| 3 | Rangers | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 22 |
| 4 | Dundee United | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 19 |
| 5 | Motherwell | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 19 |
| 6 | St Mirren | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -5 | 15 |
| 7 | Dundee | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -6 | 12 |
Lennon Miller has been called up to Scotland’s Under 19 squad.
Earning his first caps at Under 19 level last month, Miller has retained his place in the squad for their two matches later this month.
Scotland lineup against Ireland on Wednesday 11 October before taking on Portugal on Sunday 15 October.
Champions Celtic travelled to ML1 after their strong start to the season as Motherwell prepared to face their third top three team in three weeks.
Off the back of two frustrating and harsh losses, the Steelmen were hunting an upset and a strong performance. They most definitely got the latter, producing a fine work ethic and a number of chances.
However, they managed to keep Celtic at bay going into the latter stages of the game, before the game would spark into life.
Luis Palma tucked away his effort on 87 minutes, seemingly giving Celtic the three points with only minutes left and sending the away end into pandemonium.
However, Motherwell kept battling right until the bitter end and were rewarded for their strong character. On 95 minutes, Blair Spittal fired into the bottom corner, sparking wild celebrations from the home side.
With just seconds remaining, Celtic launched an immediate attack and Matt O’Riley tucked home at the back post to take Motherwell from ecstasy to agony.
Another deflating result where the performance warranted more, Motherwell now travel to Livingston next Saturday in their final match before the international break.
Motherwell’s pre-international break woes persisted on their return in the East coast, as a prolific Montrose racked up three second-half goals to secure their place in the second round of the Sky Sports Cup, with Motherwell suffering a disappointing early exit.
Aimee Ridgeway broke the deadlock early into the second-half, with Neve Guthrie quickly doubling the hosts advantage on the hour mark. Louise Brown added a third in the latter stages to compile Motherwell’s misery on the road.
Head coach Paul Brownlie made three changes from the previous defeat to Hibernian, as Murron Cunningham, Katie Rice and Bailley Collins all returned to the starting XI. Academy graduate Hannah Cairns secured a pace on the bench whilst Carla Boyce and Kaela McDonald-Nguah led the line.
Keen to break their three game winless run of form, Motherwell started firmly on the front foot, with Collins coming agonisingly close to an opener in the early exchanges.
The wingers strike from distance changed direction in the air, leaving the Montrose stopper scrambling, as the ball rattled off the crossbar. Carla Boyce prodded home the rebound, but the strikers celebrations were quickly cut short, as Boyce narrowly strayed offside.
Motherwell were awarded a penalty minutes later, as Louisa Boyes’ clever first-touch caught the defender off-balance, and a reckless challenge left the referee no alternative but to award the spot kick. McDonald-Nguah stepped up and saw her penalty parried clear by Lauren Perry in the Montrose goal. A moment which soon reflected the visitors afternoon.
Louisa Boyes had the ball in the net as the half-time whistle approached, but the referee adjudged an offside in the build-up which kept the scoreline intact.
As the second half resumed, Montrose netted the opener. Substitute Flo Bruce’s delivery was met by Ridgeway near the edge of the box, and the forwards powerful attempt sailed into the top-left corner.
The hosts soon doubled their advantage, as Charlotte Gammie’s delivery from the right was parried clear by Mutch, but only to the feet of Guthrie who fired home from close range.
With the women of steel desperately searching for a route back into the game, Montrose secured a decisive third on the counter attack.
Guthrie capitalised on Motherwell’s high defensive line, racing in-behind before picking out Louise Brown inside the penalty area, and the midfielder calmly placed a low effort into the bottom-right corner to earn her sides place in the third round of the Sky Sports Cup.
Motherwell will turn their attention to league action with Celtic the hosts at the Excelsior Stadium.
Motherwell were robbed of a point against Celtic on Saturday afternoon, with the visitors scoring a minute after Blair Spittal’s leveller in the dying minutes of the game.
It might have been an early kick-off but it was the late show as all three goals came in the last 12 minutes of the game, as for the third time ‘Well were left out of luck and pointless despite another stirring performance.
With four minutes of regulation time remaining Celtic opened the scoring when an inswinging cross from Luis Palma bounced past Kelly to give Celtic a lead and potential winner they scarcely deserved.
Motherwell’s never-say-die attitude was rewarded four minutes into added on time when Blair Spittal squeezed the ball past Scott Bain for the equaliser.
A deserved point seemed certain, but the Steelmen were stunned once agin in the 97th minute when Matt O’Riley fired the ball high into the corner of the goal for a winner that had looked most unlikely until the closing stages.
Until then Motherwell had more than matched the Parkhead men and had the better of the chances with Bain making a couple of last gasp saves and deny the Fir Park men a lead their play probably deserved.
Stuart Kettlewell stood by the starting eleven which was unfortunate not to take a deserved point from Ibrox last week as his side faced the other half of the Old Firm. That allowed Theo Bair to retain the sole striker’s role, with Connor Wilkinson and Oli Shaw having to settle for a place on the bench.
