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Bevis Mugabi has signed a new deal with Motherwell.

The Ugandan international defender has extended his contract with the club for the 2021/22 season.

Mugabi, 25, joined Motherwell in September 2019 and has made 35 appearances in claret and amber.

“We’re delighted Bevis has agreed to extend his stay with us at Motherwell,” manager Graham Alexander said of the deal.

“We’ve been really impressed with his contribution since January, both on and off the pitch.

“We can also see the potential for him to get better and continue to help the team achieve future success.”

Mugabi, who has been capped 10 times by Uganda, has been a key figure at the heart of defence for Motherwell in the 2020/21 campaign, although injury has restricted his outings of late.

He gained international attention when his jump to head in the winning goal against Ross County in January was recorded at 262cm, with a leap of 75cm, breaking a record set by Cristiano Ronaldo for Juventus.

The SWPL1 season restarts with Motherwell hosting Forfar Farmington.

Kick off on Sunday is at 2pm.

The game is closed to supporters.

You can buy and watch a live stream of the game for £5 here.

Highlights of the match will also be broadcast live on BBC Scotland at 8.30pm on Sunday.

Tale of the tape

Forfar won the opening game of the campaign at home to Motherwell at Station Park.

A 4-2 victory for the hosts that day in October came in an end-to-end match, with Donna Paterson and London Pollard scoring doubles.

Form guide

Both teams have been out of action since mid-December, having completed seven league games. During the break, there was an interesting trend among fans discussing Canada Crypto Casino lists as a new form of entertainment while football was on hold. The rise of these crypto-based platforms has gained attention for offering fast, anonymous transactions and exciting gaming options, much like the unpredictability of a football match.

Motherwell’s sole win in those seven games came away to Hearts, keeping them above the Edinburgh side on goal difference at the bottom end of the table.

Forfar are four points and one position ahead in the table, having defeated Motherwell and Hearts, as well as drawing with Celtic.

Match programme

Motherwell’s 2020/21 Scottish Cup campaign starts with a trip to face Highland League side Formartine United on Saturday.

Here are the key topics going into the third round match.

On a cup run

Formartine United have come through three rounds of the Scottish Cup already to set up Saturday’s tie.

The campaign started back in December, when a 2-1 home win over Turriff United set up a trip south to face Haddington Athletic.

After another 2-1 victory, league side Annan Athletic were the visitors to North Lodge Park late in March.

An early opener from the visitors was cancelled out soon after, with the game eventually going the distance to penalties, resulting a 3-1 shootout win for the Highland League men.

Varying gametime

While Formartine have played three Scottish Cup matches, that comes in contrast to the two league games managed in the season before their league was curtailed.

In total, our opponents have played five competitive matches since their first cancellation on 18 March 2020.

Motherwell since that date have played 40 across the Premiership, Betfred Cup and UEFA Europa League qualifiers.

Condensed schedule

For Saturday’s victors, an intensive period of Scottish Cup matches lies in wait on the road to Hampden.

The fourth round will be played two weeks later on 17 April and, should the winners progress further from that, the quarter-finals are just seven days later on 24 April.

Progression beyond that will mean for trips to Hampden on 8 May in the semi-finals, and 22 May in the final.

A live stream of Motherwell’s Scottish Cup third round trip to Formartine United is available.

Priced at £12, the game can be purchased direct at ppv.motherwellfc.co.uk.

Fans worldwide can purchase a streaming pass for the match streamed live from North Lodge Park.

Season ticket holders will need to create a new account if they have not done so already for previous games on the PPV website, which were against Hapoel Beer-Sheva in the UEFA Europa League and St Johnstone in the Betfred Cup. If you created an account for these matches, just use the login details you previously used.

Kick-off on Saturday is at 3pm.

A trip to face Formartine United lies in wait in the Scottish Cup third round on Saturday.

Kick-off at North Lodge Park is at 3pm.

Watch live

A live stream of the game is available to buy on a pay-per-view basis for £12 worldwide.

To buy, head to ppv.motherwellfc.co.uk.

If you have not purchased from our PPV site before, please create an account.

Season ticket holders will need to create a new account if they have not done so already for previous games on the PPV website, which were against Hapoel Beer-Sheva in the UEFA Europa League and St Johnstone in the Betfred Cup.

If you created an account for these matches, just use the login details you previously used.

Form guide

The Covid-19 pandemic has put paid to the majority of Formartine United’s season, with only two Highland League and three Scottish Cup matches managed since football was originally put on hold in March 2020.

