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We had six first-team players travelling the world over the last seven days. Here’s how they got on. 

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos

Stamatelopoulos was an unused substitute for Australia in their 3-1 win over China.

He also had to settle for a place on the bench as the Socceroos produced a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Japan.

Tawanda Maswanhise

Maswanhise was an unused substitute for Zimbabwe in their first match, as the Warriors overcame Namibia 1-0 in their quest for AFCON qualification.

The 21-year-old came on in the 66th minute of part two of their Namibian double-header and had the ball in the net but the offside flag was raised.

Ewan Wilson & Lennon Miller

Our two Scottish young guns had mixed fortunes.

Lennon Miller played the full 90 against Belgium and Ewan Wilson had to watch on as defeat to Belgium dealt their qualification hopes a big blow.

The Young Scots then made the long journey to Almaty to face Kazakhstan in their final Group B qualifier, knowing that a win was required to have any hope of securing second place in the group. Again Miller started, setting up one and scoring a stunner from the edge of the box but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat in which Ewan Wilson made a last-minute appearance.

Krisztián Hegyi

The on-loan stopper didn’t sample any game time as Hungary’s Under 21s saw off Malta but started against Belgium, keeping a clean sheet as the Hungarian youngsters won 1-0.

Kofi Balmer

A late call up to the squad, Kofi didn’t see any game time in their draw with Belarus and impressive 5-0 win over Bulgaria.

Motherwell have a number of players out on loan at present. Below, we take a look at how they are getting on. 

Matty Connelly

Matty Connelly was named on the bench for the first match after he joined East Kilbride. Since then, Connelly has started every match for EK.

The 21-year-old has ten appearances, keeping three clean sheets.

He was the hero at the weekend as he saved Chris Mochrie’s penalty to send EK through to the next round of the SPFL Trust Trophy

Max Ross

Max Ross joined Albion Rovers last month and was named on the bench for his first game.

He was introduced to the starting 11 in his second outing, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 win over Civil Service Strollers.

M.Ross then played 64 minutes against Cumbernauld Colts, where the game ended 1-1.

Brannan McDermott

Brannan McDermott made his debut for Broomhill in a 4-1 defeat against Cowdenbeath.

He then started against Tranent, where he was awarded the Broomhill man of the match in a 3-0 defeat.

Olly Whyte

Olly Whyte has established himself a first-team starter for Cowdenbeath and has amassed 15 appearances already in all competitions.

He won a vital penalty against league leaders Caledonian Braves, where his side drew 1-1.

The 17-year-old has played against Championship opposition in the form of Greenock Morton in the Trust Trophy, where Cowdenbeath narrowly lost out 1-0. Once again, Whyte won a penalty.

Dylan Wells

Dylan Wells is yet to make his first appearance for Edinburgh City.

Filip Stuparevic

It hasn’t taken long for Filip Stuparevic to make his mark at Morton.

The Serbian made his debut against Ayr United, when he was introduced into the action for the last 15 minutes.

He then made the starting 11 for their next match against Raith Rovers, where he scored a fine header, helping his side to a 2-0 win.

Filip then made it two goals in two games when he scored the opener against Hamilton Accies from the penalty spot.

Luca Ross

Luca Ross has made four appearances so far for Annan Athletic, starting four out of the last five games.

He was an unused substitute against Montrose and was cup-tied for the SPFL Trust trophy defeat to Queen’s Park.

Mark Ferrie

Mark Ferrie came on as a second-half substitute against Forfar Athletic, to make his debut for Bonnyrigg Rose.

An impressive 30 minutes from the striker, saw him start against East Fife. Ferrie played the full 90 minutes. Rose were reduced to 10 men after just 14 minutes.

In their most recent game, Ferrie came off the bench at half-time as Rose defeated Dunbar 3-2.

The women of steel comfortably earned their second successive victory in East Kilbride, placing four past a defeated Dundee United side in an assured performance at K-Park on Sunday.

Laura Berry continued her remarkable goalscoring form since returning to the women of steel on her second consecutive loan spell from league leaders Rangers. The 17-year-old broke the deadlock early into the first-half with a precise finish into the top-left corner before United promptly equalised with a sharp counter-attack.

Louisa Boyes restored Motherwell’s advantage moments later, forcing the ball over the line from close-range before Chelsie Watson ensured the women of steel headed into the half-time break with a two-goal cushion after powering home Bailley Collins’ floated free-kick.