In his previous term as Celtic manager, Brendan Rodgers found Fir Park a difficult venue, claiming only one win in four visits. And this encounter proved no different for the returning Parkhead boss.
‘Well kicked off this midday fixture to a deafening backdrop as both sets of fans anticipated a closely contested match on a perfect pitch for football.
With Celtic setup to use the full width of the pitch, Kettelwell’s men aimed to keep things tight with five across the back when visitors pressed forward.
And so it proved in the opening spell.
In the 15th minute a lengthy delay followed as Reo Hatate received treatment after Callum Slattery’s high boot caught him in the face. The ‘Well midfield man was shown a yellow card by Willie Collum but only after the referee had checked the extent of the injury.
Minutes after the restart the home side produced the first effort on either goal when in packed box from Stephen O’Donnel’s long throw, Spittal’s overhead kick sailed over Scott Bain’s crossbar.
Matt O’Riley felt it was time that Celtic should open their account but his ambitious effort from 35 yards was high and wide of Liam Kelly’s goal.
By the half hour mark the busiest person on the pitch was the referee, who had both sets of players and fans urging some response as a series of petty fouls went unpunished.
With 33 minutes played Kyogo Furuhashi got his first glimpse of goal but from the edge of the box Kelly remained untroubled as the shot curled wide of the post.
Three minutes later the Fir Park side came close to breaking the stalemate.
A quick free kick wide on the right sent Harry Paton racing into the Celtic box. From a tight angle he aimed the ball low past the advancing Bain only to watch the ‘keeper’s outstretched foot prevent the opening goal.
Six minutes from half-time the Parkhead men had their best chance to test Kelly with a free kick 22 yards from goal. But the exchange between Kyogo and O’Riley came to nothing as the latter sent a weak shot into the ‘Well defensive wall.
Just before the four minutes of added time O’Riley finally forced a save from Kelly from but his tame trundling shot was easily smothered by the ‘Well ‘keeper.
Motherwell ended a very even first half with another goal threat. Spittal’s cute backhealer at the corner of the box allowed Brodie Spencer to dart towards the byeline before whipping the ball across the face of the Celtic goal with nobody in claret and amber to knock it into the net.
Rodgers, clearly frustrated with Celtic’s first half performance, brought on James Forrest for the start of the second half.
A floating header from Gustaf Lagerbielke gave Kelly an easy save before Bain was put under pressure at the other end.
A slick 1-2 with Bair at edge of the box allowed Spittal to break into the box but before he could shoot the ball was nicked off his toes for a corner. From the rehearsed corner kick Slattery floated the ball out to Spittal who quickly directed it back into a packed box.
Bair’s nod sent the ball high towards goal and as Bain leapt to claim it under his cross bar, Bevis Mugabi’s presence unsettled the Celtic ‘keeper. As the ball dropped onto the line Mugabi and Bair combined to force the ball into the net only for the referee to award a free kick to the visitor’s. To the annoyance of ‘Well fans, the mandatory VAR check backed up the ref’s decision.
On the hour mark Bain was tested again, firmly holding Bair’s volley after great build up play from the home side.
Play was still flowing from end to end and Kelly was at full stretch to clutch and hold Daizen Maeda’s powerful angled drive.
Twenty minutes from time Kettlewell made a double substitution, with the fans appreciating the efforts of Bair and O’Donnell as they swapped places with Oli Shaw and Pape Souare.
And almost immediately Bain denied Well again, this time his outstretched boot deflecting Spittal’s low shot after a clever ball from Slattery had split open the ‘keeper’s defence.
With the game entering its final 10 minutes and a tired looking Steelmen pinned into their own half Celtic found a couple of openings.
Firstly, Palma curled in a cross which found Forrest unmarked and his powerful header from 10 yards forced Kelly into a fine flying save.
Then with four minutes remaining, Palma curled another ball into a packed box and although there were claims for a touch, the ball bounced past Kelly and into the corner of his net for a real sickener.
To their credit the ‘Well players picked themselves up and after forcing a corner, Spittal found space in the box to direct a low shot across Bain and into the far corner for what seemed a deserved share of the points.
But in a pulsating end to the game Celtic found the net again. Greg Taylor’s deep cross looked to beyond everyone but O’Riley lurking beyond the far post steered the ball high past Kelly for the winner and leave Kettlewell’s men empty handed for a third successive game.
Stuart Kettlewell reflects on Celtic defeat.
• An outstanding performance
• Won’t lick our wounds
• Straight back to it on Monday
Nathan McGinley has joined cinch Championship side Partick Thistle on loan until January.
The defender, who made his comeback at the start of this season having missed over a year-and-a-half of football, has made four appearances this season in all competitions.
Best of luck, Nathan.
Narrowly missing out on top-six football was a bitter pill for Paul Brownlie’s side to swallow last season, but the campaign was littered with success. Beating the previous highest points total in the league but also reaching the semifinal of the Scottish Cup and becoming the first domestic women’s team to step onto the Hampden turf was just two of those successes.
It was a historical moment and despite a 2-0 defeat to Rangers on the day, it has given everyone within the squad the taste of a cup run, something they want to repeat this year. In Sky Sports cup action this weekend, Motherwell travel north to newly promoted Montrose in the second round, looking to get off to the best possible start and overcome the first hurdle.
