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A monumental matchday awaits the women of steel this weekend, as the National Stadium beckons the victor of Sunday’s Quarter-Final meeting with Boroughmuir Thistle at Meadowbank. 

Motherwell could return to Hampden Park for the first time since facing Rangers in the 2022 Scottish Cup Semi-Final, with the women of steel defeating Rossvale and Bonnyrigg Rose to secure their place in the Quarter-Final stage.

An exciting occasion awaits in the Scottish capital, as Motherwell target their first-ever piece of major silverware.

The Tale of the Tape

Motherwell 

Motherwell will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat to title-chasers Glasgow City, as Paul Brownlie’s side fell to a 4-0 defeat in Springburn. The women of steel fought the 13-time champions closely, but fatigue in the latter stages saw the hosts cruise to a scoreline that failed to accurately reflect the entirety of the game.

Brownlie’s side will be looking to surpass their Sky Sports League Cup run, as the women of steel exited the competition at the Quarter-Final stage to eventual champions Rangers.

The women of steel head into Sunday’s encounter with a full matchday squad, as latest addition Brodie Greenwood could be set to make her Motherwell debut.

Boroughmuir Thistle

The SWPL2-side could prove to be a difficult opponent for the women of steel, as Boroughmuir continue to prove their worth in the second-division. Thistle sit level on 41-points with Kilmarnock in the chase for promotion to the SWPL and will be firmly prepared to secure their place at the National Stadium, Hampden Park.

Ticket Information

Adult – £TBC

Concession – £TBC

Under 11s – TBC

Managers and staff leaving a club is never a nice thing for players. It creates an environment of uncertainty and need for clarity. When the departure comes mid-season, the games keep coming, and everyone just has to keep going.

It was three weeks exactly between Stuart Kettlewell’s departure and the arrival of new manager Michael Wimmer, and in that time there were two games. Unfortunately for Motherwell, both those games ended in defeat, but the arrival of the new manager is the clarity everyone needed, and for Andy Halliday, the excitement to work under the new boss is prominent.

“In terms of the previous manager leaving, it was obviously a bit of a shock to everyone,” Andy Halliday said.

“The brutal nature of football is that you have to switch back onto the job at hand. It’s obviously been a transition, but there’s always an element of excitement within that. The gaffer has come in with a great pedigree of working with big clubs in Germany and Austria.

“We’ve had a short period of time to get the new style imbedded, and as a group of players, we always want clarity on how we’re going to play as a team. He’s made it clear what he expects from us, but it’s been great to get all the information so far. As a player, we need to be a sponge and take it all in.”

The appointment of German Michael Wimmer marked the club taking a different approach. The first non-British and Irish manager since Harri Kampman in 1998, Wimmer arrives having previously managed Austria Vienna for 18 months. With a foreign manager arriving at Fir Park, there’s always going to be alterations to the working week, and that has been clear from the off.

“I always feel anytime I’ve worked under a foreign manager, there’s been a more tactical approach,” Andy Halliday adds.

“It’s great because it’s so important in the game right now. Gone are the days when you put 11 names on a sheet of paper, say you’re playing 4-4-2 and go and get the job done. That’s a reflection of how tactical the game is now.

“We’ve not got eight or 12 weeks in pre-season to work on different facets; we’ve got a few days where we take in as much as humanly possible. The time has been spent wisely; we’ve had double sessions and meetings every morning, and we’re just trying to take it all in. New managers and turnovers take time, but as players, we don’t have time. It’s all about results; we’ll try and implement everything as soon as possible.

“There are similarities to the previous regime, but there are also things that are completely different. It’s all about pressing and high intensity. Change can sometimes be good; it’s a clean slate for everyone and a chance for us to impress the new manager. That leads to competition for places, which I think ensures everyone gives a little extra. You want the jersey, and when you get it, you want to keep it.”

It’s been an injury-ridden season for the Motherwell squad, with over ten first-team players missing from matchdays, but it’s also meant a large contingent of players. However, Halliday has been able to navigate the campaign without missing a match.

“I’ve played every game so far this season, which is important to me,” he explained.

“Last season was a frustration. Going from not playing for six months to coming and breaking down with a calf injury, the first muscle injury I’d had since I was a teenager. I thought I would recover quickly, and then I picked up a hamstring injury on the second last day of the season.

“But it was maybe a blessing in disguise, as it meant I focused on my rehab all summer, making sure my body was ready for preseason. It prepared me for a long season, and it’s resulted in me playing in every game.

“Like most, I’ve been happy with most of my performances. Yes, there’ve been bits within games or certain games I should’ve done more in, but I’m happy overall so far. But I’ll never change; I only care about what the team is doing. Success will never be how many man of the matches, player of the months or player of the year awards you win; none of that. It’s all about how many points you get on the board.”

