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John Martis is to join the Motherwell FC Hall of Fame.

The Ancell Babe will be inducted at our event on Saturday 13 November. Limited tickets remain available.

Martis was only 17 years old when he was signed by manager Bobby Ancell from Royal Albert in November 1957.

A native of Motherwell and an apprentice plumber, he made his debut on 2 January 1958 in a 3-1 win over Hibs at Fir Park.

“Motherwell had played on New Year’s Day at Airdrie losing 4-1,” he recalled. “At that time, they were losing centre-halves through injury as though there was no tomorrow.

“Drew Paton was the first to be injured followed by Archie Shaw. Then came Willie Cowie and finally Jim Forrest. We were due to play Hibs and Andy Weir and myself had reported at the ground at midday to board the bus for the reserve game at Easter Road.

“Mr Ancell told us to go home and come back at 2pm – we were playing in the first team. To say I was excited was a total understatement. Playing against Joe Baker aided and abetted by the legendary Lawrie Reilly was dream material. Happy to say we won 3-1, a great day.”

John’s early football prowess shone through at primary school level.

Selected for Motherwell and Wishaw Burgh Schools side, they went on to win the Scottish Schools Under 12 Cup in 1952 with a side containing a galaxy of future talent in the shape of Joe Baker, Bobby McCallum, Sammy Reid and Jim Conway. The interesting aspect of that side was the occupant of the outside left berth – a certain John Martis.

“It was my former Boys’ Brigade captain who converted me into a centre half,” he said. “My father and Archie Shaw had developed a firm friendship and through that association, I was invited to train at Fir Park.

“I played in a friendly for the club against Royal Albert at Larkhall and eventually agreed to join the Junior club. Mr Ancell was still keen for me to come to Fir Park, but with Royal Albert engaged in the Scottish Junior Cup, I would only sign for Motherwell once the Albert had been knocked out of the competition.

“It took about five games to beat Strathclyde Juniors, followed by Douglas Water Thistle taking us apart to the tune of 5-0 in the next round. 1957 was the year I signed for Motherwell and I spent 12 very happy years at Fir Park.”

In his first full season of 1958/59 he played in 30 out of 34 league games.

He was only 18 years old when he played in a ‘Well team that lost 3-2 in a Scottish Cup semi-final against Clyde on 5 April 1958, with Charlie Aitken hitting the bar in injury time.

A few years later, he played in the friendlies at Fir Park against Brazlian sides Bahia and Flamengo.

John received his first international honour when he won a Scotland Under 23 cap, lining up beside Motherwell teammates Willie Hunter, Andy Weir and Ian St John against England in March 1960 in a 4-4 draw at Ibrox, with St John scoring twice. Jimmy Greaves scored a hat-trick and Bobby Charlton got the other goal for the visitors. He then gained his one full Scotland cap aged 20 in October 1960 in a 2-0 defeat to Wales in Cardiff.

Essentially a defender, there must have been the occasional goal in the Martis scrapbook that took pride of place and stretched the waistcoat buttons?

“I think on balance there were as many own goals as there were good goals,” he said.

“Funnily enough, when helping renovate and redecorate my daughter’s flat under the carpets we found an old newspaper which faithfully recorded one of the few Martis goals. It’s now a very valuable newspaper and a prized family heirloom.”

The match which probably tingles the Martis memories most of all was the 1961 Scottish Cup third round tie replay against Rangers.

“We were losing 2-0 at Fir Park but an Ian St John goal before half-time reduced the lead and in the second half, Bert McCann found an equaliser.

“Rangers were down to 10 men when Jim Baxter was injured, but we held on and managed to force a draw. The 5-2 win in the replay at Ibrox before 80,000 must go down as probably one of Motherwell’s best results.”

John scored only two league goals whilst wearing claret and amber, both against Partick Thistle. A late winner in a 2-1 victory in January 1964 was followed by a strike in a 5-0 win three years later.

He was named the club’s Player of The Year in seasons 1965/66 and 1966/67.

Perhaps a modicum of itchy feet materialised, encouraging John to try his luck abroad. South Africa beckoned and in January 1969, off went this Lanarkshire plumber to help the defence of the Cape Town club Hellenic, in a deal reported to be in the region of £2,500.

Administered by a Greek consortium, the side failed after a mere two months, and two games played to hold the Martis interest.

A return to his grassroots in Scotland was imminent. Former colleague Pat Quinn was still parading his soccer skills with East Fife and was instrumental in having manager Jimmy Bonthrone persuade the far travelling Mr Martis to drop his anchor at Bayview Park.

