| 6 | Hearts | 31 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 39 |
| 7 | St Mirren | 31 | 11 | 5 | 15 | -12 | 38 |
| 8 | Motherwell | 31 | 11 | 5 | 15 | -17 | 38 |
| 9 | Ross County | 31 | 9 | 8 | 14 | -21 | 35 |
| 10 | Kilmarnock | 31 | 8 | 8 | 15 | -18 | 32 |
Tom Sparrow has enjoyed the new ideas being implemented under Michael Wimmer, and is looking forward to the rest of the season.
Sparrow is delighted to see the strong following that will be in Aberdeen on Saturday and is determined to send them down the road happy.
Manager Michael Wimmer thanks all the fans who are making the journey to Aberdeen on Saturday, as he says the connections between the club and supporters is growing.
He provides a fitness update on Steve Seddon, as well as talking about the race for top-six.
Amy Sharkey, Sienna McGoldrick and Sophie Black have all been named in the Scotland Under-19 squad, with Louisa Boyes and Eilidh Austin both selected to represent the Under-23s.
The under-19 trio will travel across Scotland, as they look to continue their impressive displays in the dark blue, whilst Boyes and Austin will fly to the Spanish coast of Murcia.
Scotland under-19s will face Czech Republic, Spain and Switzerland in a triple-header of UEFA European Championship Qualifiers, as they start their Group E campaign in Cumbernauld on the second of April.
Matchday One
Matchday Two
Matchday Three
The Scotland Under-23 squad will face Denmark in matchday one, before facing either France or Portugal in a double-header of friendly matches.
Matchday One
Matchday Two
On Saturday 29 March, Motherwell will travel to Aberdeen for the first of three crucial matches leading into the split.
The atmosphere is expected to be electric, as Aberdeen have sold out their home section due to a special discounted ticket initiative.
Meanwhile, the Steelmen will also enjoy a full away section, with more than 700 Motherwell fans making the trip to support Michael Wimmer’s team.
“The support from our fans means a great deal to everyone in the changing room,” Kofi Balmer stated.
“This season, there have been several instances where our fans have turned out in large numbers, and we will never take that for granted. The trip to Aberdeen is certainly longer than usual, but that hasn’t dampened their enthusiasm.
“We’re at the business end of the season, and everyone is aware of the importance of these fixtures. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves or thinking too much about our season ambitions. The manager has been clear on the one game at a time approach.
“The backing of our supporters is crucial. Aberdeen will have a large crowd on Saturday as well, so having our fans there will be a confidence boost.
“On behalf of all the players, I want to thank you for your incredible support. But we also know those who aren’t making the journey will also be backing us from home. We have been working hard this week to try and be as prepared for this challenge as possible.
“Safe travels to everyone making the journey, and we’ll see you there.”
Motherwell faced an unfortunate reality check in their maiden matchday in the top-six of the Scottish Women’s Premier League, after being overcome by the attacking pressure of title-chasers Rangers, and forced to concede defeat at K-Park.
“Last weekend was a reality check for the full squad,” Head Coach Paul Brownlie said.
“We understood the magnitude of the task ahead of us when we achieved our place in the top-six. Facing full-time sides on a weekly basis requires a strong mentality, especially when the other five-sides are all battling for the league title.
“We have demonstrated the capabilities within the squad against the strongest sides in the league, but the opening game against Rangers clearly fell below the standards we set collectively as a group.
“We couldn’t establish our rhythm in the game, and in those moments; teams like Rangers can pick you apart with the attacking quality at their disposal. We have to learn from it, we can’t just sit and reflect on the result, we are working hard on the training pitch to prepare for the fixtures ahead.”
After comfortably securing their top-six place and status as the best part-time team in the country, the squad have sought to surpass their initial end of season objectives, by setting additional goals.
“We’ve set additional target for the squad to achieve,” Brownlie added.
