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Celtic came away with the three points on Sunday afternoon, defeating Motherwell 3-0 at Fir Park thanks to goals from Luke McCowan, Alistair Johnston, and Adam Idah. 

Facing three tough games in the next week, Kettlewell made a couple of changes to his lineup. Marvin Kaleta made his first start, with Tom Sparrow also earning his first start.

Despite making changes after their spirited performance in Italy in midweek and missing captain Callum McGregor, Brendan Rodgers was still able to kick off with a formidable starting eleven.

It was the Steelmen, though, who made an impressive opening. And twice inside a couple of minutes, the home side came within a few centimetres of opening the scoring.

With only eight minutes played, Liam Scales’ pass back put Kasper Schmeichel under pressure. The keeper’s rushed clearance was snapped up by Stamatelopoulos. He laid the ball back for Lennon Miller, who watched his drilled effort from 20 yards rebound from the right hand post.

Two minutes later, the Well teenager was unlucky once again. His quick feet 25 yards from goal earned him a free kick. And after curling the ball over the Celtic wall, it seemed destined for the top right-hand corner of the goal until it rattled off the face of the crossbar.

A glancing header from Daizen Maeda momentarily brought Aston Oxborough into action, diving across his goal to push the ball behind, but the bulk of the early action was at the other end.

A deep corner from Andy Halliday found Miller at the rear of the six-yard box, and his downward header caused a bit of chaos in front of the keeper’s post, followed by a check of handball.

Miller was at the centre of everything, and after 22 minutes, his cute backheeler fell for Sparrow at the edge of the box, but his shot on the half-volley went straight into Schmeichel’s arms.

Then, four minutes later, Celtic grabbed the lead.

Former Dundee midfielder McCowan waltzed through the centre of the home defence before sliding a low left foot drive beyond Oxborough.

The Parkhead side looked more comfortable after that, and for a minute it looked as if they had added a bizarre second goal.

Alistair Johnston’s low ball in behind the Well rearguard had play racing towards Oxborough, but as Maeda fell, he nudged the ball beyond the advancing keeper with the ball rolling against the past and over the line. A VAR check would take place into the investigation of a hand ball from Celtic. After careful consideration, a handball was given keeping the score 0-1.

In stark contrast, the league champions began the second half with a greater tempo.

And within minutes, it took a smart diving save from Oxborough to repel Kyogo Furuhashi’s snap shot.

Kaleta’s cross into the visitor’s box begged a finish, but Stamatelopoulos had a fresh air shot before Ewan Wilson’s left foot swerved the ball wide of goal.

What followed would create disappointment for Stuart Kettlewell in the 55th minute.

Alex Valle’s cross towards the six-yard area was met by Johnston, who powerfully planted his header behind a helpless Oxborough.

With 18 minutes remaining, Oxborough produced a quick double save and gave the Fir Park men continued hope that they could get back into the game.

Moses Ebiye’s header and another from Miller forced a couple of saves from Schmeichel, before Idah closed the deal with a skilful goal after an strong performance from Celtic during the second-half.

It got worse for Motherwell in injury time, when after VAR intervention, Liam Gordon’s challenge on Idah was upgraded from a yellow to a red card.

Stuart Kettlewell reacts to the 0-3 defeat to Celtic at Fir Park.

Summer signing Apostolos Stamatelopoulos says he has fully settled into life in Scotland, having made the switch from Australia in the summer. The Australian international now has family by his side and is ready to get stuck right into things here in ML1. 

The striker explains the reason for his early departure against Dundee last Saturday as well as discussing his recent trip away on international duty.

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell takes heart from the four previous encounters with Celtic in his time at the club. Two draws at Celtic Park and conceding two stoppage time goals mean his team have shown in the past that they can compete with the Champions. 

Kettlewell looks ahead to what is a busy seven days for the club, facing Celtic first, before a trip to Tannadice on Wednesday night and then the semi final against Rangers at Hampden.

Motherwell will host Celtic on Sunday 27 October at Fir Park. 

Kick off is 3pm.

How to follow the game

• Young Adults tickets would ages 14-17.
• Juveniles would be 13 and under
• Ticket Office open from 11am – the ticket office is open until kick-off with no pay gate facility.

There will be no online sales for this game.

Ticket Office open from 11am – the ticket office is open until kick-off with no pay gate facility.

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.

What else is happening?

This match is live on Sky Sports.

Supporters collecting pre-ordered tickets for the Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden v Rangers pre match should collect these from the Chapman Office door.

The Ticket Office will only be selling tickets for the Celtic match to supporters with previous purchase history.

