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Striker Morgan Cross has moved onto defending champions Celtic after agreeing a permanent deal at the Parkhead club.

Arriving at the club 12 months ago, Morgan Cross overcame an instant debut injury setback before netting 10-times in 28- appearances throughout her time in claret and amber.

Leading the line alongside Rangers-loanee Laura Berry, the forward played a pivotal role in sustaining the women of steel’s exceptional 11-game unbeaten run that ensured SWPL survival and a seventh-placed finish in the 2023/24 SWPL campaign.

Cross made a long-awaited return to the international stage after the forward was named in Scotland’s U23-squad following a seven-year absence from the national-side.

“I have loved my time at the club,” Morgan Cross said.

“These have been some of the most enjoyable moments of my career and I can’t thank the club enough for enhancing my performances and skillset. I wish everyone nothing but the best!”

We’re immensely grateful for Morgan’s efforts last season and wish her well in this next step. Thanks for everything, Morgan.

Two of our matches have been selected for Sky Sports coverage. 

We will now take on Celtic on Sunday 27 October at Fir Park. Kick off is 3pm.

Our match against Rangers on Sunday 29 December, at Fir Park, has also been selected for Sky Sports coverage and will kick off at 3pm.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell says despite winning the last three games, his team are not getting drawn into the all positive narrative around the club at the minute, and that they have been working hard to make that four wins this weekend. 

He offers an update on the fitness of Shane Blaney, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and John Koutroumbis. The manager also discusses the recent use of VAR within the games, as well as the successful international window for our players.

Zander McAllister has been named in the latest Scotland Under 17 squad. 

Under-17 Head Coach Brian McLaughlin has listed McAllister in his squad for their upcoming friendlies later this month.

Scotland face Indonesia in a double header at the Pinatar Arena.

• Indonesia v Scotland
• Tuesday 26th September
• KO 15:00
• Pinatar Arena, Spain

• Scotland v Indonesia
• Sunday 29th September
• KO TBC
• Pinatar Arena, Spain

We had four players away representing their countries during the September international break. 

Krisztián Hegyi

Hegyi was named in the Hungarian Under 21 starting 11 for their friendly match against Slovakia. Hegyi playing the first 45 minutes, with the Hungarians trailing 1-0 at the break.

The match finished 2-1 to Slovakia.

In Hungary’s second match against Spain, Hegyi was once again named between the sticks. Despite running the Spanish side close, Hungary went on to lose the game 1-0.

Lennon Miller

Miller was an unused substitute against Spain.

Scotland travelled to Malta in their second match where Miller was named in the starting 11. Having assisted Murray with a pinpoint delivery from a free kick, the young prodigy also went on to find the back of the net to make it 4-0 with a header. Scotland went on to win the game 5-0.

Ewan Wilson

Wilson made his Scotland bow against Spain at Tynecastle in the first Scotland Under 21s match.

The full-back came on in the 75th minute, with Scotland losing the game 2-1.

After earning his first cap, Wilson was given his first start against Malta. He played the full 90 minutes and made an instant impact, when his cross was deflected into the Maltese net for an own goal, to give his side the lead in the early stages of the match.

Tawanda Maswanhise

Zimbabwe began their quest for AFCON qualification against Kenya in their first match. Maswanhise was named on the bench but was introduced into the action on the 75th minute. The game finished 0-0.

Having made an impact off the bench, Maswanhise was an unused substitute in the match against Cameron, where the game also finished 0-0.

Motherwell will continue their William Hill Premiership campaign following the conclusion of the September international break, with a trip to Aberdeen on Saturday 14 September. 

Kick off is 3pm at Pittodrie.

How to follow the game

You can buy tickets online.

Aberdeen will not do ticket sales on the day so the last opportunity for anyone wishing to buy a ticket for the match is 4pm on Friday.

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our away kit for this match.

Injury Update

Callum Slattery, Harry Paton, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Ross Callachan, Sam Nicholson, Shane Blaney and Johnny Koutroumbis remain out for this game.

There are no new injury concerns ahead of this match.

Filip Stuparevic has now recovered from injury and is available for selection.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell went into the international break on a high. Six points out of six and progression to the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup meant it was three wins out of three for Stuart Kettlewell’s side.

Goals continued to be spread amongst the team, with Dan Casey getting his first league goal of the season, as did Moses Ebiye against St Johnstone.

That late winner against St Johnstone moved Motherwell up to fifth in the table, with the Steelmen currently sitting on seven points.

Opposition Report

It’s been a flawless start for Jimmy Thelin at Aberdeen. The new Dons boss arrived in the summer and has hit the ground running with his new team.

Nine games played, nine wins. Aberdeen are sitting pretty in second place behind Celtic on goal difference.

Ester Sokler has four goals for the season but it’s been Pape Habib Guèye who has been finding the back of the net in the league, scoring three in the last three league matches.

Fir Park will host the Youth Cup match against Edinburgh City. 

The Under 18 Motherwell side are in second round action against The Citizens.

Entry is free to the stadium, with fans being housed in the Phil O’Donnell Stand.