Head Coach Paul Brownlie reshaped his starting XI from last weekend’s narrow defeat to league leaders Rangers, with Scotland internationalists Sienna McGoldrick, Amy Sharkey and Sophia Black all returning to the matchday squad alongside Rangers loanees Laura Berry and Mason Blyth-Clark.

Emily Mutch retained her place in the Motherwell goal, lining-up behind the back-four of skipper Gill Inglis, Jenna Penman, Chelsie Watson and Rachel Todd. Fellow Scotland youth internationals Berry and Sharkey partnered each other in the final third, with Sarah Gibb, Laura McCartney and Louisa Boyes completing the midfield trio.

The women of steel started brightly, immediately imposing their gameplay onto the fragmented visiting backline, and the hosts instantly found the breakthrough. Berry latched onto Gill Inglis’ enticing through ball before shifting the ball onto her stronger right-foot and dispatching an unstoppable finish into the top-left corner.

The hosts advantage failed to hold, as United quickly restored their foothold in the game. Catching Motherwell on the counter-attack, Ellie Cowie’s pinpoint cross-field pass accurately found teammate Ashley Robertson, who skilfully wrong-footed Emily Mutch with a looping finish on the half-volley.

Motherwell stuck to their gameplan, regrouped and soon found themselves ahead for the second-time. the hosts forced the United backline deep into their own penalty area, and despite numerous attempts to clear their lines, the ball eventually fell kindly to the feet of Boyes, who narrowly forced the ball over the line from a few yards out.

Five minutes later, Motherwell had their third of the afternoon. Collins’ floated free-kick from the left sailed invitingly into the path of Watson, who powered a headed effort down into the ground that fortunately ricocheted off one of the United backline before nestling comfortably into the back of the net.

Heading into the second-half, Motherwell struggled to find their assurance in-front of goal, as a variety of goalscoring opportunities evaded the women of steel. Collins’ came closest with a dangerous strike from distance that left Beth Rennie scrambling in the visiting goal.

Paul Brownlie’s side secured a fourth win the latter stages of the game, with Berry skilfully working her way through several white and tangerine jerseys before drilling a composed finish into the bottom-left corner for her seventh goal since making the switch back to ML1 in the summer.

Motherwell move back into the final top-six place, one point clear of nearest rivals Partick Thistle, who sit seventh in the SWPL league table.

Tawanda Maswanhise has signed a new contract at the club. 

The Zimbabwean has put pen to paper on a deal until the summer of 2026, with the club holding an option of a further year.

Maswanhise joined the club in August and immediately made an impact in his debut against Kilmarnock. He initially signed a short-term deal until January, but will now remain at Fir Park until 2026.

“It’s great to say I’ll be a Motherwell player until 2026,” Maswanhise said.

“I have loved my time here so far. With it being a short-term deal I signed, I knew I had to try and impress the coaching staff and work as hard as possible.

“There was no doubt I wanted to stay here for longer and I’m pleased that’s going to happen.”

“Tawanda has shown what he brings to this team,” manager Stuart Kettlewell added.

“His pace, directness and quality on the ball causes problems for the opposition. He is a great lad who I believe really helps the team.

“He has his future secured now and can knuckle down.”

Motherwell Community Trust women’s recreational side competed in a football festival.

The squad faced Celtic, Busby Girls AFC, Cumbernauld United, and Braehead in a round-robin styled festival featuring over 50-participants at Fir Park Training Centre.

The women’s recreational team are open to players at all levels of ability, with no prior experience required. The flexible matchday format features two seven-aside squads, however specific rules can be agreed before kick-off to suit certain abilities. For example, the substitution of throw-ins for kick-ins.

The squad train on Friday evening’s at the Fir Park astro – located behind the John Hunter Stand and can be accessed through the entrance to the Tommy MacLean (South) stand.

Sessions take place on:

• Friday’s: 7.00PM – 8.00PM.

If you are interested in taking part, please contact:

Nathan.Wallace@Motherwellfc.co.uk

The women of steel return to action this weekend, encouraged by their valiant and spirited display against league leaders Rangers, when they take to the K-Park turf against Dundee United.

The women of steel stood resolute against the Glasgow-side until the opening exchanges of the second-half, where a quickfire Rangers double sealed victory against a weakened Motherwell side, which left out Rangers loanees Laura Berry and Mason Blyth-Clark alongside Scotland under-17 internationals Amy Sharkey, Sienna McGoldrick and latest addition Sophie Black.

