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Motherwell have signed Scotland Under 19 goalkeeper Ciara Duff.

Duff, who was most recently at Boroughmuir Thistle, joins up with the women of steel on a deal until the end of the season.

“We’ve worked extremely hard to get Ciara to Motherwell,” head coach Paul Brownlie said.

“She will add real strength to the goalkeeping department.

“She’s someone I’ve worked with previously at youth national level so I’m fully aware of the qualities she will bring to the team.

“Ciara is still young but has lots of potential. It’s important we help her to maximise that potential.”

Duff will wear the number 35 shirt.

“I’m delighted to join Motherwell as this is such an exciting time for the club,” she added.

“I’m really looking forward to working under Paul and his team, and the competitive, professional environment they have created.”

“It was a fantastic performance. It keeps our run going and it’s down to how hard our players work.”

Motherwell brought down the curtain on 2021 with a fourth consecutive home win and another three points to maintain their hold on fourth place in the cinch Premiership.

A goal in each half from Kevin van Veen made it a highly impressive 17th win for Graham Alexander since he took charge at the start of the year.

It was another stunning strike early in the game which settled the home side and set them on the way to another impressive win. With his wonderful free-kick having treated the limited crowd to a goal of the season contender, the Dutch striker effectively tied up the points 20 minutes from time with a glancing header.

Bruce Anderson’s goal three minutes from time gave the ‘Well fans an uncomfortable end to the game but overall it was a thoroughly controlled and deserved win for the Fir Park side.

The football year concluded where it began with a restriction on fans. ‘Well’s 500 season ticket holders who were fortunate enough to get a seat via a ballot, were thinly scattered the length of the John Hunter stand.

The ‘Well boss made two changes to his starting line-up. Barry Maguire replaced Dean Cornelius in the middle of the park with Connor Shields replacing Tony Watt.

And the former Queen of the South striker was immediately in the thick of the goalmouth action. An inswinging free-kick from Sean Goss caused a bit of melee in the six-yard box forcing Max Stryjek to drop and smother the ball as Shields pounced looking for a loose ball.

It was pretty even start by both sides until the 13th minute ‘Well opened the scoring with a real Christmas cracker.

Alan Forrest needlessly tugged Nathan McGinley’s jersey five yards outside the box as Livi attempted to clear Liam Donnelly’s corner.

With Goss and Van Veen hovering over the free-kick it was a case of a Dutch masterclass as the Fir Park striker sublimely curled the ball over the defensive wall and high past the motionless Stryjek for a wonderful goal.

That spurred a response from the visitors as they made themselves busy around the home goal.

It was a Kelly double after 25 minutes when Sean, with a drive from 20 yards, forced the first save for his brother Liam in the ‘Well goal.

As the game passed the half-hour mark it was the Fir Park men who were increasingly being asked to defend their own penalty area.

In a rare attack eight minutes from the break, a foul on Stephen O’Donnell provided his side with another free-kick just outside the visitor’s box. This time Goss was given the responsibility but his curled effort was easily held by Stryjek.

Four minutes from the interval Liam Kelly held Forrest’s free-kick before sending Kaiyne Woolery off on a threatening run. But after attempting to work an exchange with Van Veen, Craig Sibbald’s crude lunge brought the Livi midfielder a yellow card and an end to any chance of ‘Well grabbing a second goal.

As referee Don Robertson brought the first half to a close there was little other than the Steelmen’s stunning goal to ward off the December chill.

Within two minutes of the restart, Van Veen was given another chance to demonstrate his dead ball expertise, But his free-kick from 25 yards clipped the Livi ‘wall’ and deflect behind the goal. From the corner, Donnelly’s outswinging ball found Sondre Solholm but his downward header was wide of target.

The chance of a better second half from the home side improved five minutes later when ‘Well came close to adding a second goal.

Woolery won the ball on the right of the box and his pass found Goss unmarked on the penalty spot who could only watch his firm left foot finish blocked as Sean Kelly bravely threw his body in front of the ball.

