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Ross County narrowly edged past Motherwell on Saturday afternoon in Dingwall, with second-half goals from Ronan Hale and Josh Nisbet helping their side towards a 2-1 win. 

Zach Robinson was able to get one back in the latter stages, but the Steelmen weren’t able to find the leveller thereafter.

Stuart Kettlewell made one change from the Steelmen’s last outing against St Johnstone, with Liam Gordon coming back into the side following his suspension to replace Tawanda Maswanhise, who only returned from international action on Friday.

With a limited Motherwell support after poor travelling conditions due to Storm Bert, a heart 100 or so Motherwell fans made the trip up the A9 and were treated to very little in the opening stages.

The first chance of the match came on 13 minutes, when Andy Halliday won a free kick on the edge of the box. Captain Lennon Miller stepped up, and although he got the ball up and over the wall, he was wide of the target.

Not long after, Tom Sparrow got in behind the County backline and was tripped 25 yards out. Apostolos Stamatelopoulos won the flick on from Halliday’s delivery, which just missed Steve Seddon in the box.

The Staggies had their first sighter of the afternoon on 22 mins when Ronan Hale took a shot early from 25 yards, but his effort was never troubling Aston Oxborough.

On 31 minutes came County’s best chance of the half. Noah Chilvers jinked away from two defenders and forced a strong stop from Oxborough, although there was a potential foul in the build-up.

Motherwell had their best opening on 42 minutes. Academy graduate Ewan Wilson showed supreme skill to turn and get away from two defenders; he interchanged with Miller before Tom Sparrow got the ball and fired a left-footed effort at Ross Laidlaw. The strike was saved by the County number one, and the half time whistle would follow shortly. 0-0.

With the deadlock yet to be broken, Ross County made an alteration at half time, introducing Campbell for Leak.

And a minute into the second period, the deadlock was broken. A shot from the edge of the area scraped the studs of Miller, and the ball subsequently fell to Ronan Hale. He managed to swivel and finish past Oxborough. 46 minutes, 1-0.

Miller looked to come straight back at County, but his audacious effort went sailing over the bar on 49 minutes.

On 53 minutes, County doubled their lead. Josh Nisbet managed to fortunately find the ball at his feet after it came off of Halliday on the edge of the area; he lashed the ball into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

Both sides made changes at this stage, with Motherwell looking to find a way back into the game. Zach Robinson, Harry Paton, Tawanda Maswanhise, and Moses Ebiye were all introduced, but it was Robinson who would make the impact.

The number nine got on the end of a Miller free kick on 82 minutes, expertly heading with the back of his head past the keeper. However, any momentum gained from the goal was quickly killed with a five-minute VAR check for offside.

In the end, the goal was given, but the Staggies went on to kill off the rest of the game, including the ten-minute stoppage time.

Motherwell Team: Oxborough, Kaleta (90′), Casey, Gordon, Balmer, Seddon (56′), Halliday (56′), Wilson, Miller, Sparrow (68′), Stamatelopoulos (68′).

Motherwell Bench: Connelly, Zdravkovski, Robinson (68′), Paton (56′), Blaney, Koutroumbis, Ebiye (68′), Maswanhise (56′), Tavares (90′).

Goalkeeper 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.

Krisztián Hegyi misses out on today’s game against Ross County. The Hungarian has undergone a minor non-footballing related operation.

Connelly is available for selection immediately.

Thanks to Aldi in Hamilton, Motherwell Football Club Community Trust was able to donate 24 bunches of flowers to local care home Parksprings, in Motherwell, this afternoon. 

Captain Paul McGinn assisted the handover, spending some time with some of the carers at the home.

“It felt really rewarding to see their reaction,” McGinn said.

“It may just be some flowers to some people, but to the care home, it was greatly received. They said it would cheer up a number of residents, as well as the staff. Of course that makes you feel good.