For summer signing Hannah Cunningham however, reflecting on last season’s cup run with Glasgow Women was not one to fondly remember as her side were beaten by Motherwell, one stage before Hampden.
“The team had a great run last year,” said Cunningham.
“I was on the losing side in the quarter final, so felt the opposite feelings to the team, but for us to have another run this season only increases momentum, and as a squad we should always be aiming to achieve results in any game that we play.
“Going to their ground will be difficult and we can’t underestimate them, but concentrating on our game plan and executing it effectively will be crucial for us to get into the next round of the cup.”
Motherwell’s last victory in the domestic calendar came against the Gable Endies earlier this month, with strikes from Katie Rice, Louisa Boyes and Kaela McDonald-Nguah securing a comprehensive 3-1 victory at K-Park.
“The first game we played against Montrose was a test for us, as all games are in this league,” Cunningham said.
“We played some good football in spells, but we can always improve on our own performance, and I think that’s definitely something we identified moving forward.
“We’ve had some very good performances so far this season, but as Paul has said, it’s small details in some of those games that has let us down. It’s crucial for us as a squad to regroup and fix the small details.”
Arriving from Glasgow Women in the summer, Cunningham has instantly cemented her place at the core of the Motherwell backline, aiding a seamless transition to ML1 which the defender noted was an attractive move.
“Moving to Motherwell was a very attractive move for me,” Cunningham explained.
“Playing against Paul and Leanne on numerous occasions last year, you could see the standards set here. I always want to improve and push my levels as far as possible, so they were a huge influence on me coming here for sure.
“I’ve been settling in well within the team and getting used to the high demands set on us. It’s a very competitive and challenging environment to step into, which is always a positive, and we are moving in the right direction each day as a squad.”
Cunningham’s first taste of top-flight football in Scotland came last season in Glasgow Women’s maiden SWPL campaign, an experience that has proved instrumental this time around.
“Last year was an extremely good experience,” Cunningham added.
“Getting to know and testing yourself against some of the best players in the country will only improve personal performances. Even though last season didn’t end on a positive note, I hope to bring the experiences I gained into my game here at Motherwell.
“Morale is very strong within the group, the experienced players are always trying to help newer players strive to be successful within the team, and there’s also a great sense of togetherness within the squad.”
Motherwell were held to a 1-1 draw with Dundee United this afternoon at K-Park in the Under 18s league.
The first chance of the game came on seven minutes. Zack Tomany battled to bring the ball under control from a throw in, he worked half a yard on the edge of the box before registering a shot on target.
The game would begin to become cagey there after, with very for chances for either side presenting themselves.
In fact, the next chance of the game wouldn’t come until the 35th minute of the match when forward Tomany latched onto a through ball from Mikey Booth, the striker raced through on goal and his strike was saved onto the bar by the United keeper.
Four minutes later however, Dundee United were in front. Josh Bogan seemed to come out of his box to clear the ball but the referee adjudged his studs to be too high and awarded a free-kick. Dundee United’s number 10 stepped up and curled the ball into the net from the subsequent free kick.
With a lacklustre first half performance now behind them, Motherwell came out all guns blazing for the second half, drawing themselves level in the process. After sustained possession, Campbell Forest volleyed into the bottom left corner from the right edge of the box to bring the game level after 50 minutes.
Motherwell continued to push forward in search of a second and it nearly came on 65 minutes. Brannan McDermott got on the end of a pass forward on the right wing before crossing into the box, Booth cut the ball back and Devon Johnstone tried to volley home but his effort was just off target.
Nathan Lawson came off the bench and was involved in the action straight away on 73 minutes. He twisted and turned in the middle of the pitch before driving into the penalty area and unleashing a strike into the side netting.
Dundee United would see a header from a corner headed off the line in one of their very few chances in the second half but on 83 minutes, Motherwell had another effort. McDermott again getting forward from right-back, this time he crossed into the box and Lawson managed to lay the ball off for goalscorer Forest but this time, his strike went wide of the goal.
Motherwell came close to winning the game with the last attack of the match through midfielder Olly Whyte. Tomany kept the ball alive from a cross and laid it back to the midfielder, he shifted it onto his right foot and seen his low, driven effort saved by the keeper.
The game ended 1-1, with Motherwell much improved in the second period.
Motherwell team: Bogan, M.Ross, McDermott, Webb, Bone, Whyte, L.Ross, Forest, Tomany, Booth, Johnstone.
Motherwell subs: Lawson, McConnell, Wells, McLean, Flatman, Nelson, McAllister.
Ewan Wilson has joined League One side Stirling Albion on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
Wilson made two appearances in the Viaplay Cup this season, starting in the opener against Elgin City.
Promoted to the third tier this season, Stirling have started their season off well with three wins and a draw out of the first seven.
Best of luck, Ewan.
Forward Mark Ferrie has joined Stenhousemuir on loan until January.
The 17-year-old has made six appearances in all competitions this season but moves to Stenny in League Two, who are currently top of the league.
Good luck, Mark.
