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Putting pen to paper over a fortnight after the closure of the summer transfer window, 16-year-old forward Sophie Black made the daunting switch to ML1 after penning a season-long loan deal from title-chasers Rangers.

Black made a name for herself very early on in her career. Making her competitive debut for the Gers at just 16-years-old, Black featured in the Glasgow sides 11-goal opening day victory over Aberdeen before featuring in the Champions League matchday squad against European powerhouses Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.

Ready to establish herself within the Scottish game, Black is determined to follow in the footsteps of fellow teammate Laura Berry, and progress though the ranks in the Scottish top-flight.

“Motherwell seemed like the perfect environment for me,” Black explained.

“From the very first conversation I had with Paul, Leanne and the other staff, I could see the clear vision of what they wanted to achieve whilst playing a style of football that suited my qualities as a player.

A striker by trade, the versatile forward had to wait for her competitive league debut after representing the Scotland U-17 squad alongside teammates Amy Sharkey and Sienna McGoldrick.

Scotland secured victory over Iceland, Northern Ireland and Poland to comfortably earn their qualification to the second round of UEFA European Championship Qualifiers ahead of the final qualification round in the Faroe Islands next summer.

“It’s always a great opportunity to go away with the national team,” Black emphasised.

“I learn a lot playing against different opposition that you don’t often have the opportunity to learn from. We’re always being pushed to progress our standards to the next level, and to come away from the international break with three wins and at the top of our group, it really shows how much we’ve developed as a team.

“It will be great to bring back these experiences and hopefully implement some new things into my game.”

Despite having to wait for her competitive debut in South Lanarkshire, Black introduced herself to the K-Park faithful as a second-half substitute in the women of steel’s comfortable 4-1 victory over Dundee United. A Berry double, with strikes from Chelsie Watson and Louisa Boyes sealed a convincing victory in East Kilbride.

“I’m really delighted to have made my debut for Motherwell,” Black noted.

“I have been working hard for this moment, so to finally put on the shirt and represent the club was an incredible feeling.

The women of steel have made a positive start to league proceedings. Victory over the Tangerines enabled Paul Brownlie’s side to overtake closest rivals Partick Thistle into the final top-six place, returning 12-points from nine outings. Victory on derby day saw Motherwell progress past local rivals Hamilton to confirm their place in the Quarter-Final of the Sky Sports League Cup.

Keen to play her part, Black hopes to add vital competition for places, as the women of steel travel North next weekend to face Aberdeen at Balmoral Stadium.

“On a personal level, my main goal is to establish myself in the squad and make a real impact on the pitch,” Black said.

Ewan Wilson has burst onto the scene in 2024/25. The Motherwell Academy graduate has picked the perfect opportunity to step up to the plate for the first-team at the club. 

Loan spells at Albion Rovers, Stirling Albion and Beith Juniors only tell half of the story, but the 19-year-old left-back has become an integral part of the Motherwell team.

Using his strong and physical presence to see off opponents, he also has a burst of pace and flair to go past defenders. Often left as the last man, he uses his defensive prowess with timely tackles and interceptions thriving in 1v1 situations against the leagues best wide men. 

With a venomous shot and a composed final ball, Wilson continues to impress in both areas of the pitch as his first-team experience rises every week, with him yet to miss a minute of league action so far.

“Delighted” by his recent start to life in Motherwell’s first team and being given the opportunity to continue his journey with the Steelmen, Aston Oxborough stated that there was “no doubt” to continue with Motherwell after reflecting on his time and starting off “fairly well” when beginning as the number two keeper under Liam Kelly who went on to play for Rangers, allowing Oxborough to show that he is more than capable of that number one spot.

When asked about the teams current performance before they take on Dundee Saturday 19th, the 26-year-old said that the players have been “pretty good” and that he hopes they learn from their previous trend of action only managing a short success rate at the start of the Premiership and will manage to stay consistent in their efforts, Aston is an “asset” to the team as suggested by manager Stuart Kettlewell.

Oxborough has a clear focus right now on trying to secure a victory against Dundee and what’s to come after for Motherwell, especially after such a favourable outcome so far early on in the season which is hoped to be continued.

Prior to the Motherwell v Dundee match Saturday 19th, Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell expresses the teams previous game successes as a “class week” following the teams win against Hibernian 2-1.

When asked about the opposition, Kettlewell stated Dundee are a “very good side” and with Captain Paul McGinn suffering a muscle injury which puts him out for a good period of time, the team will have to continue to keep consistent in order to cope with what Kettlewell describes as fierce competition.

“My biggest passion is seeing the players improve” insisted the manager, with confidence that the team are driven by the results on the pitch.

This is evident with Motherwell’s Englishman Aston Oxborough asserting himself in the football industry with his consistent success securing the spot of the clubs number one keeper which followed with him being voted player of the month in September by fans, and then scoring with a new contract guaranteeing his place up till the Summer of 2027.

The women of steel travel North this weekend, looking to build on their comfortable victory over Dundee United, when they head to the Granite City to face Aberdeen.

Motherwell comprehensively overcame the Tangerines, sending four past the visitors in an assured performance at K-Park. Laura Berry continued her remarkable goalscoring form since returning to Motherwell on her second consecutive loan spell from league leaders Rangers, netting twice alongside strikes from Louisa Boyes and Chelsie Watson.

The Tale of the Tape 

Motherwell 

The hosts return to Balmoral Stadium for the first-time since securing three points with the final kick of the game. Motherwell cruised to a formidable two-goal cushion before Francesca Ogilivie received a straight red card, keeping the women of steel firmly in the ascendency.

The Dons bounced back with two quickfire goals, but in the final seconds of the game, Chelsie Watson bulleted home the decisive header to gift Motherwell all three points.

