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Motherwell will conclude their 2023/24 pre-season campaign with a trip to the Fylde coast to face Fleetwood Town at Poolfoot Farm training facility on Sunday.

The hosts concluded their 2022/23 campaign with a fifth-place finish in the North West Women’s Regional League, eight points shy of Salford City FC Lionesses in second.

The Cods most recent test came in a narrow 2-1 defeat to Preston North End in a behind closed-doors friendly at Bamber Bridge.

The women of steel’s final pre-season encounter will build upon prior meetings with Gartcairn, Celtic, Boroughmuir Thistle, Hearts, East Fife and defending champions Glasgow City ahead of the opening weekend of the SWPL1 campaign.

Danish Under-21 international Mika Biereth has joined the club on a season-long loan from Arsenal, subject to international clearance. 

Biereth burst onto the scene with Fulham, where he scored 25 goals and assisted 15 times for the Under-18 side in his 37 games.

The 20-year-old signed his first professional contract with Premier League outfit Arsenal in July 2021.

Since then, he has notched 12 goals in 26 appearances for Arsenal Under-21’s and spent a season on loan with RKC Waalwijk in Eredivisie, where he scored twice.

His impressive goalscoring tally earned him a spot on Mikel Arteta’s bench on four occasions during the 2021/22 season.

Having been on the edge of breaking into the first-team at Arsenal, he made his first-team competitive debut in the Netherlands, where he appeared 12 times with RKC Waalwijk.

Biereth has represented the Danish Under-19 side on five occasions, scoring twice. He earned his first under-21 call up in March of this year and has played twice since.

“I think anyone looking at Mika’s goalscoring history, can see why we were interested in him,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said,

“He has scored goals at every stage of his young career, including a first-team spell in the Netherlands.

“Mika is an exciting young talent for the future and I feel this loan move is the perfect next step for him to show what he can do.

“I also want to go on record and say how appreciative we are of Arsenal’s cooperation throughout the process of getting this deal done.”

“I’m excited to be here,” Mika Biereth added.

“It’s a new team and a new type of challenge and I can’t wait to get started.”

Biereth will wear the 24 shirt this season.

Stuart Kettlewell speaks to the press prior to the cinch Premiership opening weekend, where Motherwell travel to Dundee. 

The manager knows what to expect of newly promoted Dundee, having studied the opposition ahead of Saturday.

Kettlewell talks about their recruitment plans between now and the end of the window for Motherwell, in what has been a busy summer period.

He also is asked about goals and targets for the season, although he wants to keep those targets in-house.

It’s time to vote for your G4 Claims player of the month for July. 

Callum Slattery, Blair Spittal, Paul McGinn and Lennon Miller are all up for nomination.

To vote, head over to the Motherwell Facebook page.

Games in July

• Elgin City 0-2 Motherwell 
• Queen of the South 3-3 Motherwell (Won 5-4 on penalties)
• Motherwell 1-0 Queen’s Park
• Motherwell 3-0 East Fife 

Callum Slattery

Having won the goal of the season award for the last two seasons running, Callum Slattery said he wanted to add more goals and assists to his game. It’s fair to say, he has delivered thus far.

The number eight played 78 minutes against Elgin City, and almost got his first assist of the season when he set up Jon Obika in the first half, however the striker was ruled out for offside.

He setup Blair Spittal for his first goal against Queen of the South, taking on the defender at the byline before cutting back to the midfielder to get the game level.

Slattery then went on a darting run at the start of the second half before lashing home to give us the lead, for his first goal of the season.

He cooly stepped up the penalty shootout, dispatching his penalty with ease.

In the first game at Fir Park this season, Slattery’s deft pass through for Obika set the striker up for the only goal of the game against Queen’s Park, although Slattery did rattle the crossbar in the first half.

In our most recent game against East Fife, Slattery worked with Harry Paton on halfway before feeding Lennon Miller for the first goal of the game. Slattery then got himself on the scoresheet, with a driving finish into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.

At the heart of everything so far this season, Slattery has already recorded two goals and three assists in four games.

