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The women of steel hit six goals for the fifth time this season as well as another clean sheet as they defeated Edinburgh University Hutchinson Vale 6-0 at Fir Park on Wednesday night.

The league leaders won convincingly in their debut match at Fir Park to extend their stay at the top of SWPL 2.

The Steelwomen nearly got off to a perfect start as Sammy Hare got on the end of a Megan Burns cross, but her shot was just inches wide of the post.

The ladies seemed to make full use of the width of the Fir Park pitch with Caitlin Russell and Emma Black causing havoc down the wings.

As the game entered the 20th minute, Motherwell battered the EUHV defence and was rewarded with the first goal of the match. Russell put the hosts in front with 22 minutes played. The defence didn’t deal with the ball and it fell to Russell who poked it into the net.

It didn’t take long for the ladies to double their advantage; they did so in the 33rd minute with Russell grabbing her second of the match. A brilliant cross into the box by Black was met by the head of Russell who powered home her header to put the ‘Well 2-0 up.

EUHV had their chances to get back into the game, Anna Hume with the best chance of the game so far for the Edinburgh side, she was played in one on one against the keeper as the Motherwell defence was split open by a through ball. Her initial shot was blocked but then hit the deck seeking a penalty, the referee waved play on and she had another shot on goal as the defence struggled to clear their lines but it was well saved by Johnstone.

EUHV came close again with Hume being involved once more as Katherine Smart intercepted a slack ball and proceeded to start the counter attack; picking out Hume with a lovely through ball but to Motherwell’s relief, the linesman flagged the pass as offside to stop a certain one on one.

The first half would come to a close with Motherwell creating the better chances, Sammy Hare came close but could only find the side netting and despite plenty Motherwell shirts in the box, Megan Burns and Hayley Cunningham’s crosses were dealt with by the Vale defence.

Motherwell went in at the interval with a two goal advantage as the rain continued to bombard with Fir Park turf.

The Steelwomen started the second half picking up from where they left off in being the more attacking force in the game; however EUHV came out with a point to prove and started strongly as well.

The first real chance of the half fell to Cunningham who crashed one off the bar. Spotting Lessells in the Vale goal off her line, she tried her luck from range, the ball floated over the head of Lessells but clipped the bar and back into play.

Continued chances followed for the women of steel and they got their reward with two quick-fire goals in a matter of seconds in the 54^th minute. The first goal was courtesy of Sammy Hare who headed home from a Black cross, to put the hosts three nil up with a glancing header.

The second came as Captain Suzanne Mulvey added her name to the scoresheet, the former Scotland international picked the ball up from outside the box and hit a low driven shot into the bottom right corner, a finish that Lessells could do little about.

As the half progressed it was still Motherwell who were the dominant team as they looked in full control of the game, constantly attacking the EUHV goal and looking to win every ball as if their lives depended on it.

Motherwell scored the fifth goal with ten minutes to play, Sammy Hare grabbed herself another, getting on the end of deep cross into the box in which she controlled and brought down with her right foot before smashing her shot into the roof of the net.

The second half rout concluded in the 87^th minute as new permanent signing Megan Burns produced a rocket which flew into the top left corner, a right footed shot from a long way out and a shot that the keeper could do very little about as it was sweetly struck by her right foot.

The game would conclude under the Fir Park lights with Motherwell continuing to be the dominant side in possession as the referee blew his final whistle.

The Fir Parkers had hit six goals yet again in a dominant performance as well as making it an incredible 420 minutes since they last conceded a goal. As well as yet another clean sheet, it was a fantastic win all round for the ladies who continue their push for promotion to the top flight.

Next up is Hearts at Braidhurst High School on Sunday, 13 May.

The 2017/18 season has already been one to remember. Whatever happens next, the campaign will give us strong foundations to build upon in 2018/19.

We have a team who embody the spirit of our town. Hard working grafters who never, ever stop giving their all. Honest players who know exactly what the football club means to all our supporters. A squad who don’t listen to what other people have to say and just get on with the job.

Much of our success is down to the great backing you give us from the stands week in, week out. That’s why we’re asking you to keep fuelling the fire and get your season ticket for the next campaign.

This year it’s even easier to do so. You’ll be able to enjoy early bird prices and the convenience of buying quickly and easily online at tickets.motherwellfc.co.uk. There’s also the option to purchase by post, at Fir Park or on the telephone added.

If you are an existing season ticket holder, information on how to renew online will be sent to you by email or by post in the coming days.