Away from Motherwell, Halliday is not one for sitting around on the couch. 11 months ago, he launched his own football academy, where he helps nurture and coach young players alongside his brother.

“I think it’s something I’ve been interested in since I was maybe 26 or 27,” he noted.

“I’ve always loved the tactical side of the game, different styles and ideas. Having played under so many coaches, I’ve picked up things I liked and things I don’t like. I decided when I was 26 to start my B licence; I’ve since got my A and coached under 18s and 20s. I then decided to start the academy.

“It’s been 11 months, and I’m delighted with how it’s going. I said before I came to Motherwell that I loved seeing Scottish footballers having a pathway to the first-team. I have a real passion for youth development, so it made sense to start my own thing.

“At the end of the day, we’ll never not take boys at all development stages. I was at development football at one point; so was every player in the dressing room, so we’ll never be the ones to say we’re only taking advanced players because we feel they’ve got a better opportunity.

“It’s a real reward to see boys coming in with a smile on their face, willing to learn and wanting to listen; they’ve been with me, and then they get their opportunity to go into academies. I won’t say the exact number of players who’ve gone from grassroots to academy, but it’s high, and that’s really rewarding.

“But for me, we’re only a 1% part of whatever that player’s journey is. They’ve been coached by other people, and they’ve been with their teams. If we can make a small difference, then that’s great. We’ve got nine coaches that work for us, and we have a blueprint that we expect our coaches to abide by.

“A big thing we talk about is if the players are there for an hour, they must have a ball at their feet at all times. It’s all about getting as many touches of the ball as they can and repetitions, whether that’s working on the basics or more advanced, and making it a fun and engaging environment. If they’re enjoying their football, they want to do it more, and if they do it more, they’ll improve.

“When I was a kid, I could play football for 12 hours and not get bored. I see that in a lot of young kids now. They come straight from school to train with us and then go to their grassroots team at night. For me, that’s refreshing to see because over the last number of years, I don’t think you see the same amount of kids playing on the streets.”

The academy project has been a successful one thus far for Halliday. But what has made this journey more special is that his most trusted and loyal friend is by his side. His younger brother, Robbie.

“He’s actually got more coaching experience than I do,” he laughed.

“My younger brother was at Partick Thistle’s youth academy as a coach for six or seven years. He’s played junior football for over a decade and got his A-License before me. So he’s well qualified.

“He’s someone I always lean on. Everyone has that person who, after a game they’ve watched or played in, they’ll go to and trust their opinion a bit more than others. He’s always been that person for me. With all due respect to the boys in the dressing room, I tend to talk to him more about the games than I do with them.

“We do have similar ideas about how the game should be played, and it was always the idea that if I started something, it was always going to be with him. I took an Under 20s team a couple of years ago, and it was with him. We’ve always had a close relationship.

“Although we have similar ideas, there is stuff we disagree on as well, which is good. It’s healthy, and it always leads to a constructive conversation where we try and find that middle ground to take things forward. He’s got good experience in terms of his own playing career, but he’s also got a strong coaching background too. It’s not because he’s my brother that we do this.

“If he was hopeless, I wouldn’t do it with him! It’s as simple as that. We’ve got a good mix, and everything is going according to plan so far.”

It’s time to vote for your G4 Claims player of the month for February. 

Andy Halliday, Dan Casey, Dom Thompson and Tom Sparrow are all up for nomination.

To vote, head over to the Motherwell Facebook page.

Games in February

• Motherwell 1-3 Celtic
• Motherwell 0-3 Ross County 
• Dundee United 1-0 Motherwell 
• Motherwell 2-1 Dundee 

In Motherwell’s 139-year existence, they had never won back-to-back league matches at Ibrox. And although spirits were high after a Wednesday night win, the odds were stacked against Michael Wimmer’s side. 

But you wouldn’t have known that after the first 45 minutes. Luke Armstrong and Tom Sparrow had their side two to the good at the break, with the Ibrox crowd venting their frustrations.

Cyriel Dessers halved the deficit as Rangers looked to find a second. Spirited defending and continuous running kept Rangers at bay, and with Dessers scoring from an offside position, the clock worked it’s way to 90 minutes with Ellery Balcombe having little to do.

It would be another famous win at Ibrox for Motherwell, their first back-to-back wins there since 1961 and the result propels them into the top-six with St Mirren visiting Fir Park in two weeks time.

The women of steel fell to defeat in Springburn despite valiantly fighting title-chasers Glasgow City to the final whistle, who cruised to an assured 4-0 victory at Petershill Park on Sunday. 

The scoreline failed to accurately reflect the intense work-rate and momentum that the squad showed in the first-half of play, as Icelandic striker Brenna Lovera broke the deadlock moments before the half-time break. Lisa Forrest made it two on the 70-minute mark, with the women of steel starting to tire and fatigue.