“It’s a small gesture from us, but it’s one I think is hugely important, and I’m glad I was able to help. Sometimes you get embroiled in football and all the emotion of the sport, but when you take a step back and go into the local community to see some of the excellent work people do on a daily basis, it reminds you of how privileged we are.”

“Being at the heart of the community matters to the club,” Dawn Middleton CEO of the Motherwell Football Club Community Trust added.

“Some of the support and kindness we all witnessed during the pandemic has dwindled. We were delighted that support from Aldi Hamilton allowed us to visit with the flowers today.”

Midfielder made his return from injury prior to the international break against St Johnstone, and the Canadian international is now looking forward to the rest of the season and staying fit. 

He discusses what the team have taken from the recent defeat against Rangers in the semi-final and explains how that can be used as motivation.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell is looking forward to the uninterrupted run from now until March, as his team look to come back from this international break better than the previous one. 

Kettlewell provides an update on those recovering from injury, as well as answering questions on the reported interest for Lennon Miller.

We are looking to add coaches within our girls academy. 

The ideal candidates would have prior coaching experience and are working at UEFA C license level.

All roles within the girl’s academy are voluntary positions.

If you are interested and require further details, please contact Head Coach Paul Brownlie:

Paul.Brownlie@motherwellfc.co.uk

Get ready for the second half of our William Hill Premiership campaign with a half season ticket. 

You can get yours online now.

Valid from our home match against Rangers on Sunday 29 December, your half season ticket will get you entry to at least nine games at Fir Park.

Secure your own personally selected seat to view all the action at Fir Park, from where you want.

Stuart Kettlewell’s side have made a valiant start to league proceedings, and are currently seven points better off from this point last season.

Having reached the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup in November, the Motherwell manager urges everyone to get along to the stadium and support the players.

“The feeling around the club is that it’s going in an upward trajectory,” he said.

“There were over 8000 fans at Hampden, almost double our average home attendance. So, we know there are people out there who came along but don’t have a season ticket.

“We want to see our attendance go up as much as possible. Not only does it help the players, but it benefits the club as a whole. I urge as many of you as possible, if you’re able, to save yourself a bit of money by paying every week and come along to the games with your half season ticket.

“It’s greatly appreciated by everyone. I’m looking forward to this next section of the league campaign, and it would be great to have as many of you by our side as possible.”

Not only do you get to see the action for a cheaper price, but you also get a range of benefits from local businesses.

Games eligible (all fixtures are subject to change):

• Motherwell v Rangers Sunday 29 December – 3pm Kick Off 
• Motherwell v Aberdeen Sunday 5 January – 2:30pm Kick Off 
• Motherwell v Celtic Saturday 1 February – 3pm Kick Off 
• Motherwell v Ross County Saturday 15 February – 3pm Kick Off
• Motherwell v Dundee Wednesday 26 February – 7:45pm Kick Off 
• Motherwell v St Mirren Saturday 15 March – 3pm Kick Off 
• Motherwell v Hearts Saturday 12 April – 3pm Kick Off 
• Guaranteed at least two further home fixtures post-split 

We had three players away on international duty this month.

Lennon Miller

Having captained Motherwell for the last two matches, Lennon Miller had the armband on once again, this time for Scotland’s Under 19s. Playing the full 90 minutes in their first match against Wales, Scotland lost out 1-0 at Forthbank.

In their second match against Liechtenstein, Lennon Miller was unused substitute. Scotland won the match 4-0.

Against France, Miller started and had the armband once again. Scotland drew 0-0, with Miller coming off on the 67th minute.

Tawanda Maswanhise

It was huge match for Tawanda Maswanhise and Zimbabwe against Kenya. A draw would be enough to secure qualification to AFCON 2025.

Maswanhise started the match and scored his first goal for his country after 32 minutes. He was substituted on 72 minutes and although Kenya levelled the game, the Warriors did enough to hold on to the draw and subsequently qualified.

In their second match against Cameroon, Maswanhise started on the right-wing. After going 2-0 down early in the first-half, Zimbabwe got a goal back in the second period but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback. Maswanhise was substituted just before the hour mark.