All the information you need

• Prices
• A message from the chairman
• A message from the manager
• Buy your season ticket now
• Ways to pay
• Activating your online account
• How to buy for more than one person

The summer will be spent looking to improve upon the great foundations we have laid down. We want to come back for the 2018/19 campaign with the same momentum we’ve taken through the previous season.

We hope that you too want to renew your season ticket and continue your unwavering support as we look to create even more memories.

Many of our great deals from past seasons have been retained. Juvenile tickets have been frozen at £20, and those who purchase adult or concession season tickets can still get up to two juvenile season tickets for free.

We have invested ahead of the new season in a new ticketing platform, using Ticketmaster software, which will allow us to drastically modernise how ticketing works at Motherwell FC. You can now buy your season ticket or match tickets online. The club will be able to manage data on supporters far more efficiently and effectively. And you will also see changes to how you get into the stadium, with your season ticket card or match tickets being scanned at the gate.

A survey of Well Society members earlier this year told us that 75% believed the current ticketing system at the club was not fit for purpose. Furthermore, 73% told us they would like the ability to buy their tickets either on their computers or using their smartphones. We have responded to supporter feedback in making these changes.

To help towards the cost of these investments, we have marginally increased the price of our adult and concession season tickets. Match ticket prices for adults will also increase in season 2018/19 by £1 across the board.

These small increases will also go towards helping to further entice the fan of the future along to games. In addition to retaining our £20 juvenile season ticket and family scheme, kids will be able to get into matches on a game-by-game basis for £3. This is vastly reduced from previous prices and we hope that all fans will welcome this change.

SEASON TICKET PRICES

Scottish Premiership match ticket prices for 2018/19

• Concessions are applicable to those aged 60 and over, 16-18 year olds and full time students with a valid matriculation card.
• Juveniles are applicable to those aged 15 and under.
• Family tickets are for one adult and two children

Ways to pay

As before, there are many ways to pay for your season ticket.

Online you can pay by debit/credit card or by using our Zebra Finance option. Click here for more information on our Zebra Finance option.

If you choose to pay by phone, you can pay up front by cash, cheque or debit/credit card. You can also take out a standing order or use our Zebra Finance option.

A message from the chairman, Jim McMahon

Dear season ticket holder,

Thank you for your incredible support in the 2017/18 season. I am sure you will agree that we have had one of our more enjoyable campaigns in recent times, playing a clearly identifiable brand of football and reaching two cup finals in one season for the first time since the 1950/51 season.

It is now time to look ahead to the campaign that lies ahead in 2018/19 as we ask you to once again renew your season ticket.

On the pitch, your continued support will help the manager add to the talented group he has assembled, with a view to more success over the coming months.

Off the field, your backing has also played a huge part in key infrastructure improvements we have started to make. The most relevant in this context is the introduction of Ticketmaster as our ticketing partner.

Bringing Ticketmaster on board will now allow us to do several modern things we have long wished to do. You will, for the first time, be able to renew your season ticket online and manage your account throughout the season. We are also replacing your season book with a season card from this season onwards. Supporters will also be able to buy match tickets using the system from the comfort of their own homes and even print their tickets at home.

We will also be making a change to how you get into Fir Park but the process should be smooth. From next season, our turnstile operators will scan your season card and then you’ll be in.

All of these improvements will stand us in great stead for the future and I hope you will see a positive difference very quickly.

These changes are being made as a direct result of feedback we sought from you – the fans. You told us our current way of selling tickets wasn’t fit for purpose and you told us you wanted to embrace more modern methods to make purchases. We’ve responded to this. Many of you also said you wanted to still to be able to come into the ticket office to buy and some also told us they still wanted to be able to pay at the gate. This will continue to remain the case.

Motherwell is our club. Owned by its supporters and allowed to continue to thrive as a result of your continued, exceptional backing. We appreciate your ongoing support, your feedback and your passion for our team. I hope that you will renew with us for the 2018/19 campaign as we look to build upon the brilliant work which was undertaken in the previous season.

Let’s add more fuel to the fire.

A message from the manager, Stephen Robinson

The 2017/18 campaign, I am sure you will agree, has been a remarkable one for our football club.

Reaching two cup finals for the first time since the 1950/51 is an exceptional achievement. A 67-year gap in repeating the feat shows how unique it is for a club of our size.

At the time of writing, the Scottish Cup final is yet to be played and we could be history makers for a whole other reason, hopefully making new heroes to go along with the cup winning sides of 1951, 1952 and 1991.

We are already starting to make strides towards how our squad will look in the 2018/19 season. We have built great foundations here this campaign with our squad and implementing our style of play. We have a true identity as a result. Our ambition going forward is to further enhance the squad and that identity.