Kick off is 7pm.

In this feature, Davor Zdravkovski takes us on a mini tour of his daily life and discusses his mentality to his setbacks.

Zdravkovski arrived in Scotland back in the summer of 2023, having spent six years over in Cyprus, a place he moved to at just 18-years-old. However, after his big move to Motherwell was complete, he didn’t hit the ground running.

Six months of hard work and relentless endeavour later, Zdravkovski eventually muscled his way into the starting 11 and hasn’t looked back since.

Despite the slow start, he remained mentally strong and was determined to show his worth. That approach is now required at international level.

The 26-year-old was left out of the latest North Macedonia squad, having been a regular in the last 12 months. This set back hasn’t de-railed the midfielder and he is more determined than ever to get his first cap for his country.

You have voted Stephen O’Donnell as your G4 Claims August player of the month.

The full-back picked up this accolade for the first time back in March and now collects his second award.

Taking the captain’s armband in our season opener against Ross County, O’Donnell played every minute during the month of August, which included extra-time being played against Kilmarnock.

The 32-year-old bagged his second goal of the season against Hearts, with a bullet header at the back post from Lennon Miller’s free kick.

His work rate and endeavour didn’t go unnoticed by the Motherwell support, with O’Donnell continually going the extra yard in every match.

“I really appreciate the support from everyone,” O’Donnell said.

“Thank you to everyone who voted for me. It’s so important we use this start to build and push the club on.

“We have some massive matches in September and we’re going to need everyone behind us to get through them. There is a really good feeling amongst everything associated with the club and we, as players, will do our best to maintain that.”

An afternoon on the Fir Park turf will await the women of steel this weekend, with Motherwell returning to ML1 for the fourth successive season after previously facing Hamilton, Glasgow Women and Dundee United in the previous SWPL campaigns.

The hosts will be poised to regain their early signs of momentum when they travel down the Fir Park road on Sunday. Assured victories over Dundee United and Glasgow Women on their last meetings in ML1 will inspire confidence when they encounter Partick Thistle this weekend. Summer acquisition Mason Blyth-Clark is relishing the opportunity in North Lanarkshire

“The squad is absolutely buzzing,” Blyth-Clark emphasised.

“Everyone feels like it’s the perfect stage for this type of game. It feels like a huge privilege to be able to play at Fir Park this weekend, and i’m sure it will mean a lot to the fans as-well.

“It feels like there’s a right buzz around the game which makes it exciting as a player but also getting to play in an amazing stadium with a perfect surface.”

Despite the magnitude of the game, Blyth-Clark insists the weight of the occasion won’t distract the squad from their preparations.

“As a team we always prepare and approach games in the same manner,” Blyth-Clark noted.

“Everyone is always pushing to try and make the starting 11 every week and to improve on our performances from the week before. Personally, my goal is to be apart of the starting 11 as consistently as possibly and to help the team in any way I can. If I can contribute then that’s a bonus, but the end goal is definitely to reach the top-six.

“I feel like we have a good balance in the dressing room between younger players and experienced players. The experienced girls are always so good at helping us through the game and any new experiences that we come across.”

The women of steel will target a resurgence in form after an initially positive start to the 2024/25 SWPL campaign, where they netted five-times against Spartans before defeating Montrose by 3-goals at K-Park. After a disappointing result in Edinburgh, Motherwell will be determined to earn three points when they take to the Fir Park turf this weekend, as they welcome Brian Graham’s side to North Lanarkshire.

“During pre-season, collectively we had a chat as a team about our standards and expectations for the season ahead,” Blyth-Clark explained.

“The team have been striving for a top-six finish since Paul and Leanne joined the club and I think it’s not only the goal for the team but for me personally, one of the things that made Motherwell an exciting prospect was the opportunity to help the club achieve their goal.

“The team were really disappointed to not achieve a top-six finish last season and even the year before the club came very close, so that has become an extra motivator for the full squad. Paul and Leanne have made it clear, top-six is the goal this season. They’ve shown their belief in us collectively and have gave us the correct tools to go and express ourselves and play within the Motherwell identity.”

Since arriving on loan from title-challengers Rangers in the summer, Mason Blyth-Clark has provided necessary competition for places as a central component at the core of the Motherwell midfield, with the 18-year-old already proving to be a positive addition this season.

“⁠I’m loving being here so far,” Blyth-Clark said.

“I think it was the right decision for me as a player, I am playing football at a great level but I love that playing here pushes my boundaries. The team has been so welcoming with me and the other new girls and it definitely feels like there’s a togetherness in the team.”

The women of steel’s forthcoming meeting with Partick Thistle at Fir Park will have free entry for all supporters. However, if you are able to, there will be buckets available for fans to place donations. All profits will go towards the girl’s academy.

“⁠It means the world to the team,” Blyth-Clark said.

“To feel the fans behind us and supporting us through the whole 90 minutes, it means a lot and can be the difference in achieving a positive result or not.

“We really hope the supporters turn out in their numbers to support us and make this occasion one to remember. We can’t wait to have you all at Fir Park with us.”