A more determined spell from Graham Alexander’s men had Livingston defending deep inside their own box, although Stryjek remained untested.

On the hour David Martindale made the first change bringing on striker Anderson and his introduction sparked a bit of life into the Livi attack.

But it was Motherwell who again came close to scoring after 65 mins. Van Veen threaded the ball into the path of the overlapping Goss and his low angled drive produced a good blocking save from Stryjek.

Four minutes later ‘Well made it 2-0. Shields whipped a tempting cross towards the six-yard box and van Veen rose behind his marker and with a nonchalant header send the ball narrowly inside the ‘keeper’s right hand post and put the home side on the driving seat.

It should have been 3-0 after 75 minutes when van Veen and Shields combined to set up Woolery, However, 10 yards from goal his poor first touch allowed Stryjek to easily gather the ball when the Livingston ‘keeper should have been collecting the ball from the back of his net.

That miss might have mattered as the Fir Park men, with Juhani Ojala returning from injury to replace Solholm for the final 10 minutes, were given a fright three minutes from time when Anderson swept home Penrice’s cross.

There was still time for van Veen to be denied his hat-trick after his run from the halfway line ended with his low shot being blocked by Stryjek’s leg.

After missing the majority of the last 16 months, Liam Donnelly is looking to make up for lost time.

On the opening day of last season, the Northern Ireland international suffered a knee injury and was expected to miss two months of action, however, the reality would prove to be much worse.

Donnelly would not feature for the remainder of the season, adding further misery to a campaign that will be remembered for the impact of the pandemic and supporters being absent from stadiums across the country.

When the time arrived for Liam to return, Motherwell were under the guidance of a new manager in Graham Alexander and the playing squad had undergone a huge overhaul. He would feature in three of the Steelmen’s four Premier Sports Cup fixtures and started their first two Scottish Premiership matches.

Unfortunately, since then things have not gone to plan for the midfielder. Niggling injuries have restricted his game time and, after a second-half substitute appearance against Ross County in late September, he would not feature again until he came on for Callum Slattery in the 1-0 defeat Celtic Park earlier this month – a further 78 days absence.

It has been a long road back for the 25-year-old. But he believes the busy festive schedule for the Steelmen represents a great opportunity to stake a claim for more game time.

“It was nice to be back out on the pitch against Celtic,” Donnelly said. “I’ve had a few little niggles that I could have done without given I was out for so long last season.

“I understand it’s part and parcel of what can come with being out for an extended period. Hopefully that’s the end of it now and that I can get some game time in.

“After I came back in the summer, there were two small injuries that lasted a couple of weeks at a time. It all adds up.

“It was difficult, especially having been out for so long, but in a way, it has also helped me knowing that I only had a couple of weeks to get through and I’d be back again. Of course, it’s not what you want, but I knew it would be a lot quicker than it was before.

“The lads have been doing well and I’d much rather come back into a team doing well than a team struggling at the wrong end of the table. I’ve been buzzing to see how well the team have been doing and the results they have picked up. Hopefully we can continue to build on that.”

Suffering a serious injury and having to carry out rehabilitation during the pandemic presented Donnelly with a difficult set of circumstances to overcome, though fortunately, he was able to carry out most of his recovery work at Fir Park.

Guided by the vastly skilled medical team at the club, Donnelly feels he owes a great deal of gratitude to the likes of physio Davie Henderson and Head of Sports Science Andy Boles for getting him to the point where he was ready to make his comeback. But despite overcoming the challenges faced during his battle for fitness, it was not a complete success story.

Many of his team-mates are avid gamers and when it comes to Call of Duty and FIFA, the competition is fierce.

With extra time on his hands during his injury and in the search for ways to pass the time during lockdown, the Dungannon-born star would try his hand at replicating the skills possessed by the likes of Tony Watt and Kevin van Veen – though it would be a short-lived hobby.

“I tried a bit of that during lockdown, it didn’t work though. The more I played the angrier I got,” he laughed. “My standard wasn’t good enough, so I quickly gave that up.