Your continued support is obviously crucial to where we want to get to. You’ve turned out in your numbers already for us and we hope we’ve given you something in return that will encourage you to continue to invest in us up front by purchasing a season ticket.

We have a reputation for how we play that we have backed up with our performances. I hope that you will back us and add more fuel to the fire in the 2018/19 season, as we look to step things up to the next level.

The best of the action as Ryan Bowman’s second half header hands the Steelmen all three points.

Ryan Bowman, Trevor Carson and David Turnbull react as the team equal the club’s clean sheet record in a 1-0 win at Partick Thistle.

Stephen Robinson hailed the character of his side as they bounced back from Saturday’s disappointments with a 1-0 victory against Partick Thistle.

It equalled the Steelmen’s club record of 19 clean sheets in a season whilst tightening the grip on seventh place.

And the Northern Irishman reflected on his side’s hard-fought win at Firhill.

“I didn’t think we started the game all that brightly,” he admitted. “Trevor has a great save to keep it 0-0, but after that we grew in to the game.

“We started to get some rhythm after the change of shape in the second half and I thought we were terrific.”

He added: “There was fight and desire to equal the club clean sheet record of 19 and we thoroughly deserved the win.

“Partick are a side throwing absolutely everything at us and I think the performance and the result showed our great character tonight.”

Motherwell made it a record-equalling night as they claimed a win and a 19th clean sheet of the season in a 1-0 win at Partick Thistle.

Ryan Bowman’s headed goal in the second half also made him the Steelmen’s top scorer in the 2017/18 season.

The first half passed relatively without incident, but Trevor Carson was called into action on a number of occasions.

With just eight minutes gone, the Northern Ireland international had to be alert to keep out Ryan Edwards’ header from Kris Doolan’s cross.

Just after the half hour mark, Carson was called upon again. Woods’ effort from outside the area was beaten away by the goalkeeper, with Charles Dunne then on hand to clear before Doolan could pounce.

The half time introduction of Gael Bigirimana and a change in shape sparked the visitors into life.

David Turnbull, making his first start, tied Edwards in knots down the right side of the area to create a chance for Chris Cadden, but his shot was blocked at source.

The youngster then turned creator. Motherwell won a free kick on the right side of the area, which Turnbull stepped up to take.

His perfectly floated delivery sailed towards a number of players in black, but it was Bowman who won the header to open the scoring.

The Steelmen immediately went on the hunt for a second. Curtis Main was next to try his luck, with his delicate chip from just outside the area just dipping over the bar.

With Cédric Kipré off the pitch receiving treatment, Thistle looked to capitalise. Christie Elliott was next to try his luck, with his long-distance effort swerving in the air and Carson coping well to beat it away.

Both sides continued to push forward. Thistle continued to find the odd pocket of space for shots from distance, however, which continued to cause concern.

The hosts then had a glorious chance with 10 to go. Kipré’s slip allowed Miles Storey to drive at goal down the left unmarked. With room to shoot, he aimed with a ferocious effort towards the far post but it fizzed wide.

With five minutes added on, Thistle pushed desperately to get at least a point to help them in their fight against the drop.

Two minutes in, they had their chance. Spittal found himself room with a header 12 yards from goal but he could only place it straight at a grateful Carson.

Allan Campbell is calling for a strong response as Motherwell prepare for the short trip to Glasgow on Tuesday night. 

Partick Thistle are the opposition for the Steelmen’s penultimate game of the 2017/18 campaign.

But following Saturday’s defeat to St Johnstone, the young central midfielder admitted it is time for the players to pick themselves up.

“The boys have got together again and we just need to get ready for the game tomorrow,” the 19-year-old said. “We need to prove to everyone that the result on Saturday was just a freak performance.

“So we’ll pick ourselves up and hope to put smiles on the fans faces again.”

He added: “It was one of those games when it wasn’t like us and it wasn’t good enough. We need to do what we’ve been doing all season and stick to that.

“So we’ll show that togetherness that we have all season and put in a good performance to try and make sure of that seventh place.”

Keith Lasley says the players are well aware of how far they let standards slip at the weekend.

Motherwell return to action just three days later when they travel to face Partick Thistle on Tuesday, presenting the opportunity to immediately bounce back.

“That’s what football gives you, an opportunity to get back out there,” said the assistant manager. “Luckily for us we have another game on Tuesday.

“The good thing about our group is, they were as disappointed as anybody in themselves.

“It’s not often we can say that about them this season. They’ve had 18 clean sheets, they are one or two from setting a record. But they were defensively poor all over the pitch.

“The players are good at taking responsibility. They will. They are hurting but they are desperate to get back out there against Partick Thistle.”