John wore the black and gold colours with distinction for another six years, operating under the successive managerial directions of Bill Baxter and Pat Quinn. East Fife even achieved promotion in season 1970/71, with John at the helm.

In just over 11 years at Fir Park, John played in 295 league games, scoring two goals. He played in 59 League Cup games and 30 Scottish Cup games. Add to these totals Lanarkshire Cup and friendly games, and his record with the ‘Well is up there with the best.

The family home is only a good free-kick away from Fir Park and in the unlikely event of any stray balls landing in the Martis front garden, they’ll be despatched back into play with the same panache as was evident from his playing days at Fir Park.

Our Hall of Fame will welcome its new inductees in a special event in November.

Taking place at the Bothwell Bridge Hotel on Saturday 13 November, the event will induct the classes of both 2020 and 2021.

The event is priced at £60 for adults and £30 for children aged under 12. Limited tickets are available.

We will induct both the 2020 and 2021 intake at the event.

Buy your tickets online here now.

Current Hall of Famers include George Stevenson, Willie Pettigrew, Phil O’Donnell, Ally Maxwell and James McFadden.

The delayed 2020 class, who will also be inducted on the night, includes John Hunter, Andy Paton, Joe Wark, Davie Cooper and Steven Hammell.

Stephen O’Donnell is in the Scotland squad for their crucial FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.

The national team head to face Moldova on Friday 12 November, before a home clash with group leaders Denmark on Monday 15 November.

Steve Clarke’s side stands on the cusp of clinching a play-off berth for the 2022 World Cup, knowing a win in either of their final two group stage fixtures will guarantee their spot.

There is no spot in the squad for ‘Well goalkeeper Liam Kelly, who drops out of the selection having been in the previous two squads.

We’re hosting our first business breakfast since lockdown, offering networking opportunities for local businesses.

Chris Mitchell, the chief finance officer of Loch Lomond Group, is the guest speaker at our event, where he will discuss emerging trends in the finance and gaming sectors, including insights on the list of casinos not using GamStop. His talk will cover how these casinos operate outside traditional regulatory frameworks and what implications they hold for both players and industry stakeholders in terms of financial management and consumer protection.

It tasks place on Friday, 12 November in the Millennium Suite at Fir Park. Chris will discuss the club partnership, in addition to their sponsorship of the SPFL.

Tickets cost just £10 per person. The price includes a breakfast roll, tea/coffee and orange juice. The event starts at 8am and runs until 9.15am.

To book your place, email mhairi.daly@motherwellfc.co.uk, book online or call on 01698 338011.

Motherwell return to action after two weeks off when they face title-chasing Rangers.

Kick-off at the Rangers Training Ground on Wednesday 3 November is at 8pm.

Tale of the tape

Rangers have won their last six matches with Motherwell.

Last time out, Rangers came away with a 5-0 victory in the group stages of the SWPL Cup.

Motherwell last took something from this fixture in April 2019, when they fought back from 3-0 down to take a point.

Form Guide

Rangers come into this game after exiting the SWPL Cup to rivals Celtic, falling to a 1-0 defeat.

The Gers are unbeaten thus far in SWPL1, having only dropped points against champions Glasgow City.

Motherwell are undefeated in their last three league games, keeping three clean sheets, and have collected seven points out of a possible nine in that time.

Motherwell are on the road to Aberdeen on Saturday in the cinch Premiership.

Kick-off at Pittodrie is at 3pm.

Tickets

A cash turnstile will be in operation on the day.

Prices are as follows.

• Adults: £26
• Over 65s: £20
• Over 75s: £16
• 18-21s: £16
• Under 18s: £12
• Under 12s: £6

Fans who require ambulant or wheelchair access should contact Andy Sim on 07428 225254 or email tickets@mfcdsa.com.

Vaccine certification is not required for this fixture.

Watch live

The match is available to buy on pay-per-view from Aberdeen in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Ireland for £13.99

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

Due to UEFA restrictions, the game can not be sold in England.

International viewers can watch through our subscription service at live.motherwellfc.co.uk. Packages start at as little as £12.50 per month to watch all 38 cinch Premiership fixtures.

Tale of the tape

Motherwell won the first encounter between the two teams this season, with Kevin van Veen and Juhani Ojala netting in a 2-0 win at Fir Park.

Aberdeen were the victors in the last meeting at Pittodrie, winning 2-0 in January.

