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With Motherwell playing their seventh game in 21 days, the Steelmen travelled East to the capital to face an in-form Hibernian side. 

The manager made six changes to cope with fatigue and injury and in the opening stages, the game lacked any real moment of quality. A misplaced pass from Andy Halliday was pounced upon by the hosts who opened the scoring through Martin Boyle.

It was a quick-fire double for the Hibees as pressure on the Motherwell backline paid off, with a second goal secured before the break.

Stuart Kettlewell made changes that did make an impact with the Steelmen growing into the game. Callum Slattery made the most of a free kick on the edge of the box, neatly placing the ball into the bottom corner for his first goal in almost 500 days due to missing over a year of action.

However, with the Hibs support and players seemingly on edge, the referee would point to the spot to aid their nervous energy after Stephen O’Donnell was adjudged to have held Miller in the area. Boyle converted down the middle to secure the points, meaning Motherwell returned to North Lanarkshire empty handed.

Having sold all tickets from our initial allocation for Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie against St Johnstone, supporters now have access to more tickets at McDiarmid Park. 

Tickets are now available in the North Stand for Motherwell supporters.

These can be bought online.

• Ticket sales are online only (with the exception of the wheelchair & PA tickets)
• Disabled/ambulant supporters must be in receipt of PIP/DLA and will be asked to verify this when purchasing online
• Personal assistant tickets cannot be added to an order without the age-appropriate ambulant disabled ticket being added first
• U12 tickets cannot be purchased without an adult/concession ticket (max 2 x U12 per order), the adult/concession ticket must be added first

Wheelchair & PA tickets can be purchased directly from the St Johnstone FC ticket office on 01738 459090.

Adult/concession wheelchair tickets are £20/£12 respectively. A personal assistant ticket is included in the ticket price.

There are a limited amount of disabled parking bays for visiting supporters to book in advance (£5 – cash on the day). Supporters should email dao@perthsaints.co.uk with their name and vehicle registration to enquire about booking.

Buses

A third bus has also been put on, running to McDiarmid Park from Fir Park.

The price is £15 per person.

The Cooper Bar will be open from 11.30 for refreshments, with coaches leaving at 13.15.

To book, please visit our ticketing platform.

Alternatively, call us on 01698 333333 or email tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk.

Motherwell kick off their 2024/25 Scottish Cup campaign against St Johnstone on Saturday 18 January. 

Kick off is 3pm.

How to follow the game

Having sold all tickets from our initial allocation for Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie against St Johnstone, supporters now have access to more tickets at McDiarmid Park. 

Tickets are now available in the North Stand for Motherwell supporters.

These can be bought online.

• Ticket sales are online only (with the exception of the wheelchair & PA tickets)
• Disabled/ambulant supporters must be in receipt of PIP/DLA and will be asked to verify this when purchasing online
• Personal assistant tickets cannot be added to an order without the age-appropriate ambulant disabled ticket being added first
• U12 tickets cannot be purchased without an adult/concession ticket (max 2 x U12 per order), the adult/concession ticket must be added first

Wheelchair & PA tickets can be purchased directly from the St Johnstone FC ticket office on 01738 459090.

Adult/concession wheelchair tickets are £20/£12 respectively. A personal assistant ticket is included in the ticket price.

There are a limited amount of disabled parking bays for visiting supporters to book in advance (£5 – cash on the day). Supporters should email dao@perthsaints.co.uk with their name and vehicle registration to enquire about booking.

Buses

A third bus has also been put on, running to McDiarmid Park from Fir Park.

The price is £15 per person.

The Cooper Bar will be open from 11:30 for refreshments, with coaches leaving at 13:15.

To book, please visit our ticketing platform.

Alternatively, call us on 01698 333333 or email tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk.

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our home kit for this match.

Squad Update

Ross Callachan, Zach Robinson, Steve Seddon, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Aston Oxborough and Lennon Miller are out for this game. Harry Paton and Liam Gordon will be assessed.

Paul McGinn came off against Hibernian and will be assessed. Jair Tavares is back in contention, missing Saturday’s match against his parent club. Jack Vale is available as his suspension will only be active for Premiership matches.