Polish midfielder Natalia Wrobel soon completed a brace in the latter stages of the game, with the hosts returning to the top of the SWPL table.

Head Coach, Paul Brownlie named an unchanged starting XI from the side that overcame a 2-1 deficit at half-time to defeat Aberdeen. Defender Jo Addie and midfielder Laura McCartney both returned to the matchday squad, earning a place on the bench. Rangers loanee Eilidh Austin made her second competitive start alongside Mason Clark in the Motherwell frontline, as Shannon Leishman remained in the Motherwell backline.

After sealing their top-six status over a fortnight ago, Motherwell headed to Glasgow for a post-split preview, as they looked to finish their final pre-split fixture on a high.

Motherwell fought relentlessly in the first-half of play, repelling all of City’s attacks whilst remaining relatively comfortable and assured in the backline. City’s frustrations and inability to break through the Motherwell defence was reversed three minutes from the half-time break, as Lovera’s left-footed shot sailed across the face of goal before nestling into the bottom-right corner.

Lovera turned provider in the latter stages of the second-half, teeing up Forrest at the edge of the six-yard-box, who drilled a right-footed strike into the bottom-right corner. Wrobel sealed the three points in quick succession, netting a composed finish from close-range before placing a fourth into the bottom-right corner in the final phase of the game.

Motherwell will now turn their attention to the Quarter-Final of the Scottish Cup against Boroughmuir Thistle before welcoming Celtic in the first post-split fixture of the 2024/25 SWPL campaign.

Motherwell hadn’t won a match in the league at Ibrox since 1997 when they arrived in Govan this time last year. They ended that 27-year wait, winning 2-1 on a famous day. The Steelmen repeated the feat on Saturday against Rangers when they beat the Govan side 2-1.

A blistering first-half performance, which saw Luke Armstrong and Tom Sparrow find the back of the net, had the Well two to the good at the break.

Cyriel Dessers pulled one back in the second half, but it would not be enough to stop Motherwell having another day to remember in Glasgow.

Michael Wimmer made one change to his starting 11 from the team that defeated Dundee on Wednesday night. Stephen O’Donnell came out of the squad and was replaced by Kofi Balmer.

With very little in the way of chances in the opening exchanges, it would be the visitors who got off to the better start. From the second phase of a corner, Dan Casey got control of the ball after Dom Thompson’s interception and fired a shot towards Jack Butland; the Rangers stopper couldn’t hold onto the shot, and Armstrong was there to follow in and score. The linesman’s flag was raised, but VAR would clear the goal, and Armstrong could celebrate his second goal in Motherwell colours.

Tom Sparrow was presented with the chance to double the lead; after some excellent, crisp passing by the Well midfield, Slattery slid the ball across to Sparrow, who could only find the side netting on 22 minutes.

But just eight minutes later, Sparrow would make amends. Slattery once again found Sparrow in space on the right-hand side of the box; this time the number seven made no mistake to fire past Butland and open up a two-goal advantage.

Ellery Balcombe stood firm before the break to save efforts from Mohamed Diomande, Dessers and Hamza Igamane, and the two-goal advantage remained.

With the Ibrox crowd growing ever impatient, head coach Barry Ferguson made a triple change for the second half, which saw Leon Balogun, Tom Lawrence and Nedim Bajrami all introduced.

The substitutes would seem to make an impact when, at 54 minutes, the Motherwell advantage was halved. Dessers pounced on a pass from Ridvan Yilmaz to fire beyond Balcombe and make it 2-1. Game on.

Wimmer reacted and made changes to the midfield and attack, with Moses Ebiye, Harry Paton and Davor Zdravkovski all introduced. Tony Watt was also brought on with ten minutes to go.

Motherwell looked comfortable in the latter stages, but Dessers did find the back of the net for the second time on 78 minutes, looping the ball over Balcombe; however, the Rangers forward was offside.

The closing stages would pass by, and Nick Walsh blew for full time, sparking excellent scenes in the away end, and Motherwell secured back-to-back wins at Ibrox as they moved into the top six.

Motherwell: Balcolmbe, Gordon, Balmer, Sparrow, Slattery (Paton 62), Halliday (Zdravkovski 62), Casey, Miller (Watt 72), Andrews, Thompson (Wilson 89), Armstrong (Ebiye 62)

Substitutes not used: Ward, Koutroumbis, Maswanhise, Plange

Michael Wimmer speaks following his side’s 2-1 victory over Rangers.

Luke Armstrong and Tom Sparrow netted the goals as Motherwell secured back to back wins at Ibrox.

Ellery Balcombe says Saturday’s trip to Ibrox is not a non-event for Motherwell and that his former side St Mirren showed that teams can get results there. 

He offers insight into the difference in Michael Wimmer’s approach and talks about a ‘whirlwind’ few weeks.