| 3 | Rangers | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
| 4 | Dundee United | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| 5 | Motherwell | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| 6 | Dundee | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | -3 | 12 |
| 7 | St Mirren | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -6 | 12 |
Scott Fox has returned to the club having his loan to Queen of the South cancelled by mutual consent.
Fox made four appearances for the Doonhamers following his arrival in early September.
A short illness meant Max Currie regained the number one spot which left the Motherwell man watching his teammates from the bench.
Motherwell take on Hamilton Accies on Sunday 27 November at New Douglas Park in SWPL 1.
Kick-off is 4pm.
Tickets for the game cost £5 for an adult, with children and concession tickets costing £2.
It’s the first meeting between the two sides this season as the Women of Steel look to build on a fine win over Aberdeen last weekend.
Both teams have one win in their last five, with Motherwell sitting two points above Accies.
Accies have shipped 13 goals in their last three home games, against high-flying Glasgow City, Partick Thistle and Hearts.
A win for Motherwell would help them stay in the chase for a position in the top half of the league.
In what had already been a successful season for Max Johnston, the full-back received the call every player wants.
One from his country saying he has been called up for international duty.
Although this was his first time in the Scotland Under 21 squad, the 19-year-old was more than up to the task and got straight to work in camp.
With a friendly match against Iceland at Fir Park ahead, Johnston found out he was not only in the match day squad but starting.
Despite a mixture of nerves and excitement, the Cove Rangers loanee netted the opener for Scotland in the first half in front of his parents and friends in the crowd.
Although it was defeat for Scotland on the night, it was a victory for Max Johnston who made the next step in his already promising career.
Motherwell got back to winning ways with a thumping 4-1 win over Aberdeen at K-Park.
The women of steel returned to form with arguably their best performance of the campaign, with the win edging them close to the teams in the top six.
The hosts raced into a three-goal lead at the interval courtesy of Gill Inglis and Kaela McDonald-Nguah. Aberdeen pulled one back early in the second half through Bailley Collins, but McDonald-Nguah quickly restored the three-goal advantage, and that’s how it would stay as ‘Well picked up their first league win since late September.
Paul Brownline named just one change to the side that lost to Partick Thistle 18 days previous, with Lori Gardiner replacing Kodie Hay, who had to be content with a place amongst the substitutes. During the warm-up, Jo Addie picked up a niggle, and Georgie Rafferty replaced her in the heart of the back four before the teams kicked off.
Motherwell looked in the mood and after hitting the post in the opening three minutes through Inglis, who got on the end of McDonald-Nguah’s cross from the left, but her deft flick came back off the inside of the post before eventually being cleared.
However, it was only delaying the inevitable as Motherwell got their noses in front not long after. Rice picked up on a loose ball twenty-five yards from goal and send an effort crashing off the Dons cross bar. It bounced out to Inglis who wouldn’t be denied this time, bundling the ball home from close range to give the hosts a deserved lead.
‘Well doubled their advantage just ten minutes later with a really well-worked team goal. A throw-in deep in Dons territory was collected by McDonald-Nguah inside the area. She flicked it on to the supporting Carla Boyce, who cleverly pulled it back for Rice, who took a touch before reversing a low shot into the bottom corner.
The home side were relentless and were constantly knocking on the door for a third goal, before it finally arrived six minutes before the half-time interval. A loose pass in midfield was picked up by Inglis, who immediately drove towards goal. She timed her pass to McDonald-Nguah perfectly, who took aim from 25-yards, squeezing a shot through Annalisa McCann and into the net.
To their credit, Aberdeen came out of the blocks much improved in the second half. They made a triple sub and changed the shape, and it certainly gave the Reds more impetus, particularly as an attacking threat.
They hit the post through substitute Ogilvie before Eva Thompson came close with an effort from the edge of the area following industrious striker play from Hutchison, who had capitalised on a short back pass and had gone round the goalie before cutting the ball back, only for the shot to be saved on the line by Emily Mutch.
The Dons did eventually get one back though. A ball over the top created a foot race between Hutchison and Mutch in the ‘Well goal. It squirmed loose to the supporting Collins, who did well to lift her shot high into the unguarded net to give Emma Hunter and Gavin Beith’s side some hope.
However, that was quickly dashed when, within just one minute, Motherwell had restored the three-goal lead.