Blair Spittal

Blair Spittal was beginning to find the back of the net more regularly at the end of last season, he has began this season in similar fashion.

It was Spittal who found the back of the net twice against Queen of the South, one in either half.

He also scored from the spot in our shootout down in Dumfries.

Spittal has played all but 12 minutes so far this season, and has continued to impress the Motherwell support with his darting runs and chance creations.

Going close on three occasions against East Fife,

Paul McGinn

He may still be waiting for that elusive first Motherwell goal, but Paul McGinn has continually performed in each match he has bene involved in.

Against Queen of the South, he was involved in the build up for Blair Spittal’s first goal, where he began the move.

The Scotland international did all the hard work for Spittal again, when he darted towards the byline before rounding the defender and squaring to Spittal.

He didn’t shy away from a big pressure moment in the shootout, stepping up and dispatching despite the keeper going the right way.

90 minutes against Queen’s Park and clean sheet later, McGinn looked certain to have found the net for the first time in Motherwell colours when he headed down into the bottom corner from a Spittal free-kick. However, the keeper pulled off a stunning save to keep the defender waiting.

A month of showing professionalism to slot into anywhere in the backline and also taking the armband, McGinn remained consistent and helped us onto our way to three clean sheets out of a possible four.

Lennon Miller

If you hadn’t heard the name Lennon Miller prior to July, then most likely have now.

The 16-year-old began his 23/24 season with a bang, scoring from 25-yards on the half volley against Elgin City to become Motherwell’s youngest ever goalscorer. A man of the match performance against Elgin City included the young midfielder going close on a couple of occasions, having controlled the game from the middle of the pitch.

Another 90 minutes for Miller three days later against Queen of the South came next, where he forced the keeper into two good saves in the first half. A few heavy tackles were planted on Miller due to his fast feet and quick change of direction, but the future star came through the game unscathed and found himself starting for the third game of the row against Queen’s Park.

In his fourth start on the bounce, Miller broke the deadlock against East Fife. He lead the counter charge and latched onto Slattery’s through, before scoring his first goal at Fir Park.

Just minutes later, he intercepted the East Fife pass and played to Conor Wilkinson, who banged the ball into the back of the net to give the Steelmen some breathing space.

He may be tipped as ‘one for the future’, but Miller is proving he is one for the now with two goals and assist in the first four matches of the season.

It was a trip through to Tranent for Motherwell B in this year’s Trust Trophy first round draw. 

Young Motherwell were eliminated at this stage of the competition last year against East Kilbride, through a last minute goal. New lead development coach Richard Foster had Nathan McGinley and Barry Maguire in his starting 11, alongside Luca Ross and Ewan Wilson who had recently featured for the first-team.

Throughout the 90, Tranent had created most of the chances with Matty Connelly called into action on multiple occasions.

Despite the constant pressure on the backline, no breakthrough was made and the first round match would be decided on a penalty shootout.

Captain Nathan McGinley would slot his penalty home, however Maguire, Mo Adam and Ross would all miss and Tranent would advance to the next round after a lacklustre Motherwell performance.

Motherwell B lost on penalties to Tranent in the SPFL Trust Trophy.

Nathan McGinley and Barry Maguire started the match as our two ‘over age’ players. Luca Ross and Ewan Wilson were also in the starting 11 as Motherwell looked to go one step further in the competition last year.

The first chance of the game came after just five minutes. Euan Greig found the ball at his feet on the edge of the area, but he blasted over the bar.

Motherwell’s first chance came after eight minutes. Luca Ross worked the angle on the left wing, before cutting inside and his cross was drifting towards the back post before Mason palmed it away.

Connelly was called into action on a number of occasions.

The first of which came on 12 minutes when he tipped Ben Miller’s effort round the post. He then got behind Jones’ free-kick after 23 mins, which was from the edge of the box.

The big moment of the first half came on 40 minutes. Tranent worked the ball on the right hand side and the cross was sent towards Ben Miller at the back post. He connected and seemed to have all but scored, however Connelly spread his body well to prevent the opening.

