ripley to turn over. At the other end, Moult’s curler looked to be sneaking into the corner, but again Bain scrambled across his goal to turn it around.

The second half was dominated by Dundee but the visitors defended doggedly to limit their clear-cut chances while trying to hit on the counterattack.

Harkins did go close to snatching an equaliser with a couple of typical flashes of skill, chipping over from right of the goal then volleying wide from the other side.

For all Dundee had the ball, it was ‘Well who had the best chance. McDonald’s bursting run from midfield started the chance and when his slid ball found Pearson on the left, ‘Well were in at goal. When Pearson pulled it across goal, Moult slammed home for what he thought was his 14th of the campaign, but the assistant’s flag thwarted him.

The game was heading for a finish when Dundee were afforded the chance to level in controversial circumstances. Moult had headed clear a Dundee corner with Cadden and Holt competing for the loose ball just inside the area. Incredibly, John Beaten pointed to the spot, much to the dismay of the Motherwell players. Cadden was even booked for the challenge!

Kane Hemmings stood up to take it and slammed it hard down the middle with Ripley going to his right to earn his side a point.

[tab:As it happened]

 Ally Reilly at Dens Park

FT: Dundee 2 – 2 Motherwell

90′ | 2-2
2 minutes added on

Have to say, that decision looked ridiculous. Cadden went to clear the ball over this head and the Dundee man ran into it.

88′ | 2-2
Goal – Hemmings pulls Dundee level from the spot.

87′ | 1-2
Penalty to Dundee!

86′ | 1-2
Harkins gets the ball in the box but thankfully a ‘Well leg deflects his shot wide for a corner.

79′ | 1-2
Dundee sub, Ross off for Wighton.

78′ | 1-2
Law booked for hauling down Harkins…

72′ | 1-2
Motherwell sub, McDonald off for Fletcher

71′ | 1-2
Moult has the ball in the net but the linesman’s flag was straight up after Pearson made the pass

69′ | 1-2
Dundee sub, Arturo on for Loy.

67′ | 1-2
Harkins has an effort similar to Van Basten’s classic but thankfully it ends up in the stand.

65′ | 1-2
Johnson shoots from range but doesn’t really trouble Bain who gathers safely.

55′ | 1-2
Harkins tries a chip from a difficult position and watches it fly past the post.

Dundee get the second 45 underway. COYW!

HT: Dundee 1 – 2 Motherwell #DFCvMFC

33′ | 1-2
Great effort from Moult, a first-time curler towards the bottom corner which Bain does superbly to palm wide.

27′ | 1-2
Holt tries his luck from 30 yards and forces Ripley into a spectacular save! Corner to Dundee…

23′ | 1-2
PEARSON plays a one-two with Moult and gets into the box before cooly firing ‘Well 2-1 up!

GGGGOOOOAALLLL!!!!

….what a chance for McDonald! Hints of offside as he finds himself alone in the box but he can’t direct it past Bain who saves.

18′ | 1-1
Johnson chops inside Stewart who brings him down on the edge of the box….

13′ | 1-1
Stewart passes up a great chance to put Dundee ahead as he latches onto a slack pass. Ripley makes the stop.

12′ | 1-1
McGowan hits the bar! Stewart gets to the byline and cuts it back but from 8 yards can only hit the woodwork. A let off.

9′ | 1-1
Chance! Lasley clips in a free-kick which is missed by everyone and forces Bain to knock it out for a corner!

6′ | 1-1
Goal – Incredibly on the next attack, McGowan collects a loose ball and slams it into the net to bring Dundee level!

4′ | 0-1
Johnson crosses for CADDEN who takes it on the chest and volleys into the top corner!!!! 1-0 to the Steelmen!!

GGOOOAAALLLLLL!!!!

Pearson and Lasley get the game underway. COYW!!!

