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Misfortunes on the road have continued to hinder the early signs of optimism for the women of steel, as defeat to league leaders Celtic last weekend compounded what has been a disappointing month for Paul Brownlie’s side.

Motherwell return to K-Park this weekend looking to restore their impressive start in East Kilbride, with three wins from four at home maintaining some momentum despite evident struggles away from home, and midfielder Louisa Boyes believes sticking together will be key to turning results around.

“We know we are better than what we have showed in the past few games,” said Boyes.

“The morale within the group has been good, we know collectively the strengths we have as a team and now it’s about sticking together and putting in the hard work on the pitch.

“We have the belief within the squad to know we can turn the results around and start performing.”

The squad have been left to reflect on a disappointing Sky Sports Cup campaign, as defeat to newly-promoted Montrose at Links Park saw the women of steel suffer a frustrating early exit.

Narrow defeats to Partick Thistle and Hibernian have also left the side to rue squandered opportunities in the league campaign, as their aspirations of a top-six finish remain a distant prospect, but Boyes understands what is required to meet the challenges ahead.

“I think we’ve let ourselves down in terms of how we have performed,” Boyes explained.

“We’ve had some close games but ultimately mistakes and not taking our chances have cost us. We know we have to be more clinical and start taking points from these games.

“Every game we play in the league is always a challenge, but we know how important this week is and we need to make sure we start collecting points and pushing up the table.”

After narrowly staving off a relegation play-off place last season, Dundee United initially struggled to build upon where they left off last season, picking up one point from their opening four league games.

United have since secured their first two victories of the 2023/24 SWPL campaign in an exhilarating eight-goal thriller against Hamilton and victory over Aberdeen last weekend.

As Motherwell look to get their domestic form back on track, Boyes detailed what Head Coach Paul Brownlie’s message was to the players ahead of what will be a vital encounter with the side from the City of Discovery this weekend.

“[The manager] highlighted how important it was that we recover and be ready for Sunday,” said Boyes.

“Everyone involved within the club knows the past few results haven’t reflected the potential of our squad, the reaction shown in training this week has been positive and we will be looking to take that into Sunday’s game.

Full details of Sunday’s encounter with Dundee United can be found here:

It’s not been an easy road to Motherwell for Irishman Dan Casey, but it’s a journey he feels he has learned a lot about himself because of it. 

Just the average young boy growing up in the streets of Dublin, Dan found a love for Rugby and Gaelic Football but his one, true love was playing football.

Despite his late grandfather Patrick Casey being an Irish international rugby star, Dan opted to choose football as his chosen profession and at the young age of just 15, he moved away from home to Sunderland.

His first learning curve would come when he would be released by the English side and returned to his homeland to play for Bohemians and Cork.

With normal life turned upside down for everyone due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Dan had a decision to make. Leave everything and everyone behind to move to America to play in California or remain at home and turn the opportunity down.

He would move across the world and in those dark, lonely nights confined to a flat with no family or friends near him, he became a stronger person.

Now in ML1 and securing a two-year deal, his life is now at Motherwell, somewhere he is truly loved by supporters and ready to make an impact.

Motherwell Women will receive a significant financial contribution following a £10,000 funding increase from the Well Society.

The club maintain aspirations of establishing Motherwell Women as a competitive outfit in the top-half of the SWPL, and that prospect was strengthened this week, as the side will receive a cash injection that will provide access to elite coaching and support staff for players from academy level through to the first-team.

“The journey we are on here at Motherwell is all about creating a pathway for young players and creating as professional an environment as we can,” Head of Women and Girls Football, Paul Brownlie, said.

“This funding will ensure players can maintain access to high level coaching, quality facilities and support staff – such as sports scientists – who can help our teams maximise their performance.

“On behalf of the players and the staff, we’d like to say thank you to members of the Well Society for this funding, and for their encouragement and support for our women and girls throughout the season.”

Motherwell Women currently sit eighth in the top-flight of Scottish women’s football with ambitions of progressing into regular top-six finishes. Paul and assistant coach Leanne Crichton, who are both undertaking their UEFA Pro Licence – the highest UEFA coaching certificate available – together strive for continuous improvement both on and off the pitch.

Motherwell FC Girls’ Academy has maintained an Elite Level status within the Scottish FA’s National Academy Programme, which governs the development of the game for those aged between 14-18. National Academy Programme status considers performance in areas such as coaching qualifications, sports science and medical setups, as well as domestic and international appearances for home-grown players. Maintaining this quality approach is vital to the club.

