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Motherwell, Hearts and St Mirren could all finish in the final top-six spot with the right set of results going into match day 33. With the Jambos visiting Fir Park, it was all set up for a grandstand finish.

In the early stages of the game, both teams look tentative; however, both had chances. Tony Watt and Callum Slattery shot just wide of the mark in the first-half, but neither side could break the deadlock.

With St Mirren beating Ross County, it ruled Motherwell out of the top-six running, but Hearts could still complete the job if they found the back of the net. Lawrence Shankland went close, twice, but on both occasions, didn’t see the net ripple.

The stalemate confirmed bottom-six football for the Steelmen for the third season running, but Michael Wimmer will be pleased by adding a point to the tally, as Motherwell look to steer clear of any drama at the bottom of the table.

Our final five fixtures of the season have now been announced. 

We will kick off our post-split schedule with a home match against St Johnstone on Saturday 26 April.

We’ll travel to Dundee on Saturday 3 May, before we travel to Hearts on 10 May.

We then take on Kilmarnock on in our final home match of the season on Wednesday 14 May and we will finish the 2024/25 season at Ross County on Sunday 18 May.

Ticket details for all fixtures will be revealed in due course.

Fixtures in full

• Motherwell v St Johnstone
• Dundee v Motherwell
• Hearts v Motherwell 
• Motherwell v Kilmarnock 
• Ross County v Motherwell 

The women of steel’s long-anticipated return to action failed to live up to expectations, as Glasgow City headed back to the top of the Scottish Women’s Premier League following an assured four-nil victory at Petershill Park on Sunday. 

Brenna Lovera broke the deadlock shortly before the half-hour mark before quickly adding a second. Katie Lockwood made it three less than a minute later, as City headed into the break with an assured three-goal advantage. Lockwood completed her brace and sealed the three-points for the hosts with the final kick of the ball, leaving Motherwell with much to reflect on ahead of their forthcoming midweek encounter with Hearts.

Amidst a two-game touchline ban, Head Coach Paul Brownlie was confined to the stands of Petershill Park, as Assistant Colin Crichton undertook duties in the Motherwell technical area. The women of steel named a variety of changes to the starting XI, as Louisa Boyes and Bailley Collins were both rested ahead of the forthcoming double-header against Hearts and Celtic next week.

Defender Jenna Penman, Rachel Todd, Katie Rice, Sophie Black, Emily Mutch, and Lucy Ronald were all named amongst the substitutes, with goalkeeper Rebecca Cameron returning between the sticks. Chelsie Watson, Jo Addie, Sienna McGoldrick, Brodie Greenwood, Sarah Gibb, and Lucy Barclay also returned to the starting XI.

Blighted by the persistent hail storm over Glasgow, both sides initially struggled to settle into the game, as they braved the freezing cold elements at Petershill Park, with Lockwood providing the only notable opportunity of the opening 20-minute, drilling an effort low across the face of goal, but Cameron reacted well to parry clear. Lovera soon broke the deadlock with a powerful header from close-range following a whipped corner-kick that fell kindly to the forward at the back post.

Within a minute, Motherwell’s backline was undone twice, as City immediately cruised to a three-goal advantage, as Lovera curled a precise finish into the bottom-right corner. Instantly from the restart, City regained possession, and Lockwood dispatched her first of the afternoon with a strike from within the 18-yard-box.

The fourth and final goal came in the final phase of the game, as Lockwood drifted unmarked into the Motherwell penalty area, and coolly slotted home a tidy finish into the bottom-right corner.

Motherwell will regroup before facing Hearts at the Oriam on Wednesday evening.

Motherwell were held to a 0-0 draw on Saturday against Hearts, confirming the Steelmen’s spot in the bottom six for the final five games of the William Hill Premiership.

Manager Michael Wimmer made two changes to the side that were beaten seven days prior, with Tony Watt and Tawanda Maswanhise coming into the starting 11 in place of Luke Armstrong and Kai Andrews.

The first big chance of the game fell to the visitors just before the 20-minute mark. James Penrice’s deep cross found Sander Kartum unmarked at the back post, but the Hearts man blazed well over the bar.

Callum Slattery watched his low-driven effort just trickle past the post from the edge of the box, with Tony Watt also going close with a volley from the right-hand side of the box.

At the half time mark, the game still had a nervous feel to it. Luke Armstrong and Jair Tavares were introduced to proceedings, with the former getting in behind the Jambos backline to get on the end of a Lennon Miller through-ball, but the Hearts defender recovered in time to block the striker’s effort.

Lawrence Shankland went close twice to breaking the deadlock, with the Scotland international heading on target from a corner in the 84th minute but could only watch it being cleared off the line by Miller. The forward also latched onto a ball over the top of the defence in stoppage time but could only direct his finish wide of the mark.

Also in stoppage time, Dan Casey rose highest from a Motherwell corner, but couldn’t direct the effort on target. After some good work by Will Dickson and Kai Andrews, the Steelmen won a corner at the death but referee Kevin Clancy decided to blow for full-time before they could get the chance to take it.