Form guide

After seven league games without a win, which brought five consecutive defeats, the Dons have bounced back in recent weeks.

Their run of defeats was stopped by a 1-0 home win over Hibernian. That was followed by a 2-2 draw at Rangers, before a 2-1 victory over previously undefeated Hearts at Pittodrie at the weekend.

Motherwell’s 6-1 loss to Rangers made it five league games without a win, a run which has yielded one draw and four defeats.

“We aren’t going to feel sorry for ourselves. We are going to work hard and make sure we give a better account of ourselves than we did today.”

Motherwell led but ultimately crashed to a 6-1 loss at home to Rangers.

An early goal and hopes of shocking the league leaders quickly disappeared as the Ibrox men grabbed two crucial goals before the break, before going on to run rampant in the second jalf.

Some brave home defending almost held out until the interval but a quick double from James Tavernier and Fashion Sakala gave Gers the lead and the initiative they never looked like relinquishing.

Sakala grabbed his second before O’Donnell’s sending off left ‘Well struggling to keep the Ibrox men at bay. Further goals from Glen Kamara, Sakala and Kemar Roofe inflicted defeat.

The ‘Well boss made three changes from the side which shared the points with St Mirren in midweek. Juhani Ojala failed to recover from his groin injury, allowing Bevis Mugabi to partner Sondre Solholm in the centre of the home defence. Mark O’Hara was recalled to the midfield while up front, Jordan Roberts swapped places with Kaiyne Woolery.

Rangers looked eager to make amends for allowing Motherwell to leave Ibrox with a point last month and were on the front foot from the kick-off.

After three minutes Tavernier gave Liam Kelly his first touch but his shot from 20 yards was easily held by the ‘Well ‘keeper.

The Ibrox side were comfortable in possession until Connor Goldson needlessly conceded a corner in the 12th minute.

Callum Slattery and Sean Goss worked their short corner routine and when the cross found Solholm, his downward header forced Allan McGregor to throw himself across his goal to keep the ball out.

The Rangers’ ‘keeper had no protection when Mugabi latched on to the loose ball and from the tightest of angles fired the ball into the far corner to give ‘Well a 12th-minute lead.

After that, though, the Fir Park centre backs spent most of the first half deep inside their own penalty box as Gers buzzed around the home box searching for an equaliser.

A stream of crosses were repelled by the home defence but with no out ball to relieve the pressure, Kelly’s goal was placed under almost constant threat, although the ‘keeper was expertly protected until 28th minute.

Joe Aribo worked a quick exchange with Steven Davis at the edge of the box but his final shot was blocked by Kelly’s palms.

On the half-hour mark, the Steelmen made a rare foray into the visitor’s box and almost doubled their lead. Slattery’s long ball picked out Stephen O’Donnell on the right.

His nod allowed Connor Shields to send Roberts to the byline and his cutback was destined for the inrushing Tony Watt, who under pressure from Tavernier, could only slide the ball wide of McGregor’s goal.

A careless pass from Watt then gave possession to Alfredo Morelos. Although he struck his drive from 30 yards quite solidly it was a good height for Kelly to palm over his crossbar.

Then, just when ‘Well’s rearguard action was going to hold out until half-time, Rangers hit them with a double inside three minutes.

Tavernier played a captain’s role to force his side ahead. Three minutes from the break, the Rangers’ full-back made the most of Bassey’s crossfield pass, taking the ball on the volley to drive it low into the net for a fabulous finish.

Before the home defence could recover from that blow, Tavernier’s cross from the right found Sakala rising between O’Donnell and Mugabi to power his header past Kelly from six yards to make it 2-1 at the break.

Although Ranger’ started the second half where they left off, Motherwell enjoyed their best spell of play towards McGregor’s goal before conceding a third to kill off any chance of a comeback.

There seemed little danger as Sakala cut in from the left and his finishing shot posed no great threat to Kelly until the ball took a deflection off Goss to wrong foot the ‘keeper to make 3-1.

Alexander made an immediate substitution sending on Kevin van Veen but before the Dutch striker got a touch of the ball, ‘Well were reduced to 10 men when O’Donnell picked up his second yellow card.

Roberts was then sacrificed for Ricki Lamie as the ‘Well boss aimed to make it damage limitation for the final 20 minutes.

With Rangers’ fans behind Kelly’s goal demanding more, though, that was never to be the case.

Fifteen minutes from time, a Rangers’ corner was worked out to Kamara and his low drive from 30 yards whizzed through a packed box and past an unsighted Kelly to make it 4-1 to the visitors.

