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Stuart Kettlewell gives his thoughts on the goalless draw with Kilmarnock.

The last-minute equalisers, refereeing controversies and memorable goals are the key thought-provoking moments of discussion that engages football supporters across the country, and the mid-season break will enable plenty of time for Head Coach Paul Brownlie to reflect on the 2024/25 SWPL campaign so far. 

The women of steel remain firmly in the ascendency, as they chase their long-awaited and evaded ambition of a top-six finish in the Scottish Women’s Premier League table. Motherwell have maintained an advantage over their closest rivals Partick Thistle for much of the 2024/25 SWPL campaign, after a 1-1 stalemate in the last meeting between the sides at Petershill Park in November.

Motherwell have encountered four defeats in the SWPL since September, all coming against title-chasers Rangers, Celtic and Glasgow City. However, in two of their last three fixtures against the full-time top-three sides, Paul Brownlie’s teams were only defeated by a single-goal deficit. In their other five fixtures throughout that time, the women of steel have won four and drew once.

“I’m really pleased with how we’ve performed over the past few months,” Brownlie noted.

“We have really progressed past the initial introduction phase for all our summer additions, and have found a system that the players have really settled into and competed well in. I’m delighted with how we’ve approached and tested the full-time teams, we haven’t sat back and defended in our own penalty box, we’ve taken the game to them all and were deserving of achieving points.

“As with any season, there will always be areas and aspects of our style of play that could be adapted or utilised more effectively, but we are constantly learning and improving ourselves collectively as a squad. Ultimately, we set out a clear objective at the start of the season to finish in the top-six in the SWPL table, and at the halfway stage, we are currently in the position where we want to be which is very pleasing, but the job isn’t close to being completed yet.”

Alongside the closely-fought league campaign, Paul Brownlie’s side confidently secured their place in Round Four of the Scottish Cup, defeating SWPL2 side Rossvale with an assured seven-goal victory. There were seven different goalscorers on display, as Sophie Black, Bailley Collins, Louisa Boyes, Jenna Penman, Lucy Barclay, Sienna McGoldrick and Mason Clark all added their names to the scoresheet. The women of steel were drawn with another SWPL2 club in the round of sixteen, as Bonnyrigg Rose will head to South Lanarkshire to face the hosts at K-Park in the opening fixtures of 2025.

Motherwell will be keen to surpass their Sky Sports league Cup campaign, where they achieved a place in the Quarter-Final stage after defeating local rivals Hamilton following an enthralling penalty shootout, but were eventually defeated by defending champions Rangers.

“The cup campaigns are the perfect opportunity for the team to succeed,” Brownlie emphasised.

“Cup matches are one-off opportunities for the team to progress to the next round, where they can play without the pressurised environment of a league campaign. We achieved real success in 2023, securing a place in the Semi-Final and contested the first domestic women’s match to be played at the National Stadium, Hampden Park. These are experiences that can last a lifetime for the players and can pave the way for the next generation of players coming through, so these opportunities are ones that we really want to capitalise on.

“Bonnyrigg will be another tough task. While the result against Rossvale might look incredibly one-sided, we were really under pressure in the opening stages of the game, and until the second-half; we hadn’t found our standards and hit the correct gear. Bonnyrigg are in the round of sixteen for a reason, they have rightfully earned their place and will be looking to create history by reaching the Quarter-Final stage, but we are confident of the ability within the squad and will be looking to progress to the next round.

The women of steel’s convincing rub of form will have intrigued and enticed the supporters to travel to K-Park in their numbers, with attendances steadily progressing season by season, and the coaching staff are keen to reward their efforts.

“We have been really pleased with the support for the squad this season,” Brownlie explained.

“The women’s game and the popularity of supporting women’s football is continuing to rapidly grow, and we are looking to reward the support from the stands with our performances on the pitch.

“The squad have their sights set on progressing in the cup competitions and finishing the SWPL season inside the top-six, but we aren’t going to get ahead of ourselves. We are pleased with where we are at the halfway stage, but we know that there will still be a considerable amount of work to do when we return in the new year.

“We hope everyone has a happy new year, and we will see you in 2025.”

The dawn of a new year will be found at Foundation Park, as the women of steel prepare for their first SWPL fixture since December when they face Dundee United in the City of Discovery this weekend.

Motherwell have been without competitive action since holding high-flying Hearts to a goalless stalemate at K-Park over three weeks ago.

Paul Brownlie’s side headed into the festive break two-points clear of closest-league rivals Partick Thistle, with only five remaining SWPL fixtures remaining until the post-split in March.

The Tale of the Tape 

Motherwell 

The women of steel have earned five straight victories over Dundee United, netting on 15-occasions and conceding only once. Motherwell cruised to an assured four-one victory in the first meeting between in sides in October.

A double from Rangers loanee Laura Berry, with a strike from Louisa Boyes and a Megan Burns own-goal sealed three-points for Paul Brownlie’s side in East Kilbride. Boyes also found the target in the last visit to Dundee, in a narrow one-nil victory.

Motherwell will seek to strengthen their foothold in the top-six of the SWPL table after only picking up one-point in their previous three matches.

Dundee United

The Tangerines remain at the foot of the SWPL table, three-points adrift of fellow relegation rivals Queens Park after picking up a valuable result over the Spiders, defeating the Glasgow-side to record their first domestic victory since April.

Ticket information

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

• Adult – TBC.
• Concession – TBC.
• Under 11s – TBC.

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 Foundation Park at 2PM.

You have voted Tawanda Maswanhise as your G4 Claims December player of the month. 

December kicked off with a substitute appearance against Dundee, before being an unused sub against St Mirren.