Calum’s Cabin (Children’s Cancer Charity) will be collecting money via bucket collection.

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our home kit for this match.

Squad Update

Paul McGinn will be out for a significant period of time with a muscle injury. Callum Slattery, Harry Paton, Jack Vale, Ross Callachan and Sam Nicholson remain out for this game.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell suffered their first home defeat of the season last Saturday against Dundee. That ended a run of three wins on the bounce.

Since Stuart Kettlewell’s arrival in February 2023, Motherwell have had four encounters with Celtic. The Steelmen have drawn twice at Parkhead, with the score ending 1-1 on both occasions.

Kettlewell has lined up against Celtic twice at Fir Park. In his first game, Celtic scored in the 87th minute to break the deadlock, before Blair Spittal equalised in stoppage time. Matt O’Riley would win the game in dramatic fashion with a last-gasp winner.

In the last match, Spittal’s opener was cancelled out by Adam Idah shortly after half-time. As it looked like the ‘Well would gain a point, Idah popped up in stoppage time to win the game, before Luis Palma made sure of the win.

Opposition Report

Champions Celtic have made a strong start to league proceedings. They are joint top of the table with Aberdeen after eight games, with seven wins and one draw.

The draw came in their last outing against Aberdeen at Celtic Park.

Kyogo had made a slower start by his usual standards, but has found the back of the net three times in the last three league matches.

We were delighted to welcome four former players to Fir Park on Saturday against Dundee. 

Cammy Murray, Dougie Hope and Davie Main were in attendance, alongside “Ancell Babe” Pat Delaney.

Pat Delaney

Cammy Murray

Cammy Murray had made more than 200 appearances for St Mirren prior to his switch to Motherwell in 1972.

The midfielder was here for a season, where he represented the claret and amber on nine occasions, scoring once in a 2-2 draw with St Johnstone.

He returned to Fir Park later in his footballing journey, as a coach. He was part of the coaching staff that lifted the Scottish Cup in 1991.

Dougie Hope

Dougie Hope was a Motherwell player from 1963 until 1965. Teammates with Pat Delaney, they lifted the 1965 Summer Cup beating Dundee United over two legs.

Davie Main

Having finished his education at Wishaw High School, Davie Main joined the club in April 1970.

Highly sought after from a number of clubs, Main opted to join his local team, signing part-time.

The full-back transitioned into a midfielder, making 29 appearances for the club across two years.

He would move onto Albion Rovers in 1972, where he made over 250 first-team games.

Aston Oxborough has had to wait two seasons until he got his chance to play regularly between the sticks at Motherwell.

The 26-year-old showed patience in abundance, and in the summer of 2024, he signed a new contract as he looked to show everyone what he was about. Since that moment, the plaudits have been loud for the shot-stopper.

Making the number one jersey his own, Oxborough has pulled off some wonderful saves that have helped the team earn points and a semi-final spot in the Premier Sports Cup.

“It’s been brilliant from a team collectively and from a personal point of view,” Aston Oxborough said.

“A lot has happened, and I have made a lot of good memories so far; hopefully it can continue. I thought there would be a few more downs, to be honest.

“It’s been very good, and there have been a lot of highs. I’m sure there will be lows throughout the season that I’ll have to deal with. But the biggest high was the quarter-final win against Dundee United. The save from the 1v1 was great, but the whole night was amazing.

“There is a surreal feeling around playing in the semi-final. It’s going to be a brilliant moment for me, the team, and the fans. I’ve got my family coming up for the game, so I can’t wait.

“When we first got through, there was a bit of a buzz, and some people were talking about it, but now we’re back into league games. It’s settled down, and we’re focused on the league and results. It’s been put to the side for the minute.”

It would seem that putting the semi-final game on hold has done the trick. Oxborough has been named in back-to-back William Hill Premiership team of the weeks, as well as being voted the player of the month for September by the Motherwell supporters.

“The fan vote is more important to me,” he explained.

“They see the games and watch every week. It’s not just about statistics and saves; it’s more about general play and contribution to the team.

“There’s an unwavering belief in myself, but I don’t talk about it too much. It’s just the way I am and the way I was brought up. Football-wise, it’s the best I’ve played in my career. I’m super confident and loving it.”

Starting the last 11 matches, the Englishman has relished the opportunity to showcase his ability. And whilst this isn’t the first time he’s played a string of games, it is the first time he’s done it at a high level.

“Both loan spells in my career, I played 25 games,” he added.

“That is double what I’ve done so far here, but this is a much higher level. It’s good to be playing constantly because you can keep the momentum going. The team is riding the wave at the minute, so hopefully that can continue.