Wimmer and his men can now prepare for life in the bottom six, with a host of things still to play for.

Motherwell Team: Balcombe, Sparrow, Balmer, O’Donnell, Casey, Thompson, Miller, Halliday, Slattery, Maswanhise, Watt. 

Motherwell Subs: Oxborough, Koutroumbis, Wilson, Zdravkovski, Paton, Andrews, Dickson, Armstrong, Tavares. 

Michael Wimmer gives his reaction to the goalless draw with Hearts.

The point means Motherwell will miss out on top-six.

Dreams of adorning the famous dark blue strip or proudly wearing the lion rampant on your chest are amongst the most celebrated and cherished moments for any Scottish footballer. 

A dream that deservedly became a reality for 24-year-old midfielder Louisa Boyes, who received her first-ever national team selection after being named in the 20-player shortlist for the Scotland under-23 squad.

Boyes joined fellow teammates Eilidh Austin and defender Jenna Penman on the flight to Spain, as the squad prepared to face Denmark and Portugal in a double-header of international friendlies.

“It’s an absolute honour,” Boyes said proudly.

“Being selected by your country is an absolute privilege and one I am certainly not taking for granted. My dream has always been to one day play for Scotland, and having not played at any previous international level, I wasn’t sure if that experience would ever come.

“It’s a really proud moment for my family, who were completely over the moon when I told them the news. Part of my decision to sign for Motherwell in 2023 was because of their strong record in developing young players, and giving them the platform to express themselves at a high level. This season alone, there have been nine of us in the Scotland team across under 17, 19, and 23 age categories.

“It’s really satisfying to see, as I know how hard they all work week to week, and I was absolutely delighted to join them.” 

Boyes didn’t have to wait long for her first opportunity, as the versatile midfielder started in Scotland’s second game against Portugal, with Scotland emerging victorious after a penalty shootout following a goalless 90-minutes.

“It was a dream come true,” Boyes said excitedly.

“It was everything I’d imagined it would’ve been. You could instantly feel the standard and the tempo of playing at that level, but I felt I really grew into the game, and the squad were able to achieve a really positive result.

“I’m immensely proud to forever have that moment to look back on, and I’m hopeful that it’ll be the first of many to come in the future.”

The Bellshill-born central midfielder has continued to impress in claret and amber since lifting the 2023-24 Motherwell Women’s player of the year, scoring 12 in 24-appearances, surpassing her previous total of six in eight fewer appearances. 

A stalwart of the Motherwell midfield, Boyes has yet to miss a single game this season, featuring on 25-occasions; starting in 24 of those. The number. 19 has played a vital role in Motherwell’s route to the National Stadium, netting in every round of the Scottish Cup against Rossvale, Bonnyrigg Rose and Boroughmuir Thistle, as Paul Brownlie’s side secured their Semi-Final place against Glasgow City later this month. 

“It’s been a really strong season both personally and collectively as a team,” Boyes added.

“I set myself targets at the start of the season because I wanted to establish myself as a more consistent goal threat from midfield. After speaking to Paul at the start of the season, my position drifted forward, and I was able to play regularly in a more attacking area of the pitch. To surpass last season’s goal tally before the split had even started was a really proud feeling, especially having worked towards achieving those targets from the start of the season.

“To score and play my part in each round of our Scottish Cup campaign was really special. We’ve really wanted to get back to Hampden since our last Semi-Final in 2023, and we’ve had a perfect route to Hampden – netting 16-goals whilst keeping a clean sheet in all three games.

“For myself personally, having not featured in the previous Semi-Final against Rangers, I’m determined to perform to the highest standard in any game I’m called upon, and hopefully I’ll be able to play my part this time around.”

Motherwell will face their Semi-Final opponents in the SWPL when they return from the international break this weekend, and Boyes is keen for the squad to lay down a marker.

“It’ll be a great test for the full squad,” Boyes summarised.

“We have the capability to compete against the strongest teams in the league, and building up to the Semi-Final by facing these opponents in the country is the perfect preparation.

“We will head to Glasgow full of confidence that we can achieve a result, and hopefully lay down a marker for the Semi-Final at Hampden later this month.”

Defender Dan Casey has described Saturday’s game against Hearts as a ‘Cup Final’ for the players. The Irishman is excited for what is ahead and hope everyone turns up on the day. 

Casey says there is frustration with the amount of wrong decisions the club have been involved in over the course of the season, however these decisions are in the past and now everyone has to remain fully focused on the opportunity to get into the top-six.

Manager Michael Wimmer is pleased to have defender Kofi Balmer available for Saturday’s match against Hearts. The Motherwell boss offers his opinion and thoughts on VAR and referees in Scotland. 

Wimmer explains how his team should be motivated to the max for the top-six shootout against Hearts on Saturday, with everyone fully aware of how big a game it is in the context of the Steelmen’s season.