Collecting from deep, full-back Lauren Doran-Barr sent a superb pass down the right flank, setting Inglis scampering towards the penalty box. With McDonald-Nguah taking up a space inside the box, the skipper’s cross was perfect for the striker, who made no mistake, drilling home from close range to put the game beyond the visitors.
Motherwell could have added to their lead late in the game, but substitute Kodie Hay’s goal bound looking effort was bravely blocked by Eilidh Shore, before Boyce was denied by the fingertips of McCann, who had got her head to a teasing Amy Anderson cross from the right.
It finished 4-1, with ‘Well now facing a Lanarkshire derby against Hamilton at New Douglas Park next Sunday.
Black Friday has arrived early.
Starting Monday 21 November, we’ve a host of great deals now and across the week.
First up, you can get 20% off our 2022/23 away kit and training range.
If you’re looking for some Christmas gift inspiration, we’ve also got you covered.
Our commemorative bricks, which are placed on the wall in our Davie Cooper Stand, are reduced by 40% to £33.
We’ve also got £10 off our Scottish Cup Anniversary whisky, and 50% off our training top sponsorship.
You can also sponsor one of our Women’s players for only £130 which is a massive 50% saving.
Finally, we have £5 off our
There’s also discounts to be had on our matchday hospitality.
Centenary Suite
Enjoy a 2-course meal in the Centenary Suite, half-time refreshments, match ticket, match programme, teamsheet with pay bay facility. Available at:
· Ross County on Saturday, 14th January 2023
· St Johnstone on Wednesday, 1st February 2023
Our special Black Friday prices are £30 per person for season ticket holders, £40 for non-season ticket holders and £15 for kids (under 12’s for a children’s meal)
Cooper Box
Come in out of the cold and enjoy relaxed hospitality from the warmth and comfort of a Cooper Box. Package includes viewing the match from the box, half-time refreshments, match programme, teamsheet and 2 complimentary drinks per person. Available at:
· Ross County on Saturday, 14th January 2023
· St Johnstone on Wednesday, 1st February 2023
Our special Black Friday price is just £40 per person.
Three of the seven loanees saw action this weekend.
Off the back of his Scotland Under-21s debut on Thursday, Max played the full 90 in Cove’s 2-1 defeat at home to high-flying Morton.
Cove looked to be on course for a point after Leighton McIntosh equalised late on but former Motherwell man Robbie Crawford secured all three points for Ton who sit a point off the top of the Championship.
Fox was an unused sub as Queen of the South thrashed Montrose 4-0 at home.
Table-topping Dunfermline continued their fine form with a 0-2 win away to Peterhead
Robbie Mahon was an unused sub as he watched his teammates go seven points clear at the top.
A clean sheet and three points for the young full-back.
Wilson completed 90 minutes as Albion Rovers saw off Stranraer with a 1-0 win. The win creates a bit of breathing space for Rovers, who sit four points off bottom.
O’Donnell was not involved in the squad at the weekend as Bonnyrigg Rose picked up a point against Stenhousemuir.
The towering centre back got 90 minutes under his belt and a clean sheet as East Kilbride beat Abbey Vale FC in the third round of the South Challenge Cup.
Kilby go into the hat and take on Ross Vale in the fourth round.
Hunter was left with no action this weekend as Cumbernauld Colts’ game against Berwick Rangers was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.
Motherwell take on Aberdeen on Sunday 20 November at K-Park in SWPL.
Kick-off is 4pm.
Tickets for the game cost £8 for an adult, with children and concession tickets costing £3.
Card and cash payments are accepted at the ground. There is no option to buy tickets before the match.
Motherwell have had a two week layoff since their last outing against Partick Thistle.
The women of steel came up short on that occasion, losing 1-0. The ‘Well’s last victory came back at the start of October against Dundee United.
Aberdeen have had a tricky start to their season and sit 11th in the table.
They picked up their first win of the season in their last match against Glasgow Women at Pittodrie.
Make it a December to remember!
We are delighted to unveil its amazing festive programme for 2022, bigger and better than before!
Whether you are catching up with friends, family or colleagues, celebrate in style in the Centenary Suite at Fir Park. Combining your favourite Christmas classics with dance floor fillers, and bringing a live saxophone to the party, this will be a Christmas party your guests will never forget.
Our party nights are now open to book and run from 7pm – 1am.
Available dates are as follows:
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
We also have an earlier option, with our Boozy Brunch.
Enjoy a shot on arrival and a delicious 3-course meal in addition to the live entertainment listed above.
Tickets can be secured with a £10 deposit at the time of booking.