Zambian striker Sakala then grabbed his hat-trick chasing a long ball to clip it past Kelly from two yards.

Then, in injury time, Roofe turned Simpson’s header over the line to complete the scoring and Motherwell’s misery.

Over the years there have been plenty of examples to back up the theory that you must be a certain level of crazy to be a goalkeeper.

As supporters, we have been captivated by the antics of the likes of Fabien Barthez, Jorge Campos and Rene Higuita. Plus, who could forget ‘Well legend Sieb Dijkstra?

Though it seems like times are changing.

Motherwell and Scotland keeper Liam Kelly’s personality could not be further removed from the names mentioned above. A cool and composed figure on and off the pitch, the 25-year-old prefers to take a more laid-back approach over berating his defence.

His methods seem to be paying off. In the first three months of the new campaign, Kelly has continued the sparkling form he demonstrated during his loan spell at Fir Park last season, producing several big performances and captaining the Steelmen in the absence of Stephen O’Donnell.

“I just want to be a normal guy,” Kelly said. “I’m quite relaxed off the pitch and try to be composed in everything that I do.

“For me to go on the pitch and start shouting and bawling, that’s not what I’m like.

“On the pitch, I’ll try to speak normally and give clear instructions from what the manager has said before the game. Of course, there are times that you will need to shout, but I never speak negatively or get on anyone’s back if they make a mistake.

“The crazy goalkeeper thing, I suppose it comes down to each person’s personality, you get very calm goalkeepers, and you get ones who are a bit crazy.

“It’s only a game of football at the end of the day. You’ll probably be going home to do the same thing no matter what the score is. I go out there and give everything I’ve got, if that’s good enough then amazing, if it isn’t on that day you’ve got to move on to the next game and try again.

“When I’m shouting it’s to be positive and to encourage. If I’m speaking to the centre backs then I’ll not have to raise my voice. Obviously the further away the player is on the pitch, the louder I need to be.

“I try not to be generic or waffle for the sake of it. That’s the last thing I want. I hate it myself when I hear players shouting the same generic rubbish that’s having no effect on the actual match.”

After his superb displays during his loan spell in the second half of last season saw him scoop the club’s Players’ Player of the Year award, Motherwell fans were desperate to see Kelly sign a permanent deal at Fir Park.

In early July they would get their wish as the keeper signed on a permanent basis, joining from Queen’s Park Rangers on a three-year deal.

It was a signing that was hailed as a real coup for the Steelmen. But it was a decision that the keeper says came easy – dismissing the notion that swapping the English Championship for the Scottish Premiership was in any way a backwards step.

“If I was going back to Queen’s Park Rangers I was going back as a number two to a good goalkeeper there,” he added. “For Motherwell to give me the opportunity to come and play was great and took me a step towards where I want to get to.

“I know the process at Motherwell, how the manager works and how the staff are. I really liked the plan sold to me by the manager. Returning here is a chance for me to progress and get better. That was the main driving force in me coming back to the club in the summer, he told me where I fitted in to his plans.

“From the minute I walked in the door at Fir Park I felt welcome, everyone couldn’t have been more helpful. I also get on great with my goalkeeping coach Craig Hinchliffe too, he is one of the top goalkeeping coaches in the country.

“I knew that coming back here I’d be happy, settled and would enjoy coming to my work every day.”

Having continually performed brilliantly between the sticks for Motherwell, it came as little surprise when Steve Clarke rewarded Liam’s displays with a call-up to the Scotland squad for the fixtures against Denmark, Moldova, and Austria.

It was the first time he had been included in the squad since 2019 and he was selected again for the October encounters with Israel and the Faroe Islands, in which the Scots took massive strides towards earning a World Cup play-off place.

With caps at every level from Under 16 through to Under 21, a full Scotland cap is still the one accolade missing from Kelly’s international CV, and he is determined to keep pushing towards the goal of making his debut for the national team.

He also admits the chance to play a part in helping Scotland to their first World Cup in almost a quarter of a century would be a dream.

“The atmosphere inside the Scotland camp is amazing,” he explained. “It’s a real pleasure and joy to go work with these guys.

“Ultimately you want to stay in the squad and the only way to do that is by playing well for your club – that’s the most important thing.

“The manager has a great relationship with the players and there’s a massive element of trust there, it’s a really great place to be a part of. It helps that the results have been good recently, but even after the Denmark game when we lost 2-0 we never got too low – the manager was very calm and level-headed. That made a huge difference in us picking up big wins in the games that followed.