“We’ll keep these internally, but after reaching our season-long objectives of a place in the top-six and the Scottish Cup Semi-Final, we wanted to continue to build upon that motivation from the squad, and continually push their limits.
“We have a really honest and committed group of players. Immediately after full-time against Rangers, they wanted to get straight back onto the training pitch to put things right.
“We have another nine-league games remaining, and we are treating each one as a final. That has to be the mentality and approach within the squad, especially as we build up to another competitive fixture against Hibs this weekend.”
Sunday’s visitors will be keen to swiftly rebuild their confidence after a rampant Rangers side drilled five past the Edinburgh-outfit in the Sky Sports League Cup Final at Fir Park last weekend. The league leaders will head to East Kilbride looking to maintain their two-point lead in the SWPL table, but Brownlie insists that the squad are capable of a momentous result.
“Hibs will be an incredibly tough test, but one we are ready for,” Brownlie explained.
“They are top of the league for a reason, and will be heading to K-Park with a point to prove after the defeat in the Sky Sports League Cup Final.
“We performed well in our previous meeting in Edinburgh. We looked sharper and unfortunate not to capitalise on spells of dominance in the game. Hibs were clinical when the chances fell their way, and ultimately that’s why they are top of the league.
“If we start on the front-foot and are clinical in the final-third, we can achieve a momentous result. We hope to see you all there supporting the team on.”
Motherwell return from the March international break with a trip to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen on Saturday 29 March.
Kick off is 3pm.
Tickets for the match are £10 for those over 12 years of age, with Under 12’s free.
We are limited to only 100 Under 12 tickets. This will be first come, first served, either at the ticket office or by calling 01698 333 333 only.
Once the 100 under 12 tickets are gone, they will be £5.
The tickets for this fixture are physical, so they can only be posted out or collected at Fir Park. The last date for postage will be the 25th of March.
To get the free under 12 ticket, this needs to be purchased with an adult ticket.
Tickets are now on sale here.
With Aberdeen offering £10 tickets for the match on the 29th of March, we are looking to encourage as many supporters as possible to travel.
We are therefore running a coach to the match.
The bus will leave from outside the Cooper Suite at 10am and return straight after the match. The price per person is £25 and your place can be secured here.
We will be wearing our third kit for this match.
Luke Armstrong missed our last match against St Mirren, however is now available for selection.
There are no new injury concerns.
Motherwell have only had one game in the last three weeks, and that was a 2-2 draw with St Mirren. Despite going 2-0 down, Michael Wimmer’s side showed real character to fight their way back into the match.
Callum Slattery continued his fine run of form, scoring his first goals under the new manager. That result leaves the Steelmen well in the hunt for a top-six spot.
Motherwell have played Aberdeen twice this season, and it’s one win each. Aberdeen took the bragging rights in September, winning 2-1, although keeper Mitov prevented Motherwell from salvaging a point. In January, the Steelmen won 2-0 thanks to goals from Ewan Wilson and Tawanda Maswanhise.
Aberdeen have had a rollercoaster of a season under Jimmy Thelin. The season started off incredibly, with Aberdeen only losing one of their first 18 games.
Following the November international break, the season has changed for the Dons, who have won two of their last 19 league games. Despite this, the Dons are fourth in the table, just one point behind Hibs in third. Only six points separate third from seventh in the congested league table.
Kevin Nisbet has been finding the back of the net of late, with the forward currently on ten goals for the season. He also received a call-up to the Scotland national side as a result of recent form, which is five goals and two assists in his last seven games.
Pope Habib Gueye was the main man for the first part of the season prior to his injury in September. He has now returned to action and will be looking to add to his seven goals this season.
We had six players away on international duty this month. Here’s how they got on.
Lennon Miller was an unused substitute for both of Scotland’s games against Greece. A 1-0 victory in Greece was followed up with a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Hampden.
As a result, Scotland are now relegated to League B in the Nations League.
Kai Andrews wasn’t involved in Wales’ 3-1 win over Kazakhstan, nor was he involved in their 1-1 draw against North Macedonia.