The Tale of the Tape 

Motherwell 

The hosts head back to South Lanarkshire looking to replicate their late cup heroics after defeating local rivals Hamilton in the Lanarkshire derby almost a fortnight ago. The women of steel head into Sunday’s encounter keen to establish consistency in East Kilbride.

Motherwell’s squad selection limitations will improve this weekend, as Amy Sharkey, Sienna McGoldrick and latest addition Sophie Black all return from international duty with Scotland U17s, whilst Laura Berry and Mason Blyth-Clark are both eligible after being sidelined against their parent club.

The women of steel’s academy graduates have continued to prepare with the first-team squad, with striker Kyla Thomson, Hannah Cairns and Mia Gillespie all featuring against rangers at Broadwood last weekend.

Dundee United

The visitors have yet to pick up their first victory of the 2024/25 SWPL campaign, earning one point from their opening nine league games, after holding Aberdeen to a 1-1 stalemate at Balmoral Stadium. The Tangerines sit at the foot of the Premier. league table, four points adrift of the Dons in 11th-place.

Ticket information

Cash & card payments are also available for this fixture.

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

How to follow the action 

Supporters can follow Sunday’s encounter on Twitter @motherwellwomen, with a full report of the action available post-match. Kick-off from K-Park at 4PM.

It was only in May of this year that Ewan Wilson was playing Junior football with Beith, after a failed loan spell at Stirling Albion.

With his contract coming to an end, he knew he had to impress to have a chance of continuing his career at Motherwell.

Fast forward to October and the 19-year-old is the first-team left-back for the Steelmen, having not missed a minute of league action.

He’s now a Scotland Under 21 internationalist and is preparing to play at Hampden in a League Cup semi-final against Rangers.

The rise has been nothing short of exceptional, but it isn’t just down to luck. Having came across personal issues with diet and weight, Wilson has been working hard behind the scenes to rectify his problems and come out the other side all the better for it.

Aston Oxborough has signed a new contract with the club. 

The new deal will see the goalkeeper remain at the club until the summer of 2027, with the club holding an option of a further year.

The 26-year-old has impressed everyone between the sticks this season. Oxborough has been named in the Premiership team of the week twice, and was voted player of the month for September by the Motherwell supporters.

“It’s great to get Aston signed on a longer contract,” manager Stuart Kettlewell added.

“There’s been no doubt in my mind that I wanted him to stay at Fir Park beyond this season. His qualities have shone through in his performances this season. And I think everyone knows how patient he has had to be for his opportunity.

“He is a huge part of the success we’ve had so far.”

The Englishman has started 11 games this season and has firmly secured his spot as the number one keeper at the club, with a string of impressive saves and performances.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind this season but I’m so happy to be signing on,” Aston Oxborough said.

“I’ve tried to give my absolute all and I’m pleased with how it’s went so far. Signing this deal doesn’t mean I’ll be taking my foot off the gas.

“We have huge games coming up and long-term, I want to be the number one keeper. So, it’s time to keep my head down and get back to work.”

Laura Berry has won the September ScottishPower Women’s Premier League player of the month award.

The 17-year-old returned to North Lanarkshire in emphatic style, netting five-times in her first month at the club since returning for a second loan spell from league leaders Rangers.

A promising young talent, Berry confidently resumed her scintillating goalscoring form from the previous league campaign, scoring four-times against Queens Park in only her second appearance since returning to the women of steel before striking in the final seconds of the game to level the Lanarkshire derby which eventually led to Motherwell securing their place in the Quarter-Final of the Sky Sports League Cup.

“I’m extremely proud to receive this award,” Berry said excitedly.

“It meant a lot to receive the award once last season and I wanted to achieve that again.

“Having the award voted on from fellow players and managers is especially meaningful, as their recognition is something I haven’t taken for granted. I’m looking to build on this start at the club this season and hopefully contribute to a successful season at the club.”

Chief Executive Brian Caldwell discusses the decision to give Stuart Kettlewell and Stephen Frail new contracts last month at the club. Caldwell also touches on the community spirit that he saw first hand in the build up the quarter-final match against Dundee United, as well as talking about the decision to move a December fixture against Kilmarnock to the Friday night. 

He also addresses the reasoning behind the ticket pricing for the semi-final match against Rangers before finishing on the relationship he has built with the Well Society.