Out come the teams and out comes the snow. Horrible afternoon for football #DFCvMFC
 

[tab:Reaction]

Motherwell  manager Mark McGhee:

“I feel absolutely aggrieved at the decision. These decisions are so important as we are in a dogfight to avoid the play-offs or worse, to avoid relegation.

“Every point counts and to be almost over the line after a heroic defensive performance in the second half, after getting our strategy right, I felt we deserved to win the game.

“The referee has made a terrible call really and that has cost us two points.”

Dundee manager Paul Hartley:

“It’s not a penalty. I’ve seen the footage and it’s not a penalty. But we deserved it, we deserved at least a draw.

“We kept the pressure on them in the second half and created numerous chances. I was really pleased with the effort from my players. We started brightly and some of our play was really good.

“I thought it was a good game, lots of good football, end-to-end stuff on a difficult surface.

“Credit to my players because they never give up. Their fitness levels are excellent and they deserved that point at the end of what has been a tough week for them. Our attacking play is good and we look a real threat going forward.”

[tab:Man-of-the-match]

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Scott McDonald insists ‘Well could do themselves a favour and learn from Saturday’s opponents Dundee.

The Aussie International spoke of his admiration for Paul Hartley’s side and their ability to bounce back after adversity.

It looked as if the Dees were heading for trouble when they went on a eight-game run without a win, that stretched from early October to late December.

However, after a 3-1 defeat at Fir Park six weeks ago, Hartley’s men have won four of their last six games, including victories over Hamilton, Dundee Utd, Partick Thistle and Falkirk.

And McDonald said: “Dundee are the type of team that we can look to, they have had a couple of bad results this year but they always seem to pick themselves up and go again,” the former Celtic striker said.

“People say they are on a bad run and then they get a good result and go again. We will be looking to emulate that. We need to get back on the winning trail.”

The experienced front man has watched on this week as a number of his teammates have left the club.

Four players have departed Fir Park this week – goalkeeper Dan Twardzik, midfielder Jake Taylor plus strikers Theo Robinson and David Clarkson – while Liam Grimshaw left earlier in the window and young players David Ferguson and Dylan Mackin joined Craig Moore in going out on loan.

[pullquote]Dundee are the type of team that we can look to, they have had a couple of bad results this year but they always seem to pick themselves up and go again.[/pullquote]

Only Grimshaw was a regular, but McDonald feels a new signing would be a psychological boost.

McDonald said: “We are hoping a few will come in and replace them. That’s key and hopefully that will happen before the window shuts and give everyone a lift that teams get when new players come in.

“That’s massive. You always see a lift in players when new players come in because obviously players that are brought in are brought in to play.

“So the players will feel the threat of that and want to impress the manager even more so.”

McDonald has formed a solid partnership with Louis Moult after an initial period of rotation when Mark McGhee took charge in October, but the Australian would welcome a fresh challenge.

“We’ve had a few (strikers) this season, it’s been top-heavy at times,” the 32-year-old said.

“We had five or six at one stage or another. But competition is always nice. None of us will shy away from it, certainly not myself.

“If you go, like we have, a couple of games without a goal, there’s always going to be that threat of someone coming in to take your place. The more players that are performing, the better for the club.”

Motherwell assistant Stephen Robinson hopes a win at Dens Park on Saturday can kick-start another good run of form.

The Steelmen had gone almost two months unbeaten before defeats to Hearts and Ross County has stalled the Fir Parkers in the last fortnight.

Mark McGhee’s team currently sit ninth in the table four points off a top-six spot, but are also only a point off second bottom with two games in hand.

With a trip to Dens Park tomorrow followed by Firhill three days later, Motherwell return to league duty on February 13 against Kilmarnock at Fir Park before a midweek trip to Tannadice.

As all those teams sit with them in the bottom half of the table, the need to focus on the short term is clear.

“It is tight at the bottom – there’s only one point between eighth place and 11th – so we need to get moving,” said the Northern Irishman.