Matty Connelly is cup tied.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell suffered defeat on Saturday against Hibernian, following a draw and a win in the six days prior. That makes it three wins, three draws, and three defeats in the last nine games for the Steelmen.

Stuart Kettlewell’s side has played St Johnstone twice this season and won twice with a 2-1 scoreline. It took a Moses Ebiye header in stoppage time to get past the Perth side last time out at McDiarmid Park.

Kettlewell has faced St Johnstone seven times as Motherwell boss, winning three and drawing three.

Opposition Report

St Johnstone were in Sunday action against Rangers, falling to a 3-1 defeat.

They have struggled to find form this season, winning one of their last 13 matches, with the Saints sitting at the foot of the William Hill Premiership table.

Benjamin Kimpioka is currently the top scorer for Simo Valakari’s side, with the striker finding the back of the net 11 times this season; however, it’s Mackenzie Kirk who has been highly impressive this season. The 20-year-old has seven goals to his name so far in his maiden season in the top flight.

The women of steel toasted their first matchday of 2025 in style, coasting to an assured victory in the City of Discovery, hitting hosts Dundee United for six at Foundation Park. 

Head Coach Paul brownlie named two changes from the side that held high-flying Hearts to a goalless stalemate in the final matchday of 2024 at K-Park.

Defender Chelsie Watson returned to the Motherwell backline, replacing the injured Jo Addie, with Sarah Gibb featuring in midfield in place of Laura McCartney. Midfielder Georgie Robb also returned to the matchday squad after an extensive injury spell left the youngster on the sidelines since joining the club from predecessors Dundee United.

Motherwell almost immediately imposed their attacking strengths onto the fragmented 13-player United squad, with striker Laura Berry firmly picking up from where she left off in the previous calendar year. The forward drove dangerously across the right-flank before slicing through the 18-yard-box and accurately dispatching a low-finosh underneath the on-rushing United goalkeeper.

Berry secured her brace after 14-minutes, dispatching a strike from the penalty spot after Louisa Boyes’ was brought down narrowly within the 18-yard-box.

Chelsie Watson made it three less than a minute later, prodding home Katie Rice’s whipped free-kick before repeating the feat shortly before the half-time break to ensure the women of steel headed into half-time with a comfortable four-goal cushion.

In almost inexplicable circumstances, United pulled one back with their only shot of the game, catching Emily Mutch out with a 50-yard strike directly from kick-off, baffling the Motherwell squad.

Berry completed her hat-trick on the hour mark, latching onto Jenna Penman’s pinpoint through ball before racing through and placing her curled finish beyond the reach of the United goalkeeper. Second-half substitute rounded off proceedings in the latter stages of the game, converting Mason Clark’s drilled delivery across the face of goal.

The women of steel will face a one-week break before returning to league action against Montrose in a fortnight’s time.

The sunshine failed to shine in Leith, as Motherwell were defeated by three-goals to one at a frosty Easter Road on Saturday afternoon. 

The Steelmen proved to be the architects of their own downfall, gifting the hosts three-goals across both halves to cement a disappointing end to a congested fixture list.

Manager, Stuart Kettlewell named six-changes from the side who held Kilmarnock to a goalless stalemate at Rugby Park on Wednesday evening. The departure of West Ham loanee Kristian Hegyi and an injury sustained midweek by Aston Oxborough prompted Motherwell to secure the signature of a replacement before the game in the Scottish Capital.

Goalkeeper Archie Mair was thrusted into his Motherwell debut after agreeing a season-long loan deal from Norwich City late yesterday evening, with Kai Andrews awarded his first Motherwell start alongside Stephen O’Donnell, Paul McGinn, Shane Blaney, and Tom Sparrow who all returned to the starting XI.

The hosts had the breakthrough shortly before the half-hour mark, as Nicky Cadden advanced across the left-flank before teeing up Martin Boyle, who calmly converted from a few yards out.

The second followed moments later, as Ewan Wilson was caught in possession deep into the Motherwell half, and Nectarios Triantis drilled his strike past Mair into the bottom-right corner.

Motherwell skipper Paul McGinn had an unfortunate return from a recent injury spell, with the 34-year-old forced off early in the first-half.