“Paul and his team are driving the women’s game forward,” Tom Feely, co-chair of the Well Society, explained.

“The Society believes that football is a sport for everyone, and when one part of the club flourishes, it impacts the whole club.

“They’ve built a terrific pathway and are striving to make the women’s team as competitive as they can be. We wanted to help by providing funding, but also practical support, to enhance match day experiences and promote the women’s game.”

The first-team squad will return home to K-Park this weekend, with Dundee United the visitors on Sunday 15th October. Kick off is 4pm.

“We’d love to see as many fans at that game as possible, to drive the team on in what is an important league encounter for us,” Paul added.

As well as featuring the women’s team on Junior Steel materials, and promoting games and initiatives, the Society is also seeking to recruit event and marketing volunteers to assist on match days. If you’d be interested in this role, please get in touch.

Motherwell return home to K-Park after almost a month-long hiatus, with the women of steel looking to overturn a disappointing recent run of form whilst retaining their impressive start in East Kilbride.

The women of steel suffered a confidence-draining defeat to league leaders Celtic last weekend, compounding a tough month of results for Paul Brownlie’s side.

A return to K-Park will be a welcome break for the hosts who have secured three wins from four at home this season, but have since struggled to replicate their form on the road, with the side yet to pick up their first points.

The Tale of the Tape

Motherwell

K-Park has proven to be a formidable venue for travelling sides this season, with Spartans, Hamilton and Montrose all leaving East Kilbride empty-handed.

Brownlie’s side have netted eight times at home thus far, with Montrose the only side to find the target with a late consolation.

Motherwell have only suffered one defeat from their last five against United, as a Carla Boyce double was cancelled out by strikes from Robyn Smith, Jade McLaren, Dannielle McGinley and Neve Guthrie in their last meeting.

Dundee United

After narrowly staving off a relegation play-off place last season, Dundee United initially struggled to build upon where they left off last season, picking up one point from their opening four league games.

United have since secured their first two victories of the 2023/24  SWPL campaign in an exhilarating eight-goal thriller against Hamilton and victory over Aberdeen last weekend.

Ticket information

Cash & card payments are also available for this fixture.

• Adult – £8
• Concession – £3
• Under 11s – Free to enter.

*Concession tickets apply to those over 65, and to 12–17-year-olds, with full-time students also eligible with a valid matriculation card.

Additional information – no pets allowed within K-Park.

How to follow the action

Supporters can follow Sunday’s encounter on Twitter @motherwellwomen, with a full report of the action available post-match.

We have ten players currently out on loan, who have been in action this past month. 

Ricki Lamie

Since his debut against St Johnstone, Ricki Lamie is yet to miss a minute of action for Dundee. Three draws and a defeat for the Dee leave them 10th in the cinch Premiership. The centre back picked up an assist in a 2-2 draw with Kilmarnock in September.

Their most recent game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch against Ross County.

Nathan McGinley

Joining Partick Thistle on loan until January on the deadline day for loan deals, McGinley was thrown straight onto the bench for Thistle’s match against Dunfermline.

He would be an unused substitute against Dunfermline and was so again a week later, against Inverness CT.

Partick Thistle are currently third in the Championship, four points off the top with McGinley looking for regular game time having returned from a long-term injury this summer.

Ewan Wilson

Ewan Wilson made a loan switch to Stirling Albion and has wasted no time in making an impact at the Albion.

He made is debut against Cove Rangers in a 2-2 draw, where he played 80 minutes of the match before putting in a man of the match performance in Stirling’s 1-0 win against Queen of the South at Palmerston on Saturday.

The 18-year-old notched an assist as he continues his progression with the League 1 side for the remainder of the campaign with Stirling currently sitting fifth in the table.

Sam Campbell

Since our last loan update, Sam Campbell has found regular minutes tricky to come by with Annan Athletic.

The young centre-back has only featured once since 26 August, however that came last Saturday against Cove Rangers when he was a half time substitute.

Annan were 2-0 down at the half time stage, with Campbell coming on in the second half looking to stiffen the defensive line up, the Galabankies came close to an impressive comeback however narrowly lost the game 3-2.

Robbie Garcia

Robbie Garcia continues to work away at Cowdenbeath, with the 17-year-old now up to five appearances for the Lowland League side.

He played 77 minutes in their extra time win over Linlithgow Rose in the Scottish Cup and started again against Cumbernauld Colts the following week.

