Latest News

Our match against Morton in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup will now take place on Friday 9 February. 

Kick off is 7.30pm.

The match has been selected for live coverage on BBC Scotland.

Ticket information will be communicated shortly.

Oli Shaw has returned to his parent club Barnsley. 

All parties have agreed to terminate the current loan agreement, to allow Oli to return to Barnsley to continue his rehabilitation.

The striker signed on a season-long loan in the summer but will return south this month.

Shaw made 16 appearances in his time at Motherwell, recording two assists in that time.

We thank Oli for his efforts and wish him well in the future.

Sam Nicholson has joined the club the club on a deal running until the end of the season, subject to international clearance and paperwork formalities. 

“It’s another good signing for the club,” Stuart Kettlewell said.

“Sam has a lot to offer the team. He has good experience here in Scotland but also on his travels.

“He will add creativity and quality to the team.”

Born in Edinburgh, Nicholson was brought through the academy system at Hearts and went on to make his first team debut in 2013. Having impressed in the early stages of his career, he earned a new three-year deal in the summer of 2014.

He would depart Tynecastle for pastures new in 2017 having played 127 games for the Gorgie side, when he arrived at Minnesota before switching to Colorado Rapids a year later.

His first spell at the Rapids would end, where he returned to the UK to join Bristol Rovers in 2020. A hip injury would somewhat thwart is first season at the club but he would play in part in helping the side achieve promotion back to League One and made 75 appearances for Rovers.

In 2022, he returned to Colorado Rapids for his second spell until he left in January 2024, having made 91 appearances across the two spells.

The Scotland youth internationalist has over 300 games of club football in his career and has operated on either side of the pitch, or through the middle.

“I’m delighted to be here,” Sam Nicholson added.

“This is a good team and a good club, and I’m looking forward to contributing.”

Motherwell return to domestic action on Saturday 27 January when they travel to Perth to take on St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. 

Kick off is 3pm.

How to follow the game

Tickets are available for our trip to Perth.

Please note for the £18 family deal, all ticket holders must enter via turnstile 5 which will be monitored by stewards – strictly 1 adult + max 2 x U12 only. These will only be available to purchase online.

Wheelchair & PA tickets can be purchased directly from Motherwell FC. Adult/concession wheelchair tickets are £25/£15 respectively. The personal assistant ticket is included in the ticket price.

We have a limited amount of accessible parking bays for visiting supporters to book in advance (£5 – payable on the day). Please email dao@perthsaints.co.uk with your name and vehicle registration to book.

You will receive e-tickets which can either be printed at home or presented at the turnstile on your smartphone.

We would encourage all supporters to purchase their tickets online. However, should you require assistance please email the St Johnstone ticket office on ticketsales@perthsaints.co.uk or phone 01738 455000 during office hours.

If you are outside the UK, you can watch the game via Motherwell TV.

Should you be in the UK, it will be live commentary only.

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our away kit for this match.

Injury Update

Callum Slattery is out for this match and the rest of the season due to a knee injury.

Dan Casey and Shane Blaney are continuing their rehabilitation. Lennon Miller marked his return with a substitute appearance on 54 minutes against Alloa Athletic on Saturday.

Jon Obika is sidelined with a hamstring injury. Oli Shaw is also missing with a hamstring issue.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell progressed to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup on Saturday, with a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Alloa at Fir Park.

Blair Spittal was on the scoresheet twice, with Georgie Gent getting off the mark also. The result means it’s now two wins and a draw in their last three matches.

St Johnstone are one point behind Motherwell in the league table, with two matches between the sides this season ending in draws.

Opposition Report

St Johnstone were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Airdrie on Saturday.

The Saints have lost one of their last five matches in the cinch Premiership, with their last match in the league ending in a 0-0 draw against Livingston, back on 27 December.

Nathan McGinley has departed the club by mutual consent. 

The full-back, who joined in the summer of 2020, made 57 appearances for the Steelmen across in three-and-a-half years at the club.

McGinley would suffer a serious injury in 2022 and only made his return to action in the summer of 2023, having been out for 16 months.

“I just want to thank everyone at the club for the last three years,” McGinley said.

“It’s been a really difficult time with the long spell out but the club supported me all the way through it and thankfully, I’m now back playing.

“I wish everyone the very best and hope it’s a strong end to the season for the boys.”

We want to thank Nathan for his efforts in his time at Motherwell and wish him the best for the future.

Callan Elliot has joined the club on a deal running until the end of the season, subject to international clearance. 

The New Zealand internationalist makes the move to Fir Park, having most recently been with Wellington Phoenix.

24-year-old Elliot was born in Dumfries but moved to New Zealand at seven years old and has spent the entirety of career abroad until now.

“Callan has good quality and has impressed out in the A-League,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

“I’m trying build a squad here and we have been looking to add quality and depth in this area of the park. Callan ticks both of those boxes so it’s great to get him in the squad.

“He’s an international player and someone I think can add a lot to the team.”