Second-half substitute Callum Slattery announced his return from injury in style, curling home a magnificent free-kick to earn a late Motherwell lifeline, but despite looking firmly in the ascendency, the visitors conceded a penalty kick in the later stages. Boyle stepped up and converted his second of the game to seal all three points for Hibernian.

Striker Jack Vale then received his marching orders with seconds left to play after contesting a Hibs counter-attack, which prompted the referee to brandish a straight red card.

Stuart Kettlewell gives his thoughts as his side end a gruelling run of games with a 3-1 defeat to Hibernian in Edinburgh.

Goalkeeper Archie Mair is our second January arrival. 

The 23-year-old shot stopper has joined from Norwich City on loan until the end of the season.

Mair started his career with Aberdeen before joining the Canaries in 2020. Since then, he has been out on loan on six occasions with King’s Lynn Town, Lincoln City, Dartford, Notts County, Gateshead, and, lastly, Morecambe.

One of his most notable moments on loan came for Notts County in the play off final, where in a penalty shootout, Mair saved two from the spot to help County get promoted back to the football league, having been subbed on specifically for the shootout.

He spent the first half of last season on loan at Gateshead, making 26 appearances and keeping seven clean sheets. He returned to Norwich early and moved immediately to Morecambe in League Two. There, Mair played 21 times.

This season, Mair has been named on the bench for Norwich six times, including their trip to Premier League side Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup.

Representing Scotland from Under 17 level through to 21s, Mair returns to his homeland for the first time since leaving in 2020.

Krisztián Hegyi has been recalled by West Ham United. 

Hegyi made two appearances in his time at Motherwell, both coming in the Premier Sports Cup.

“It’s great to get Archie on board for this afternoon’s match against Hibernian. He’s played plenty of games at various levels and carries some experience as a result,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

“It hasn’t been an easy situation to navigate over the last 24 hours. Losing Krisztían to West Ham and then Aston Oxborough to injury, but we’ve got a really good goalkeeper through the door who will challenge Aston for that number one spot.”

Matty Connelly has returned to Motherwell, with the club exercising the option of an emergency short-term recall from East Kilbride.

For clarity, this is not a permanent recall, and the goalkeeper will return to East Kilbride shortly. Connelly is available for selection immediately.

Captain Paul McGinn spent months on the sidelines, missing out on the semi-final in the process, but the Motherwell skipper is pleased to be back in the fold. 

McGinn talks of the frustration on missing out in important matches, as well as talking about the importance of gaining results this month.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell says Liam Gordon will be assessed ahead of this weekend’s trip to Easter Road, with the defender coming off as a precaution after two head knocks on Wednesday night. 

Kettlewell goes into the detail about the danger of backing into a defender who is in the air. He also touches on the importance of having leaders like Paul McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell back on the pitch.

Motherwell are preparing for their seventh game in 21 days, with Kettlewell left a bit confused as to why the schedule has been so tight.

The Steelmen will play their seventh game in 21 days on Saturday 11 January when they travel to Edinburgh to take on Hibernian. 

Kick off is 3pm at Easter Road.

How to follow the game

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.

Squad News

Ross Callachan, Zach Robinson, Steve Seddon, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Lennon Miller are out for this game. Harry Paton and Liam Gordon will be assessed.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

The Steelmen moved to within three points of third on Wednesday night, thanks to a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Kilmarnock.

Aston Oxborough was in top form between the posts to grab his second clean sheet in two games. It’s one a-piece when it comes to the head-to-head between Motherwell and Hibernian. Goals from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Andy Halliday secured a 2-1 win at Easter Road in October for the Well, with Hibernian winning 3-0 in the most recent match at Fir Park.

Motherwell’s progression continues, with Stuart Kettlewell’s side still ten points better off from this time last season.

Opposition Report

It’s been a season of two halves so far for the Hibees and David Gray. Named permanent boss in the summer, Gray came under pressure early on, with just two wins in 15 games.

A 3-0 win at Fir Park sparked Hibs into life and they have since won five of their last eight games, including two draws. Moving from the bottom end of the table to the cusp of top-six, Gray has turned fortunes around with Hibs looking up the table.

Nicky Cadden has impressed and picked up the Premiership December player of the month award.