Garcia played 10 minutes in their last outing, which was a 3-2 win over Gretna which leaves the Blue Brazil 9th in the table.

Barry Maguire

It’s been a tricky start to the season for Kidderminster Harriers in the National League, with them currently sitting second bottom in the standings.

Despite this, Barry Maguire has been handed plenty minutes on the pitch so far. With nine appearances already for the Worcestershire side, Maguire has started five and been a substitute in four games.

A 1-0 win in their last outing against Wealdstone, could just be the trigger for a run of form. Maguire and Kidderminster are in FA Cup action this weekend, in the fourth qualifying round, against Ashton United.

Ross Tierney

Ross Tierney and Walsall are in action this evening in the EFL Cup, taking on Forest Green Rovers.

Since our last update, Walsall have played five matches, winning one, drawing one and losing three. Tierney recorded an assist in a 3-1 win against Bradford in that time, and has started all three of the last three games.

Adam MacDonald

Adam MacDonald has started the last three matches for Cowdenbeath, in all competitions.

The attacking midfielder has now racked up 10 appearances for the Lowland League side this season, scoring two goals in the process.

Robbie Mahon

Robbie Mahon has a new manager at Edinburgh City in the form of Michael McIndoe, who joined the club this week.

Mahon has made two substitute appearances in the last month, where he managed an assist for City’s only goal of the game against Kelty Hearts last weekend.

With ten appearances to his name this season, the new era at Edinburgh City starts against Hamilton Accies at New Douglas Park.

Mark Ferrie

Mark Ferrie made his debut for Stenhousemuir against Clyde in a 2-2 draw. The striker featured for 13 minutes as a second half substitute.

Stenny’s latest match against Elgin City was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

In their final match before the October international break, Motherwell were on the road to West Lothian to face Livingston. 

It has been a tricky period for Stuart Kettlewell’s side of late, with three defeats on the spin heading into the match.

Very few chances were created in the first half, with Dan Casey’s speculative effort going closest to opening the scoring but the game would spin on it’s head when Lennon Miller saw red for an apparent clip on Dan Mackay right on the stroke of half time.

From then on, Motherwell couldn’t get a hold of the game and soon went behind thanks to a Bruce Anderson finish early on in the second half.

Sean Kelly would score past his brother Liam from the penalty spot just after the hour mark to make it 2-0 and seal the points for the home side.

There would be no doubt the red card changed the game however the Steelmen will be disappointed with their performance and now look to bounce back against St Johnstone in two weeks time.

We have four players away on international duty in October. 

Liam Kelly

Liam Kelly may have missed last month’s Scotland matches due to a back injury, but our skipper is back in the squad again this month, with the dark blues in action twice.

On the cusp of qualifying for EURO 2024, Scotland travel to Spain on Thursday 12 October knowing if they win or draw, they will earn qualification. The other match in the group could also play a factor. If Norway draw or lose in Cyprus, then Scotland will qualify.

If neither of these happen, Scotland can qualify on Sunday 15 October if Norway lose or draw at home to Spain.

In their second match, Scotland travel to France to take on Les Bleus in a friendly match on Tuesday 17 October.

Lennon Miller

Lennon Miller is once again in the Scotland Under 19 squad and they too, have two matches lined up this month.

First up, is a friendly against Ireland on Wednesday 11 October before facing Portugal on Sunday 15 October.

Both are friendly matches and both take place in Murcia.

Brodie Spencer

One of our September player of the month nominees, Brodie Spencer earned a call-up to the Northern Ireland squad this month.

They are in action twice in EURO 2024 qualifiers with both matches taking place in Belfast.

First up, they face San Marino on Saturday 14 October at Windsor Park. Slovenia then travel to Belfast on Tuesday 17 October.

Harry Paton

Having come so close to earning his first cap for his country, Harry Paton has had to wait two years to get back in the Canadian squad but the midfielder has done just that this month.

Travelling to Japan to take on the national team in a friendly match on Friday 13 October in their only match this month, Paton has completed his first goal of getting in the squad and now looks to earn his first cap.

It was an afternoon to forget for Motherwell, as the women of steel suffered a confidence-draining defeat at the hands of league leaders Celtic who cruised to a commanding six-goal advantage to extend their lead at the top of the SWPL league table.

An Aimee Gallacher and Katherine Loferski double was soon followed by strikes from Chloe Craig and former Motherwell striker Tiree Burchill to compound another frustrating experience on the road for Paul Brownlie’s side.