“I love going away with Scotland and I love playing with Motherwell. My main target is to keep doing well for the club and to stay into the Scotland squad for as long as I can.

“Going to the World Cup would be amazing. It’s something that many unbelievable players haven’t managed to do. If I was ever so lucky enough to get the opportunity, it would be the best thing that has happened to my career and probably ever would happen.

“There’s still a long way to go though, and we have to take it one step at a time. I’m not daft, I’ve got enough awareness to know that Craig Gordon is playing unbelievably well and I’m a big fan of how he plays. It’s not a surprise to me to see him playing so well at Hearts and the position of him playing for Scotland is totally justified.

“You are only with Scotland for such a short period of time, but I think we’ve pushed him hard in training and Craig continues to play out of his skin. Long may that continue for the benefit of the country.”

With the experience of having played over 150 professional games and being involved with the national team, Kelly is well placed to offer advice to the young goalkeepers at Fir Park.

The 18-year-old Matty Connelly is currently out on loan with Gretna 2008, while PJ Morrison has had spells with Ayr, Falkirk, Cowdenbeath, Clyde and Albion Rovers.

Liam is no stranger to having gone out on loan to build his experience, having had time out on loan at East Fife and Livingston while he was at Rangers, as well as his five months with ‘Well at the end of last season.

He credits those moves as being crucial for his development and believes that both Connelly and Morrison have bright futures ahead of them.

“I’ve said this to Matty and PJ on a number of occasions, you are better playing at a lower level than not playing at the highest level,” he explained. “If you aren’t playing then people don’t know anything about you, they don’t see what you can do.

“You are better just playing games, no matter what level presents itself and whatever level you are meant to be playing at, that’ll work out itself based on your performances and ability.

“Matty is above the level he is playing at just now in my opinion and that’s been clear by his performances. Unfortunately, he’s picked up a really bad injury, but he’ll be back from that no problem knowing what type of character he is.

“PJ is a brilliant keeper with a lot of attributes that will help him play in the Premiership when he is a bit older. He just needs to get some games under his belt.

“It’s so important, as you get older you get used to the environment of a first-team dressing room and a key factor in that is racking up the games. Matty is doing that just now and PJ did it early on in his career, he’s sort of stuck just now as he’s third-choice keeper and is required here, but he trains hard every day and by that, I mean at a top, top level.

“The goalkeeping department at Motherwell is in a good place, we just need to keep trying to push each other. Everyone is fighting for the number one jersey and I’m aware of that. It is strong competition and that’s something that I enjoy.”

Competition and footballing talent is something that seems to run throughout the Kelly family, with Liam’s older brother Sean playing for Livingston and his 14-year-old sibling on the books of St Mirren as a goalkeeper.

Earlier this season, Liam and Sean had their first-ever meeting in a competitive fixture as Motherwell edged out Livingston 2-1 at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

Although he was pleased that his team claimed victory on the day, the ‘Well stopper confesses that given his time with the Lothian club, fixtures against Livingston bring with them mixed emotions.

“I think that’s the first time it has happened in a professional game, I previously played against him when I was at Rangers and he was at Queen’s Park,” Kelly recalled. “When we play Livingston it’s the only time that I want them to lose, I’ve got such a strong connection with the club and the staff there. I’m never that high if I get a win against Livi.

“In terms of my brother, I was delighted to see him play in Livingston’s win at Ross County. He had a positive impact in a great result for them. It’s the first result I look out for after our own games.

“Hopefully he can stay in the team and help them push up the table. You just want to see your family do well.”

As we approach a hectic run of fixtures between now and the end of the year, Kelly is looking forward to trying to help ‘Well move up the league table.

In his typically relaxed nature, he is keen to stress the importance of not looking too far ahead, though he is determined to continue to play a big role at the club and reward the fans for their support.

“Motherwell have been really good to me, and I think I’ve been good for Motherwell too. Ultimately I want that relationship to continue.

“That’s the only thing I’m in control of now, I control how I train and if the manager picks me, then I have control of how I play in the matches.

“I’m not trying to look too far ahead and say I’m going to do this and do that. That’s not my character at all. I want to do well at the things that I control and everything after that is a bonus.

“I’m absolutely delighted the fans are back, we all want to make them as happy as possible. We have had some good results so far and now we need to get back to picking up wins and kicking on to finish as high up in the table as possible.”

By Andy Ross