Kofi Balmer was an unused substitute for Northern Ireland’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland in Belfast.
In their second match, Northern Ireland travelled to Sweden. Balmer was an unused substitute.
Tawanda Maswanhise was named amongst the substitutes in Zimbabwe’s first match against Benin. After going 2-0 down in the first-half, Zimbabwe fought back, and the game ended in a 2-2 draw. Maswanhise was introduced to the action in the 85th minute.
The winger started from the bench in their second match against Nigeria. Once again, he was substituted on with five minutes to play. Nigeria were 1-0 up going into the closing stages, but thanks to a Maswanhise assist, they drew 1-1.
Ewan Wilson started from the bench in Scotland’s Under 21 friendly against the Republic of Ireland. The new-look side produced a dominant display, winning 2-0 on the night. Wilson came on just before the hour mark, with 11 players making their Scotland Under 21s debut, including former Motherwell academy player Bailey Rice.
In their second match, Wilson was named in the starting 11. He came off at the half time interval with Scotland trailing 3-0 to Iceland. Scotland went on to lose the match 6-1.
Scotland’s Under 17s faced off against North Macedonia in their first of three matches this month. In an end-to-end game, the match finished 2-2. Zander McAllister started and played 73 minutes on the right-hand side.
In their second match, McAllister was named amongst the substitutes against Romania. He came on in the 50th minute of the match, with Scotland winning 2-0.
McAllister was once again on the bench against Liechtenstein in Scotland’s third match but this time didn’t feature. With Scotland 5-0 up at half time, they went on to top their group thanks to an 8-0 win.
The Motherwell youth academy is expanding and we are recruiting coaching staff to join.
Working closely with the highly experienced Motherwell coaching staff through regular in-service training, there will be opportunities to progress within the club.
We are looking for someone who can inspire and motivate players, has good communication skills, good knowledge of the game and has high standards.
The candidates must be reliable, ambitious, creative and be positive role models for the players. A minimum SFA C-License will be required.
If you are interested or would like further information, please contact paul.brownlie@motherwellfc.co.uk
Motherwell will return to action to face league leaders Hibernian in the second post-split fixture at K-Park on Sunday.
Looking to redeem themselves following a frustrating opening top-six display against Rangers, the women of steel will return to league action this weekend, as they welcome league leaders Hibernian to East Kilbride.
The showdown in South Lanarkshire will be key for the squad, as they look to get off the mark in the top-six.
The Tale of the Tape
Motherwell
Paul Brownlie’s side will be firmly focused on redemption after a frustrating and thought-provoking defeat to Rangers just under a fortnight ago. The women of steel battled hard throughout the early stages, and were unfortunate not to receive a penalty-kick, as Louisa Boyes was aggressively brought down by the Rangers goalkeeper the penalty area, but Rangers attacking prowess soon shone through, as they coasted to a comfortable advantage.
The tests won’t come much easier for the women of steel, as they turn their attention to league leaders Hibernian this weekend.
Motherwell will have a strengthened line-up this weekend, as Rangers loanees Sophie Black and striker Eilidh Austin both return to contention after being ineligible in the last matchday to face against their parent club.
Hibernian
The visitors head to South Lanarkshire in fine form, sitting comfortably at the top of the SWPL table, two-points clear of nearest rivals Rangers in second. The Hibees will head to K-Park keen to rectify their performance after conceding the Sky Sports League Cup Final to Rangers last weekend.
Ticket Information
Adult – £8
Concession – £3
Under-11s – FREE TO ENTER
Motherwell will face Glasgow City in the Semi Final of the Scottish Cup on Saturday 26 April following confirmation from the Scottish FA.
The women of steel secured their place in the final-four after defeating SWPL2 side Boroughmuir Thistle in the previous round.
Paul brownlie’s side will face SWPL title-chasers Glasgow City in the penultimate matchday, with kick-off at 12.15PM.
Ticket information will be communicated to supporters in due course.