Brownlie made two changes from last weekend’s cup exit to Montrose, with Tara McGonigle and Jo Addie both returning to the starting XI, as Hannah Cunningham and Murron Cunningham settled for a place on the bench.

Looking to finally conclude their struggles away from home, a well-structured Motherwell side started brightly, limiting Celtic opportunities in the final third whilst creating chances on the break.

However, Motherwell were left to reflect on their positive opening to the game, as Celtic capitalised on a fast-paced counter-attack. Shen Menglu’s driving run from the left caught the Motherwell backline in knots before firing a low delivery across the face of goal, which Gallacher coolly dispatched form close-range.

The hosts doubled their advantage five minutes later, as Natalie Ross’ low delivery from the right was met by Loferski who directed a low effort into the bottom-right corner, beyond the reach of Emily Mutch.

Fran Alonso’s side had a third less than four-minutes later, as Craig powered home a well-placed header from Shen Mengyu’s floated corner kick, with Motherwell’s positive opening passage of play and structured game plan undone in a brief spell of complacency.

Celtic’s fourth came on the half-hour mark in similar circumstances to the opening few goals. Paula Partido’s low cross from he right flashed across the face of goal, and a clever first touch from Loferski allowed the striker to evade Gill Inglis’ late lunging tackle before netting her second of the afternoon.

The league leaders had five on the stroke of half-time, as Gallacher pickpocketed Addie deep into the Motherwell final third, and the striker calmly placed her effort past Mutch to secure a commanding five-goal lead at the break.

Celtic rounded off the afternoon on the hour mark, as former Motherwell striker Burchill drilled an exceptional effort from the edge of the penalty area which ricocheted off of both posts before nestling into the bottom-right corner.

The women of steel will return to action, with Dundee United the visitors at K-Park next weekend.

Kayla Jardine has re-joined the club on a short-term loan deal from Rangers.

The 18-year-old, who extended her stay at the club this summer after signing a short-term loan deal in January, was recalled to her parent club before making her first appearance of the 2023/24 SWPL campaign, as injury woes hampered the Glasgow side.

Jardine will now return to the club until January, looking to build upon the three goals netted across her first spell in Lanarkshire.

“I am extremely happy to get this over the line and can’t wait to get started,” Jardine said.

“This is a great opportunity to further my development as a player and I can’t wait to get back into it.”

Jardine, who was initially Brownlie’s seventh summer signing, will be available for this Sunday’s encounter with league leaders Celtic.

“Excellent addition to the squad,” head coach Paul Brownlie said.

“Kayla’s a very versatile, exciting young player who brings real creativity. We had to be patient, but I’m delighted its done and now the Motherwell support can look forward to seeing Kayla in claret and amber.”

Motherwell suffered their fourth defeat on the spin in West Lothian on Saturday, losing 2-0 to Livingston. 

Lennon Miller was shown a red card on the stroke of half time before Bruce Anderson and Sean Kelly made sure of the points in the second half.

The home side started on the front foot and nearly took the lead after just two minutes when Ayo Obileye headed just wide from a corner.

Brodie Spencer had Motherwell’s first real chance of the game. Sneaking in at the back post, the full-back headed back across goal, only for his effort to land just wide of the mark.

With the half of football producing few chances, Dan Casey went closest next. A speculative effort from a free kick just inside the Livingston half, the Irishman spotted goalkeeper Shamal George off his line before sailing an effort goal wards. The stopper managed to get back onto his line just in time and tipped the effort over bar.

The game would be completely changed just before the break. A Motherwell free kick turned into a Livingston counter attack and Daniel Mackay was put in behind the Motherwell backline. Miller was the furthest man back and the Livi winger cut across the 17-year-old and referee Don Robertson deemed there to be enough contact to justify a red card for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity and sent Miller for an early bath.

Getting into the break on level terms was the first step for Motherwell but the next was to keep it tight in the early exchanges of the second period. Unfortunately, the hosts found the back of the net on 53 minutes. Anderson got on the end of a low cross into the box and finished past Liam Kelly.

Within ten minutes, it was 2-0. James Penrice was impeded by Bevis Mugabi in the area and a penalty was awarded. Facing his brother between the sticks, Sean Kelly stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way. 2-0.

Just after 70 minutes, Robertson pointed to the spot after Georgie Gent had apparently fouled Jason Holt in the box. VAR intervened and deemed the foul to have taken outside the box.

The match would finish 2-0 and gave the hosts their first win at home this season. Motherwell remain in fifth place going into the second international break of the season.