Tranent’s right full-back Ross had a go with a driven shot on 49 minutes, however it was comfortably saved.

On the hour mark, Brannan McDermott’s cross caused all sorts of confusion after Mo Adam stole possession, however Tranent survived.

A couple of tame efforts came from Tranent with 10 minutes to go, as the game edged closer to a penalty shootout.

However, with 90 minutes played, neither side could find the breakthrough and the tie would be decided on penalties.

Nathan McGinley stepped up first and found the bet but Barry Maguire, Mo Adam and Luca Ross all failed to convert from 12 yards and Tranent progressed, winning 3-1 on penalties

Motherwell FC interim CEO Derek Weir will be the speaker at August’s Business Breakfast.

Tickets for the event, which takes place on Wednesday 16th August, are now on sale.

As well as being a Motherwell fan and former Vice Chairman of the football club, Derek has held leadership positions with some of the UK’s best-known banking institutions (Barclays Bank, the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Cooperative Bank) and has a keen interest in urban regeneration. He has chaired a number of private companies and personally invested in seven start-ups. He has a wealth of business experience to share.

Derek will also give attendees a “behind the scenes” look at the challenges and joys of being in the hot-seat at Fir Park.

Doug Inglis of the Well Society said: “The Business Breakfast offers the opportunity for people to get together over a coffee and take away some knowledge or top tips to put into practice in their own line of work. We’re looking forward to learning from Derek’s rich business experience, and to seeing friends old and new on the 16^th August.”

Join us from 8.30am. Tickets are £10, are available on the website (please remember to sign in to your account if you have one).

Alternatively, please contact Sally Hall on 01698 338009 or email sally.hall@motherwellfc.co.uk to secure your place.

Theo Bair becomes the latest player to make the switch to ML1 on a two-year deal. 

Departing St Johnstone in the summer, Canadian international Bair made 38 appearances in Perth.

The 23-year-old came through the ranks at Vancouver Whitecaps.

Featuring for the reserves and the B team, Bair made the step up to the first-team in MLS. He made 34 appearances in the MLS, scoring three goals in the process.

During his time in Canada, he was loaned out to Hamarkameratene in the Norwegian second tier. Scoring on his debut for the Norwegians, he rounded off a successful spell in Norway by helping Hamarkameratene gain promotion to the top flight as champions. As a result, upon his return to Vancouver, the Whitecaps extended the striker’s contract for a further year.

He made the trip across the Atlantic in January 2022, joining St Johnstone for an undisclosed fee.

“Theo is someone who I feel will add to our project here,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

“He has experience of playing in the league but more importantly, he is only 23-years-old. I feel he has plenty room for development and that is something we should be excited about.

“I’ve been vocal about wanting to improve our options up top and Theo fits the bill for that.”

Bair has has represented his country at Under 18, 21 and 23 level before making his senior international debut in January 2020. He scored on his debut, in a 4-1 win over Barbados.

“It’s great to say I’m a Motherwell player,” Bair added.

“I’m looking forward to meeting up with my new teammates ahead of our season opener on Saturday.

“The manager wants me to do a job, so I will get to work straight away and try to hold up my end of the deal.”

The six-foot-four striker will wear the number 14 shirt this season.

Motherwell knew a win would see them finish top of Group G in the Viaplay Cup, however they also knew they needed to win, at least, by two goals to have a chance of being seeded for the next round. 

League Two East Fife were the visitors to Fir Park, also aiming for a place in the next round.

The Steelmen started the stronger, with Blair Spittal going close to opening the scoring.

Lennon Miller slotted home his second of the season, just after the half an hour mark, with Conor Wilkinson scoring his first for the club minutes later.

East Fife’s task was made more difficult when Jonathan Page seen red for a clear stamp on Spittal right before half time.

Callum Slattery netted a third in the second half and with Ross County getting beat on penalties by Kelty Hearts, Motherwell got the third and final seeded spot in the last 16 draw to end the group stage section in the best possible fashion.