Saturday’s opponents have won all five of those matches, defeating Turriff United and Nairn County in the league, and seeing off Turriff, Haddington Athletic and Annan Athletic in the cup.

Their 1-1 draw with Annan in the last round, followed by a dramatic penalty shootout win, set up the clash with Motherwell.

The Steelmen enter the competition for the first time this season on Saturday, having been more fortunate in having a consistent playing schedule.

Two wins, a draw and two defeats have came in the last five games, beating Hibernian and Livingston, before losing last time out at Kilmarnock in the Premiership.

Eddie Wolecki Black has left his post as manager of the Motherwell FC women’s team.

Following discussions with the club, Eddie is leaving to concentrate on a degree course at a local college.

Assistants Stewart Hall and Willie Kinniburgh have agreed to lead the team on an interim basis.

Wolecki Black first joined the club in 2018 and, together with assistant Donald Jennow, led the club to the SWPL2 title and promotion to the Scottish top flight. The pair also guided ‘Well to their first Scottish Cup final in 38 years.

After leaving for a short stint at Celtic, Wolecki Black returned in late 2019, ahead of the proposed 2020 campaign.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to the season, with the league campaign resuming on Sunday after a lengthy break.

“I want to put on record my thanks to Eddie for all he has done for Motherwell in his time with us,” Motherwell chief executive Alan Burrows said.

“He achieved everything we asked him to and more. However, we both felt that this was probably a good time for a change, allowing the club to focus on a new direction, particularly with next season in mind.

“I would like to wish Eddie every success, particularly with his impending degree and with his future football career.”

Wolecki Black added: “I am grateful for the opportunities Motherwell Football Club have provided me with to grow the women’s team over my two spells here.

“We have made great strides forward to become a top-flight team, and the club has every chance of continuing to build on that in the coming months and years.

“I wish everyone at the club all the best for the future and the resumption of the league season.”

Bevis Mugabi, Devante Cole, Charles Dunne and Sherwin Seedorf all play professional football for Motherwell FC.

They’ve all also been targeted based on their race in their lives, both during their time as players and in life generally.

In a candid chat amongst the four, they tell of the racist abuse they’ve suffered, living with the perception of being targeted for their race, the Black Lives Matter campaign and “taking the knee” before matches, and how they hope the world can change to make it equal for all.

Please be warned that this video contains offensive language and comments of a racist nature.

Our partners Paycare are hosting another free e-clinic focused around stress and workplace wellness.

Ways to combat and cope with stress will be shared during the latest in a series of hour-long online sessions hosted by their wellbeing manager Kerry B Mitchell, starting at 10am on Tuesday 6 April.

She will be joined by David Webster, CEO of the Dougie Mac Hospice – a charity that offers specialised care for patients with life-limiting illnesses when a cure is no longer possible.

The hospice provides free care to more than 3,500 patients each year in Stoke-on-Trent, North Staffordshire and the surrounding villages, as well as offering support to their families and carers.

“It’s important that colleague wellbeing isn’t simply tokenism, but that it’s woven into the tapestry of a values-driven organisation’s culture, as a natural part of what you stand for,’ said David.

“If colleague wellbeing isn’t part of a broader canvas then it will struggle, but if it’s a natural fit within the culture of the organisation then it has every chance of long-term resonance.

“An example of considered workplace wellbeing is that clinical staff within our organisation have reflection time built into their day, but we believe that fundraisers and those within HR and marketing teams, for example, are all part of the same organisation so they should also be able to have that time where they reflect on how they are, and whether anything is going on around them which is impacting them.”

Kerry added: “Even before the pandemic, three-quarters of adults were reporting in the previous year they had felt so stressed they were unable to cope. Recent research shows two-thirds have felt more stressed since Coronavirus restrictions began in March 2020.

“That’s why it’s so important for us to share information about the strategies which can be used to cope with stress, and combat it, as well as enabling e-clinic attendees to understand more about positive coping strategies.

“April is Stress Awareness Month too, so it’s a good time to get organisations focused on how they can support employees who are struggling with stress, as well as equipping individuals with the tools they need to effectively combat the stress they are experiencing.”

The session will particularly focus on how an organisation’s culture can impact employee stress levels, including key values around workplace wellbeing, initiatives that make a positive difference, and information about The Culture Audit.

For more information and to book your free place on the Workplace Wellness e-clinic, visit paycare.org/MHFA or email wellbeing@paycare.org.

In addition to monthly e-clinics, Paycare Wellbeing offers a range of training opportunities including a two-day virtual accredited Mental Health First Aid course. Visit paycare.org/wellbeing to find out more.