“I’ve got a little daughter at home, and she keeps me busy. When I’m at home I don’t have much time for computer games.

“Lockdown was a strange time and not ideal obviously, but I still got to come into the club every day and do my rehab, trying to rebuild my strength and get back fit again.

“In a certain sense, we were quite lucky to be able to get into the club daily and maintain some sort of normality. I know a lot of people couldn’t get out and had it been the case that I wasn’t able to get into the club, I’m sure it would have been a lot more difficult than it was.

“I enjoyed the family time. It’s not too often things like that happen and you have to spend a lot of time at home, so I tried to make the most of it. It was probably a lot easier for me than it was for many others during the lockdown.

“The medical team played a massive part in my recovery, Davie Henderson talked me through everything. At times, he had to make some decisions that he knew I was probably not going to be happy with and that would hold me back a little bit, but he is a top physio.

“He’s with the Scotland squad as well and has been a lot of big clubs, he knows what he is doing, and I had to put all my trust in him.

“As I was coming back to fitness, Andy Boles did a lot of work with me to get my levels back to where they were before my injury. I can’t underestimate or take anything away from the work the fitness and medical team have done for me here. I owe them a lot.”

Arriving at ‘Well in 2018, Donnelly made 42 appearances under Stephen Robinson, scoring 12 goals.

Having built up a good working relationship with his former gaffer, he admits it was difficult not being able to help the team during the disappointing run of form that saw Robinson depart the club.

With a new manager arriving at a time when he was ruled out of action, Liam knew he could not take anything for granted, though a conversation shortly after his new boss arrived would help put his mind at ease.

“The new manager arriving presented a new challenge,” he explained. “I had a good working relationship with Stephen Robinson, and I was disappointed at the time he left, especially because I couldn’t do anything to help the situation.

“When Graham came in, it represented someone new to impress, he brings different ideas and a different way of playing. As with any new manager, he could prefer different players. You have to start from scratch again really and try impress the new manager.

“The gaffer spoke to me as soon as he came and asked me how my recovery was going. I then spoke to him throughout the summer break, he told me that he wanted me to be part of the team and the squad, but obviously that’s never a given.

“You have to make sure you are working hard and doing the same, if not more than what the other lads are doing to make sure you are paying. No matter who the manager is, I don’t think that ever changes. You need to produce on the training pitch, and you’ll get minutes if you are.”

Livingston visit ML1 this afternoon for what will be the first of three games in a hectic eight-day spell over the festive period for Alexander’s side and, while many are enjoying the festivities, Motherwell will be looking to do their celebrating on the pitch.

The ‘Well gaffer has not had his troubles to seek in recent weeks when it comes to injuries and suspensions, testing the depth of his squad – something that Donnelly hopes will help provide him with the opportunity to impress.

The visit of Livi will bring back good memories for Donnelly. In May 2019, he netted his first goal for the club when he opened the scoring as a 3-2 victory over the Lions helped ‘Well end the season on a happy note.

“I think it’s probably a good time to be coming back, there has been a few knocks and niggles which is normal for this time of year,” he added. “With the volume of games, there is likely to be a couple of changes and it’s down to me to continue to work hard and try to push my way into the team.

“Christmas and New Year is always a busy time in football, which obviously means you can’t be going as wild as I’m sure a lot of people will be at this time. You still get to enjoy time with your family however, and although the staff will always make sure that we are working hard, they might let us go home a little earlier to spend some important time with our families.

“You have to make sure you are looking after yourself and doing everything properly to ensure you are ready and fit for the games. It’s not bad here because after a busy run, we get the break in January and will get a bit of time off to relax.

“The atmosphere around the place is good, the young players provided some Christmas entertainment by performing some karaoke for the first team. I’ll be honest, the standard wasn’t great, and I won’t say too much more than that.”

As fans visit Fir Park for the final time in 2021, Motherwell will aim to secure three points that will help continue their challenge in the top half of the Premiership table.

With fixtures against three sides all currently below the Steelmen in the league in the space of just over a week, Motherwell will view this run of matches as an excellent chance to go into the winter break on a high.