Call our events team on 01698 338003 to book or for more information.
Our party nights are for over 18’s only!Our events are non refundable & non transferable.
Legendary ‘Ancell Babe’ winger Willie Hunter is the final name to be inducted in the 2022 Motherwell FC Hall of Fame.
Hunter, or Billy to his friends and family, would become the darling of every Motherwell fan of a certain generation.
Following a few years of typical Motherwell Football Club inconsistency a major decision was taken between the boardroom and the manager’s chair during the summer of 1956.
After a year in the Fir Park hotseat, Bobby Ancell implemented a policy of no longer signing ready made “seasoned” football players from other clubs, and going back to pursuing a strategy of developing talented youngsters from Scotland’s central belt in true Motherwell tradition.
That close season would see the first moves to support the new thinking at Fir Park. Youngsters Bert McCann, William Cowie, Pat Holton and ‘keeper Alan Wylie all arrived from Queens’ Park, Kilsyth Rangers, Hamilton Accies and Penicuik respectively.
Whilst the named four signings went on to contribute to a decent season for the Fir Parkers, it was probably the youngster who had signed on from Edinburgh Norton a year later that would go on to make his name in claret and amber shine more brightly than most others.
That man was the aforementioned Willie Hunter.
Within months it had became clear that the manager had snapped up a dazzling footballer who was both a brilliant ball player and a determined performer. Willie began his Motherwell career playing, and starring, for the Fir Park reserves alongside fellow teenager Ian St. John.
He was brought into the first team at Dens Park in mid-October 1957. Although the result didn’t go to the liking of the travelling ‘Well fans, they had taken some solace from the performance of the young Edinburgh lad who had made the jump from amateur football to top division action within a couple of months with ease.
His first appearance on Fir Park came a fortnight later when Falkirk visited and left with the points following a 5-2 defeat of the hosts. Despite the loss, the name of Willie Hunter was on the lips of every Motherwell fan as they made their way home the wet Saturday evening.
His first goal came at Parkhead in April when netted the opener in a thrilling 2-2 draw between the teams. Eleven appearances for Motherwell was a good debut season for Hunter, as he tried to earn a berth in a terrific developing Fir Park squad under the guidance of Ancell.
When the team was announced for the opening day of the new season at home to Partick Thistle, Hunter’s name was included. Although it was goals from Ian St. John, twice, and Jim Forrest which won the game, it was Hunter who was man of the match having produced a sublime display.
The start of the season had been promising, with only one defeat in the first six fixtures before Third Lanark arrived in North Lanarkshire. The team that day would always be remembered as a typical Ancell Babes XI: Hastie Weir, McSeveney, Holton, Aitken, Martis, McCann, Hunter, Sammy Reid, St. John, Quinn and Andy Weir.
The Babes were on fire that afternoon, winning 8-1 as the Fir Park crowd began to realise their favourites were developing into something very special indeed.
The young inside forward Hunter only missed four games in that season, scoring 13 goals, which saw Motherwell narrowly miss out on the league title.
International honours were also on their way, with eight players being recognised in various squads, including Hunter who was capped for the Scottish league.
Willie had become a forward of uncommon grace, which had won over the Motherwell fans with performances that could not be measured merely in goals and assists, but that glistened with the flair of an artist who could deceive defenders with a subtle touch or shimmy.
Whilst these seasons were extremely entertaining for the Fir Park faithful, it was arguably two glamour friendlies that summed up that Ancell side.
18,000 punters clicked through the Fir Park turnstiles to see Athletic Bilbao despite torrential rain hammering down throughout the 90 minutes. A delightful Willie Hunter goal put Motherwell two goals up after just 25 minutes, before the visitors stunned the large crowd by levelling before the interval.
However, an Ian St. John shot two minutes into the second period was enough to give the home side a deserved win.
A couple of weeks later, it was Brazilian giants Flamengo who turned up at Fir Park on the back of an impressive 5-0 win over Manchester United. After the visitors opened the scoring six minutes in, the 25,000 crowd were saluting a wonderful goal by Hunter which seemed to inspire the Steelmen.
A St. John hat trick and a Pat Quinn penalty were soon forgotten when Hunter produced a sublime finish to leave the Fir Parkers 6-1 up, and thoroughly entertaining a by now ecstatic home support.
Another hat trick by St. John left the Brazilians shell-shocked as Motherwell trooped of the pitch having trounced the tourists 9-2. At the end of that season there was a definite air of disappointment that such a talented outfit could only finish fifth despite many memorable displays throughout the campaign.