Kofi Balmer

Kofi Balmer was an unused substitute for Northern Ireland’s 2-0 win over Belarus.

He was on the bench for their second match against Luxembourg on Monday night, and again didn’t get on the pitch. Northern Ireland secured promotion to League B of the Nations League after a 2-2 draw on the night.

The women of steel set their sights on K-Park this weekend, motivated by their revitalised performance over closest-league rivals Partick Thistle, as they prepare to face last seasons SWPL2 champions Queens Park in South Lanarkshire on Sunday. 

Motherwell came agonisingly close to achieving a vital three points against fellow top-six chasers Partick Thistle, with a fortuitous own-goal from Clare Docherty rewarding a dominant first-half display in Springburn. Former striker Tiree Burchill levelled the contest minutes into the second-half, but despite an array of goalscoring opportunities in the second-half, Motherwell couldn’t capitalise and seal the three points at Petershill Park.

Sunday’s hosts remain one point clear of the Jags following last weekend’s result, with the women of steel set to face a difficult fixture list to conclude the final matchdays of 2024. Paul Brownlie’s side will take on the Spiders in East Kilbride before facing title-chasers Rangers, Hibernian, and Hearts in the final fixtures in 2024.

The Tale of the Tape 

Motherwell 

The women of steel optimistically turn their head to the weekend’s action, enthused by their impressive display against Partick Thistle. Motherwell controlled much of the attacking opportunities, but struggled to capitalise on their momentum in the game.

Motherwell have went unbeaten in five of their last eight games, only defeated twice by Rangers and once by defending champions Celtic. The Lanarkshire side will seek to replicate their clinical display over the Glasgow-outfit in September. Striker Laura Berry netted four-goals in her first start since returning on-loan from Rangers, with a Bailley Collins double complimenting a six-goal victory at Ochilview.

Queens Park

The Spiders have had a difficult run of form since enduring a heavy defeat in the previous meeting with the women of steel. Queens Park have picked up one point in their last five league matches, holding Edinburgh-side Spartans to a 1-1 stalemate, whilst encountering defeats to Aberdeen, Partick thistle, Celtic and Glasgow City alongside a Sky Sports Cup Quarter-Final exit to Hibernian.

Ticket information

Supporters can purchase tickets on matchday, with the clubs turnstile in operation.

• Adult – £8.
• Concession – £3.
• Under-11s – Free to enter.

How to follow the action 

Supporters can follow Sunday’s encounter on X formerly Twitter @motherwellwomen, with a full report of the action available post-match. Kick-off from K-Park at 4PM.

We return to William Hill Premiership action on Saturday 23 November, as we head North to take on Ross County in Dingwall. 

Kick off is 3pm.

How to follow the game

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our home kit for this match.

Injury Update

Stephen O’Donnell, Paul McGinn, Callum Slattery, Jack Vale, Ross Callachan and Sam Nicholson remain out for this game.

Harry Paton returned to the action last time out against St Johnstone. Liam Gordon has served his two match suspension and is available for selection.

Players on international duty will be assessed when they arrive back at Fir Park.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell continued their fine start to their Premiership campaign last time out against St Johnstone. Tawanda Maswanhise found the back of the net for the third time in two matches, with Tom Sparrow adding his second in Motherwell colours.

That result leaves Motherwell seven points better off than this time last year. The Steelmen are joint fourth in the table on 19 points after 11 league games.

Opposition Report

Ross County have two wins since the end of July. Don Cowie’s side are on 12 points, with them drawing six games in the league campaign.

The two sides did meet on the opening day of the season, with the game ending 0-0 at Fir Park. Ronan Hale has had a noticeable impact since joining in the summer, with the striker finding the back of the net seven times in all competitions this season for the Staggies.

Motherwell’s last trip to the Highlands ended in a comfortable 5-1 win, with Blair Spittal scoring twice either side of half time and Harry Paton, Davor Zdravkovski and Paul McGinn also getting on the scoresheet.