For Donnelly, the next week is an opportunity to begin his road back to becoming an integral part of the ‘Well starting XI, though insists there is no room for complacency, warning that any dip in standards will be punished.

“Our preference would be to have a run of good results and be pushing up the table, although I don’t think this is any different to any other period, to be honest,” said the former Hartlepool man.

“We don’t have the luxury of thinking we can just show up and beat teams easily, we must be on it every game and I think that’s why we’ve got some good results recently.

“There are no easy games in this league, different games against different opponents will pose different challenges. If we do get good results, we can’t take it easy – we need to be on it and maintain our levels in every game – no matter the opposition.

“Hopefully I’ve reached the end of picking up any niggly injuries, I’m working hard to ensure I stay fit, try to get back into the team and hopefully produce some good performances.”

The Motherwell boss talks about the enforced shutout of supporters, the early winter break and the task ahead in the final game of 2021.

Our Boxing Day game with Livingston will be played with 500 home supporters in attendance.

The decision of the Scottish Government on Tuesday to restrict numbers means our next fixture at Fir Park will be played with limited fans.

On Wednesday, the SPFL board ruled that the match should go ahead.

Our away games against Ross County on 29 December and St Mirren on 2 January have now been rearranged for Tuesday 18 January and Tuesday 1 February respectively.

Match tickets for the Livingston game are not for sale. Season ticket holders were balloted for the 500 available seats.

Watch the match live

Alternatively, season ticket holders can watch a live stream of the match with Livingston at no extra cost.

To watch, head to live.motherwellfc.co.uk and hit sign in. Grab your season card too – you’ll need it here to get the customer number written on the back.

Your username and password are as follows:

Username: firstname-surname-customernumber

(For example: john-smith-12345)

Your password, unless you’ve changed it using the service this season, is your customer number.

Our streaming service will be exceptionally busy on Sunday.

To avoid any issues, please test your username and password now.

If you encounter any issues, act now. Email motherwelltv@streamdigital.tv now for assistance.

If you leave it late, it is likely we will be unable to respond in time to set you up for the match.

Watch Motherwell v Livingston on pay-per-view

Fans of both clubs can buy a live stream of the game from ppv.motherwellfc.co.uk for £12.

The game is available to purchase in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Please note that due to UEFA restrictions, this game is not purchasable if you are in England.

If you’re a Motherwell season ticket holder who cannot make the match, you can still watch a live stream for free at live.motherwellfc.co.uk.

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.

Ticket refunds

We will advise on refunds on match tickets purchased for the Livingston match ASAP.

We await confirmation from Ross County and St Mirren on the status of purchased tickets for those matches and will communicate in due course.

Matchday facilities

Our Cooper Bar will be closed on Boxing Day.

Kiosk facilities will not be in operation.

A decision on whether to continue with our next cinch Premiership matches is expected to be made by the SPFL board on Wednesday.

Until then, the club is putting plans in place for a potential ballot of season ticket holders to accommodate 500 fans at our Boxing Day game with Livingston.

Once a decision has been reached by the SPFL board, we will communicate it immediately.

If the decision is taken to continue with games in front of a restricted crowd of 500, ballot information will be immediately emailed to season ticket holders.

The decision of the Scottish Government on Tuesday to restrict numbers due to the Covid-19 pandemic means our next fixture at Fir Park will be played with limited fans, should the SPFL board agree to proceed with games.

Our forthcoming away matches at Ross County and St Mirren will also be affected.

Get your hands on a limited edition bottle of Motherwell FC branded gin.

In association with the Loch Lomond Group, the special bottles are available to buy now for just £30.

Get yours online now and then collect at Fir Park.

Our limited edition run is for just 200 bottles, so get in quick to get yours.

The Motherwell FC limited edition gin is a London Dry Gin style with a berry sweetness from blackcurrants and rowanberries used from the Trossachs.

Blended beautifully this gin is vibrant and crisp, offers a smooth, fresh flavour which finishes with a delicate berry sweetness.