Always amongst the goals for Motherwell, Hunter had in fact laid on far more than he had scored, which was a proud claim since he bagged more than 50 competitive goals for the Steelmen.
Whilst at Fir Park he won three full Scotland caps, four Under 23 caps and four appearances for the Scottish League. He managed 301 appearances for our club all in, scoring 61 goals.
He finally left North Lanarkshire in 1967, when Detroit Cougars paid £14,000 for his signature as the inaugural North American Soccer League was about to kick off. He went on to feature for his boyhood club Hibs before two more spells overseas at Hellenic and Cape Town City.
Following a coaching stint as Ian St John’s assistant at Portsmouth, he then had two brief spells as manager, firstly at Queen of the South then Inverness Caledonian in the Highland League.
Willie was a inside forward who played on the left hand side, with the experience and knowledge of playing as a winger; a real craftsman, skilled in ball control and distribution.
He had a brilliant football career in what was undoubtedly a tough school. His generous gifts to the game gave him little financial rewards, yet he continued to give to the game and his colleagues afterwards He was a man of substance and opinions, who was the subject of much praise from those who played with, against, or indeed, watched him.
This magical footballer was one of the most complete ever to pull our famous colours over his head, and is someone this club is proud to have played a large part in his life.
Willie Hunter is the twentieth entrant to the Motherwell FC Hall of Fame.
Our highly-anticipated Hall of Fame dinner will welcome its fourth batch of inductees later this Friday.
The event, launched in 2019, has already paid special tribute to the legendary names of the club’s long and distinguished history.
For the first time, the dinner will take place at Dalziel Park Hotel this Friday, 18 November, with host Tam Cowan inducted five new names, with Willie joining the already-announced Keith Lasley, Willie MacFadyen, Tommy Coyne and Bobby Graham.
There are only a handful of tickets left priced at £64 for adults and £30 for children aged under 12.
You can buy tickets for the dinner online here now or contact the commercial department on 01698 338 011.
The five legends inducted this year will join:
| 2019 intake | 2020 intake | 2021 intake |
| George Stevenson | John ‘Sailor’ Hunter | Bobby Ferrier |
| Willie Pettigrew | Andy Paton | John Martis |
| Ally Maxwell | Joe Wark | Tommy McLean |
| Phil O’Donnell | Davie Cooper | Stevie Kirk |
| James McFadden | Steven Hammell | Stephen Craigan |
* Please note that some of the colourful language on the night may not be appropriate for young children or those easily offended.
We were saddened to learn of the passing of former forward Jimmy O’Rourke this morning.
Born in Edinburgh on the 18th September 1946, Jimmy is perhaps better know for his association with Hibernian. Plucked straight from schools football in 1962, he made his Hibs debut at the age of 16 setting a new record for the youngest player to represent the Easter Road club, a record which he kept for over four decades.
A bustling forward, he flourished under the guidance of Eddie Turnbull.
Despite suffering the disappointment of losing the 1972 Scottish Cup Final, when the Hibee’s fell to a 6-1 defeat by Celtic, he did enjoy a degree of revenge as he scored in the League Cup Final later in the year as both clubs met again, this time Hibs came out on top.
The former Scotland youth international was somewhat controversially sold to St Johnstone for a fee of just £15,000, essentially he had to make way for Joe Harper who arrived at the club for a significant sum from Everton.
At Muirton Park he helped the Saints win promotion, In July 1979 it was Willie McLean who brought him to Fir Park in a deal which saw Ian Taylor head to Perth.
Jimmy was comfortable playing at either centre and inside forward and had a tremendous eye for goal. He enjoyed a fruitful league debut for the Steelmen as he scored twice against Ayr United in a 4-1 win.
O’Rourke was a player of quality but the then 29 year old would only manage two seasons at Fir Park due to frustrations with injuries. There were some high points across those two seasons – a hat-trick in the exciting 5-4 win over Kilmarnock and the winner against Celtic at Celtic Park in a new year fixture. He would make over 50 appearances in claret and amber, scoring 16 goals.
After his departure from Lanarkshire he would hang up his boots and become a coach at Hibernian where he was reunited with his old mentor Eddie Turnbull.
Jimmy died surrounded by his family at his home in Edinburgh aged 76.
Everyone at Motherwell Football Club would like to express our sympathy and condolences to the O’Rourke family at this sad time.