He made his professional debut with Kiwi side Tasman United where he made 17 appearances and attracted interest before subsequently moving to Wellington in 2018.

Over two spells at the club, Eliot made 53 appearances for Phoenix senior side before leaving the club in March 2023 having failed to agree on a new contract with the club.

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

“I’ve been training hard and I’m looking forward to get going. The boys are great and have made me feel very welcome so far.”

The full-back is also a New Zealand internationalist, having made three appearances so far for the Kiwis. He was named in the New Zealand squad for the March internationals and was named in the starting lineup against China. He made his third appearance in June of 2023.

Callan Elliot will wear the number 29 kit this season.

Motherwell faced League One side Alloa in their first Scottish Cup tie of 2024 at Fir Park. 

As always when facing a team further down the divisions, the potential of a cup shock could have been on the cards but those nerves were cured after just 50 seconds when Blair Spittal’s effort was deemed over the line and the goal was given.

Former Motherwell man Connor Sammon came back to haunt Fir Park when he levelled proceedings with Alloa’s only attack of the first half.

However, the chances continued to flow and despite Blair Spittal missing from the penalty spot, he made up for it with a curling free kick that found the top corner after Georgie Gent has restored the Motherwell advantage.

Safely into the next round for the Steelmen, as Greenock Morton now lie in wait at Cappielow Park in the fifth round.

Kayla Jardine has extended her stay at the club until the end of the season.

The 18-year-old, who re-joined the club on an initial six-month loan deal from league leaders Rangers, will remain in claret and amber until the conclusion of season 2023/24 after an extension agreement was reached with the Ibrox side.

The Scottish youth internationalist has found the target three times this season, providing competition in the Motherwell forward line.

“I am delighted to keep Kayla at the club ,” head coach Paul Brownlie said.

“Kayla has been an excellent addition to the squad. She is a very exciting young player who brings real creativity and goals in the final third.

“We are pleased to get this over the line and are looking forward to her progression in the remainder of the season.

Victory over league rivals Dundee United prior to the festive break had the women of steel looking into the forthcoming year with confidence and optimism following a period of inconsistency, but an early Scottish Cup exit to Partick Thistle and a league defeat to Hearts have left the squad to reflect on their disappointing opening to 2024.

Misfortunes and inconsistency have continued to hinder signs of progression and positive displays in recent weeks, but defender Bailley Collins is confident that performances will soon be rewarded.

“Like every season, there have been ups and downs,” Collins said.

“There have probably been more downs than we’d have hoped for but, we’ve also had many strong performances and can take positives from most of our games so far.

“We’ve created chances that should have been capitalised on and lapses in concentration have seen teams punish our decision-making, by converting their own chances.

“It’s those split seconds that can win or lose you games and it’s those moments we are working hard to improve on and tighten up.”

Motherwell looked set to replicate their Scottish Cup successes of the previous season after cruising to an early advantage over Partick Thistle, with summer acquisition Morgan Cross securing two successive penalty kicks after being impeded twice in the Thistle penalty area.

The Dunfermline-born striker netted the first, with Collins converting the second, as Paul Brownlie’s side sought to recreate their route to Hampden Park after reaching the Semi-Final stage last season. However, Thistle netted a quickfire double moments into the second-half and a decisive fourth in the latter stages of the game to end the women of steel’s quest for silverware.

“It’s always disappointing to be knocked out of a cup early, especially when the team were so successful in the competition last season,” Collins explained.

“The game was won and lost in those moments across both halves and unfortunately we largely contributed to our own downfall. Three defensive errors cost us getting through to the next round, which is frustrating because we set ourselves high standards and we know that was nowhere near good enough.”

A frustrating note for the squad, as reflected by various results across the domestic calendar, with momentary lapses in composure undermining countless resolute performances that merited a more accurate reflection in the SWPL league table.

“Conceding goals from set-pieces have been our Achilles heel,” Collins noted.

“Recently resulting in our cup exit, but has also cost us a number of results in the league too. It’s frustrating when we defend so well as a team in open play, but when it comes to set-pieces; the opposition are too often getting the better of us.

“Our defensive structure has been good for the most part. We’ve created lots of chances, however that final decision to pass, cross or shoot, combined with composure in front of goal has undoubtably cost us points.”

With the women of steel facing a two-week hiatus from the domestic calendar before retuning to face Hibs in the capital, Collins described the next steps for the side ahead of the final set of pre-split fixtures in the 2023/2 SWPL campaign.

“The key for us is to remain positive and focused,” Collins said.

“If we keep doing what we know we are good at then the results will come. We train hard every week to better ourselves in all areas of the pitch and in all aspects of the game.

“Our aim is to pick up as many points as we can both home and away, and to finish as high up the league table as possible. We know what we are capable of and have shown that, so it’s now about finding that consistency in our performances and showing it with our results.

“The confidence we played with against Hearts we must now take into our next fixture against Hibs. Over the break we’ll keep working hard on the training pitch, we’ll focus on us and giving ourselves the best opportunity to get a positive result from what we know will be another challenging game.”