“Starting with Saturday’s match, we have a run of fixtures which will give us the opportunity to kick on because we’re away to Partick Thistle on Tuesday and then we’re at home to Kilmarnock and away to Dundee United after that.

“We created the chances to start another run when we played Ross County but we didn’t take them and we lost sloppy goals, which is something we need to stop doing.

[pullquote]“But these next four games – five, if you include our Scottish Cup tie against Inverness here – can set us up for the rest of the season.”[/pullquote]

Reflecting on the experience of last season’s drama against Rangers, Robinson said: “We definitely don’t want to be involved in that again. It may have ended with a good outcome for us but it’s not something you want to put yourself through.

“When you look at the quality of players we have and that six-game run we went on, it proves that we should be looking up the table rather than downwards.”

Motherwell have seen several players go out the door with a mixture of permanent departures and temporary loan moves, and Robinson is hopeful some will be coming in the opposite direction.

He said: “Our remit was to get people out first before we could bring anyone in, so we’ve done that with four or five players going out and we are currently trying to get some fresh faces in.”

Motherwell Ladies FC is delighted to announce that both Emma and Jacqueline McLure have signed for the Under 15 squad for the 2016 season.

The highly sought after Livingstone based twins were previously with Hibernian but have opted to make the move to Lanarkshire after starting pre season with the Fir Parkers and being impressed by the infrastructure the club has implemented to develop girls football.

Emma was a standout in Motherwell’s 2-1 victory of Murieston last weekend and was unlucky not to notch a hat trick scoring twice only to watch her twenty-yard free kick hit the underside of the bar and bounce on the line before being cleared to safety. Jacqueline unfortunately missed the game through injury.

Both girls attend the Scottish FA Regional Squads and are great prospects for the future.

[pullquote]Both Emma and Jacqueline are fantastic players and we are so pleased to have them here at Motherwell FC.[/pullquote]

After a successful two years with Hibs it was hard for the girl’s to leave their friends behind.

However, commenting on her move Emma said, “I really enjoyed playing with the team in the friendly against Murieston last Saturday and can’t wait to get stuck into the season ahead.”

Jacqueline echoed her sister’s comments adding: “I am looking forward to getting out on the pitch. The Under 15’s are a lovely bunch of girls and I am excited about playing with them.”

Linda Gibson, Girls Performance Centre Manager was naturally delighted with the Under 15’s latest acquisitions, “Both Emma and Jacqueline are fantastic players and we are so pleased to have them here at Motherwell FC,” she enthused “We will continue to nurture their talent and look forward to seeing them in claret and amber for many years to come.”

Striker David Clarkson has joined Scottish Championship side St Mirren on loan until the end of the season.

Clarkson, 30, is in his second spell at Fir Park after rejoining the club last summer. He was previously a prolific striker between 2001 and 2009 before joining Bristol City for an undisclosed fee.

However, Clarkson has failed to secure a regular first-team spot with Louis Moult and Scott McDonald being Mark McGhee’s regular forward partnership, with Wes Fletcher and James McFadden in reserve.

The former Scotland International will now join Alex Rae’s side until the end of the current campaign as the Buddies battle for the fourth Play-off place.

Clarkson said: “As much as I love being at Motherwell, I’m at the stage of my career where I need to be playing regular football.

“I spoke to the manager and he understood that and I thank him for allowing me to go to St Mirren.”

Mark McGhee added: “David is a player who I have worked with on three occasions and I have huge respect for him both personally and professionally.

“We weren’t able to guarantee him a regular start, but wanted to be fair to him.

“We’ve still working on reshaping the squad and have now cleared some space for some new faces to now arrive.”

Motherwell FC can today confirm Czeck goalkeeper Dan Twardzik has left the club by mutual consent.

The 24-year old former Aberdeen and Dundee stopper was in his second spell at Fir Park, initially signing a one-month emergency loan over Christmas and New Year 2013, before making it a permanent move in the summer of 2014.

Everyone at the club would like to thank Dan for his contribution and wish him every success in his future career.