Paul Brownlie’s side retain a positive record against Sunday’s opposition, returning three wins from their last five meetings. The women of steel have netted 18-times against the Dons since 2023 and will be looking to add to their tally this weekend.

Aberdeen

Sunday’s hosts have had a mixed start to their 2024/25 SWPL campaign, picking up victories against Montrose and Queens Park whilst also enduring substantial defeats to Rangers and Hibernian. Aberdeen sit ninth in the SWPL table, four points adrift of Motherwell.

Ticket information

Supporters can purchase tickets on matchday, with the clubs turnstile in operation. Tickets can also be purchased in advance through the Aberdeen FC ticketing website.

• Adult – £5.
• Under-12s – Free to enter.

How to follow the action 

Supporters can follow Sunday’s encounter on X formerly Twitter @motherwellwomen, with a full report of the action available post-match. Kick-off from Balmoral Stadium at 1PM.

Motherwell Football Club Community Trust’s Over-50s Walking Football team tasted league title success after clinching the Walking Football Scotland O50s West Premiership title last week.

The Steelmen finished three points ahead of nearest rivals Saint Anthony’s, and four clear of third-placed Pollok United in a closely-fought league campaign. Motherwell concluded the season with 10-wins from 16, scoring 28-times whilst encountering only two defeats.

Motherwell rounded off the Premiership season, with three straight victories, defeating Giffnock, Whitletts Victoria, and St. Anthony’s; scoring nine goals.

The league table consisted of nine teams, with Motherwell facing Giffnock SC Auld Timers, Towhead Strollers, Braehead FC, Whitletts Victoria, St. Anthony’s, Pollok United, North Lanarkshire Council, and Dumbarton FC.

“This is an excellent achievement from the squad,” Coach, Andrew Thompson added.

“The squad have worked hard throughout the season, and have produced some excellent performances.

“I’m delighted to see their hard work paying off.”

Captain Paul McGinn will spend a “significant period of time” on the sidelines, manager Stuart Kettlewell confirmed. 

McGinn has sustained a muscle injury, which will see him miss a chunk of games, including our semi-final match at Hampden.

The Motherwell skipper has made nine appearances this season, and after earning his first start of the season following a return from injury, he hasn’t missed a minute of action.

We wish Paul all the very best in his recovery and look forward to seeing him back soon.

We now only have a limited amount of East Stand tickets available for our semi-final clash at Hampden against Rangers. 

These tickets are the cheaper tickets, priced at £30 for adults and £15 for concession. If you wish to buy in this section, we recommend you purchase as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

You can buy your tickets online.

Cooper buses have now sold out. We thank everyone who has purchased tickets so far, your support has been incredible.

Zander McAllister will represent his country once again later this month. 

Scotland Under 17s will begin their UEFA Under 17 European Championship qualifying campaign with round one qualifying against Northern Ireland, Lithuania and Republic of Ireland the opponents.

The young Scots will travel to Northern Ireland to take part in a mini-tournament.

• Northern Ireland v Scotland
• Tuesday 29 October 2024
• Kick-off 3pm
• Seaview, Belfast

• Scotland v Lithuania
• Friday 1 November 
• Kick-off 12pm 
• Seaview, Belfast

• Republic of Ireland v Scotland
• Monday 4 November 2024
• Kick-off 3pm 
• Inver Park, Larne

Motherwell Football Club are proudly continuing their support of Show Racism the Red Card’s Match Actions Campaign during our match against Dundee on Saturday 19 October.

Show Racism the Red Card is the UK’s leading anti-racism Education Charity, working within schools, workplaces, sports, and community organisations to educate children, young people, and adults on challenging prejudice and stereotypes.

Using the power of football is a powerful tool to initiate conversations about anti-racism and our club has supported their messages of tolerance and inclusion for many years. Now more than ever, the importance of active anti-racism cannot be overstated.

Across Scottish football, clubs will show their commitment to anti-racism over one weekend – Friday 18th, Saturday 19th and Sunday 20^th October.

This weekend also coincides with Show Racism the Red Card’s UK-wide annual fundraising drive, Wear Red Day, taking place on Friday 18th. On this day, individuals and groups up and down the country are encouraged to wear red and donate to show their support for the campaign and its message.

“We are delighted once again that Scottish football is supporting our much-needed anti-racist message,” Campaign Manager from Show Racism the Red Card in Scotland Billy Singh said.

“With the recent race riots in England and the continued demonisation of migrant communities across the UK we all have a collective responsibility to challenge all acts of racism not only within football but in our communities, workplaces and social spaces.

In our schools we have, on average, 50 recorded racist incidents a week and on our streets there are on average 9 recorded racist incidents a day. Thankfully in Scotland we did not have the race riots that they had in England but there are people in our communities that want to divide us.

Football fans can be a force for good and by being active anti-racists we can change hearts, minds and lives. Please continue to support our campaign.”

“Football is a sport for everyone,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

“But racism continues to be an issue and we must all do our bit to try and help. We have to stand up and condemn it when we see or hear it.”

Football is a sport that is loved across the world and football matches should be an enjoyable experience for everyone, of all backgrounds. Education is the key and since our formation in 1996 Show Racism the Red Card has engaged with over 1 million learners.

Motherwell Football Club are proud to support the campaign to reach their next big milestone and to ensure Scotland is equipped with the tools to challenge and eradicate racism from football and society.

Further information:

Website: www.theredcard.org
Education Hub: www.theredcardhub.org

Video platform: www.voices.theredcard.org

Wear Red Day: www.theredcard.org/wear-red-day

And follow them on:

Instagram @SRtRCScotland 

Twitter @SRtRCScotland

Facebook.com/theRedCardScotland