Maswanhise was then brought into the starting lineup against Dundee United, where he placed the ball perfectly onto Apostolos Stamatelopoulos’ head, where the Aussie made it 3-1 in the game.

He was back amongst the goals against Rangers at Fir Park, bringing the ball down perfectly before performing a stunning piece of trickery to evade the Rangers defenders before flashing the ball into the bottom corner.

This came after his excellent through ball for Stamatelopoulos to open the scoring.

Kai Andrews has joined the club on loan from Coventry City until the end of the season, subject to international clearance. 

The 18-year-old has made his first move away from Coventry in search of more minutes at first-team level. Andrews has played twice for the Coventry first-team to date and has been a regular on the bench in the English Championship.

Andrews will already be familiar with one of his new teammates, Lennon Miller, when the two faced off when Andrews was playing for Wales’ Under 19 side.

“We have got an excellent track record when it comes to bringing young players from England up here on loan,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

“There is a genuine belief we can help their progression, and with the likes of James Furlong, Marvin Kaleta, Georgie Gent, Brodie Spencer and Mika Biereth all coming up here and doing well, we see this as a great opportunity not only for the club, but for Kai also.

“I recently watched him playing for his Under 19s national side against Scotland, and I thought he was a real standout. Coventry have made no secret that they rate him highly, so it’s an exciting signing.”

A tall centre-midfielder, Andrews signed his first professional deal in January 2024, having made his debut in August 2023 against Middlesborough.

Andrews will wear the number 54 shirt.

“It’s great to be here,” Kai Andrews added.

“We have been exploring the idea of me going out on loan to get first-team minutes and be in that environment. I wanted a place where I felt I could perform at my best and this feels like the right place.

“The boys have been great so far at helping me settle in. I can’t wait to get started.”

Callum Slattery made his return after over a year out through injury last weekend against Aberdeen. Slattery describes how the recovery process was physically and mentally, whilst also touching on the feeling of being back out on the pitch. 

The midfielder recalls the moment the injury occurred, saying he knew it was a bad one straight one. He discusses how ticking off targets along the way made the recovery smoother and he also touches on the expectations he has going forward.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell has put together a plan between himself and his staff to deal with his touchline ban on Wednesday night against Kilmarnock. 

Kettlewell was braced for the outcome of his red card and as such, has put all the pieces in place to deal with the situation. The manager discusses his teams performances during such a testing period, as well as commenting on recent links with Kai Andrews.

Motherwell play their first of four games in a row on the road on Wednesday 8 January against Kilmarnock. 

Kick off is 7:45pm.

How to follow the game

Tickets can be bought online.

Away Support will be situated in the Chadwick Stand Only.

Pricing: Online Discounted Digital Ticket Purchases

• Under 5 (In addition to a free under 5 – MUST contact the ticket office prior to purchase to arrange): £5

Purchases at our Ticket Office

• Under 5 (Not purchased at the same time as a full paying over 18/In addition to a free under 5): £5

Ambulant & Carer tickets: £25 (Carer Free of charge if in receipt of carer’s allowance) – To purchase ambulant & carer tickets please contact the ticketing team – email: tickets@kilmarnockfc.co.uk

Tel: 01563 545311To reserve wheelchair accessible & carer tickets please contact our disabled supporters’ representatives direct:
Peter Orr                                                   Mae Orr
07759 616945                                          07909 713098

peterorr45@yahoo.co.uk*

Away End tickets will be available in the Chadwick Stand only, if an away supporter purchases a home end ticket, they will be denied entry.

Tickets are non-refundable, non-transferable and T&C’s apply.If you require assistance, please contact our ticketing team at tickets@kilmarnockfc.co.uk or call 01563 545311

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our home kit for this match.

Squad Update

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

Callum Slattery made his return to action on Sunday against Aberdeen.

Stuart Kettlewell will serve a one-match touchline ban.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell moved up to fifth place in the table on Sunday, thanks to a 2-0 win over Aberdeen. The result helped the Steelmen reach the 30 point marker for the season, a tally that has taken eight fewer matches than last season to reach.

Tawanda Maswanhise was on target again, taking him as joint top goalscorer for Motherwell this season on five.

It was a really positive afternoon with Callum Slattery and Paul McGinn both getting minutes since their injury recoveries, as well as Jack Vale getting more minutes.

That result means it’s three wins and two draws in the last seven games for Stuart Kettlewell’s side. Motherwell have found the trip to Ayrshire a tricky one in recent seasons, with their last win coming in February 2021 thanks to Allan Campbell strike.

Opposition Report

Kilmarnock suffered their first defeat on home soil since November on Sunday against Ross County. This will be their third game at home in a row.

Derek McInnes’ side have picked up two draws and two wins in their last four, with Killie tenth in the table, a point above Hearts.

Summer signing Bruce Anderson has continued to find the back of the net with his new club, with the forward notching eight goals in his first season at Rugby Park.

Motherwell were looking to show a reaction following their recent defeat at Tynecastle. Stuart Kettlewell wanted to see more of everything from his team and that’s exactly what he got. 

With Aberdeen in town, the Steelmen wanted to make the most of their one and only home game this month.

Academy graduate Ewan Wilson banged home his first professional goal at the back post to kick off proceedings in the first-half, before Aberdeen were reduced to ten men when Slobodan Rubežić was given his marching orders for a head clash with Tony Watt.

Motherwell pounced and straight from the restart, made it two through Tawanda Maswanhise.

A professional display in the second-half saw Motherwell introduce Callum Slattery and Paul McGinn following on from their injury lay-offs, with the next game, once again, in just three days time.

Stuart Kettlewell will serve a one-match touchline ban against Kilmarnock on Wednesday. 

Our manager has been issued with a suspension by the Scottish FA after being sent off in our recent match with Rangers.