“It’s a brilliant changing room with no egos. We all get along, which is massive in my opinion. That stems from the manager, with the type of characters he signs and how he runs the dressing room. Equally the Skipper McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell also keep everyone level.

“There’s been a high turnaround of players this year, probably the biggest here in recent years, so it does take time to gel on the pitch. We were frustrated after the group-stage of the cup, as it didn’t go as smoothly as we would have wanted.

“Equally, however, we lost one game across pre-season and the group-stage, so it might not have been fluid, but we were still getting over the line.”

Sitting in fifth place in the table, Motherwell have made a positive start to their 2024/25 season. One big difference has been the sturdy defensive line and elimination of conceding so many goals. In the 2023/24 Premiership season, Motherwell conceded 59 goals.

This was joint fourth highest in the league, but what made this stat worse was that they scored 56 goals. The highest tally outside Rangers and Celtic. After eight games this season, they have conceded 12. An improvement on the previous campaign.

“There’s been a shift in mentality,” Oxborough stated.

“First and foremost, we’re giving ourselves a good foundation, being hard to beat. Then, on top of that, we’re playing good football and attacking teams. Some boys have come in and have been excellent.

“We’re all desperate to keep clean sheets every week, and while we haven’t been able to do that, we’ve reduced the amount of goals and chances conceded. We work on it during the week and did a lot of work as a defensive unit during pre-season.”

With everything going so smoothly, life got even better for Oxborough last week, with the keeper signing a new deal at the club until 2027.

“I was all for it; I have loved playing this season and would love to continue to do that,” he said.

“I’m settled up here, and what’s important for me has been having a sustained run of games under my belt. This is the perfect place to do it.

“My partner and I spoke about everything. The last six months, everything just seems to have clicked into place. We have waited a long time for things to happen. That’s just how life goes sometimes; you have to be patient.

“Personally, for the rest of the season, there’s statistics for goalkeepers. I’ll have my internal targets, clean sheets, save percentage, and minutes played. But I just want to carry on contributing how I’ve been doing.

“I want to do that long term consistently. That’s a big one for me; if I can play regularly and play a positive part in games, that’ll be massive for the team.”

Motherwell were searching for their fourth win on the bounce coming into their William Hill Premiership fixture against Dundee. Following the victory at Hibernian, the October international break interrupted the rhythm as Motherwell failed to find their usual stride. 

Stuart Kettlewell was left disappointed by his team’s performance as Dundee’s Lyall Cameron fired his team ahead in the first-half.

Substitutes were brought on to try and change the Steelmen’s fortunes however, the equaliser didn’t arrive and Dundee held out for the win.

Stuart Kettlewell gives his thoughts on his side’s 0-1 defeat to Dundee at Fir Park.

Motherwell fell to a 1-0 defeat on Saturday against Dundee at Fir Park. 

A first-half goal from Lyall Cameron was enough to separate the two sides, on what was a disappointing day for the Steelmen.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell made one change from the side that won in Edinburgh two weeks ago, and it was an enforced one. Dan Casey returned from his suspension to replace the injured Paul McGinn.

Motherwell made a bright start to proceedings, with Zach Robinson unfortunate not to get on the end of Andy Halliday’s through ball. Dundee defender Clark Robertson managed to get a toe on the ball to slide it away to safety.

But after the opening ten minutes, the visitors grew into the game. Lennon Miller’s pass was blocked and Simon Murray managed to get a shot away, however it was comfortably dealt with by Aston Oxborough.

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos saw his header go past the post, in what was Motherwell’s best chance of the first-half.

Murray would go close again for Dundee, with Billy Koumetio also going close. But the breakthrough eventually came on 38 minutes. Ewan Wilson managed to block Murray’s effort on goal but the follow up was knocked home by Cameron. 0-1.

Moses Ebiye and Tony Watt were introduced at half-time as Motherwell looked to spring into life. Former Motherwell man Curtis Main had the first clear chance of the second period, forcing a strong stop from Oxborough at his near post.

As Motherwell threw the kitchen sink, their next big chance came from Miller, who blasted an effort from 25 yards that stung the palms of Trevor Carson with 17 minutes to go.

The Steelmen’s big opportunity fell to substitute Jair Tavares, with the Portuguese winger hitting over the bar after the ball dropped to him on the edge of the box.

Stoppage time came and went in the game, with Motherwell unable to draw level in their typical late fashion. The result leaves the Steelmen fifth in the table, with Celtic visiting North Lanarkshire next Sunday.