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  • First team

    Semi final ticket information

  • Club

    The Cobra: Tommy Coyne

  • Club

    Can you name that tune?

  • Club

    ‘Well’s world class footballer of his time

  • First team

    Get your tickets for Celtic clash

  • Club

    Players take on coaches again

  • Club

    John Johnston: A goalkeeper of stature

  • First team

    Semi final set for Saturday

  • Club

    Get your tickets for Hamilton derby

  • First team

    Scottish Cup ticket information

  • First team

    Semi final ticket information

    Tickets for Motherwell’s William Hill Scottish Cup semi final with Aberdeen will go on sale on Monday, March 26.

    Season ticket holders and Well Society members will be entitled to purchase first on an exclusive basis. Each individual can buy up to five tickets each.

    The ticket office and Chapman office at Fir Park will be open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm for ticket sales. It will also be open from 10am until kick off, and for one hour after, at the match with Rangers on Saturday, March 31.

    A public sale will start on Monday, April 2. The ticket office will be open on this day from 9am to 1pm. It will be open from 9am to 5pm the rest of the week and will also be open until kick off ahead of the match with Aberdeen on Tuesday, April 3.

    The match at Hampden Park will be played on Saturday, April 14. Kick off is at 12.15pm.

    Ticket information for the match is as follows:

    William Hill South Stand and North Stand

    £30 Adult / £15 Concessions

    East Stand

    £20 Adult / £10 Concessions

    Concessions are regarded as those aged under 16 and those aged 65 and over.

    Additional information

    Telephone bookings will be taken. A £1 admin charge will be applied per telephone booking.

    Delivery is available for any fan who cannot collect from us and who is not local. Tickets will be sent recorded delivery but the decision to have tickets posted is at the supporter’s risk and reprints will not be available. A £2.50 admin/postage charge will be added to each ticket, capped at £10.

    Our signing section will be in areas F2 and F3 in the east stand.

    Any fan requiring ambulant or wheelchair tickets should contact Brian Davidson on 07428225254 or email tickets@mfcdsa.com. .

    Getting to Hampden

    The club are operating a bus from the Cooper Bar on the day of the game. The bar will be open before departure for food and drink.

    The bus, which will take supporters to and from Hampden Park, will cost £8. Supporters can buy by calling 01698 333333 or visiting the ticket office at Fir Park.

    Semi final hospitality

    Come and enjoy the day in style with our pre and post-match hospitality here at Fir Park.

    For just £80, you can get:

    • Your match ticket
    • Hot breakfast roll
    • Match programme
    • Official bus to and from Hampden Park
    • Pay bar facility at Fir Park
    • Hot buffet served at Fir Park on your return

    You can buy online or call to book on 01698 333333.

  • Club

    The Cobra: Tommy Coyne

    Thomas Coyne was born in the shadow of Ibrox Stadium on a cold damp November day in what was the vintage year of our (m’lud) 1962.

    Thomas had grown up, like many of his peers, playing and loving the beautiful game. Schools and boys club football soon followed for Tommy before Jack Steedman, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, at Clydebank spotted the young striker playing for Hillwood boys club from Pollok. That particular boys club has served Motherwell well incidentally over the years, with Alex McLeish, Owen Coyle, Ross McCormack and Lee Hollis having all turned out for them.

    Coyne joined a very good Bankies side in a first division that included a certain football club from South Lanarkshire, at the beginning of 1981/2 season.

    It would be a decent start for the talented front man with nine goals in thirty-one appearances in red and white, finishing fourth in the table. Of course that was the campaign that Motherwell FC blew all other contenders away. Ninety-two goals and twenty-six victories helped the Fir Parkers return to the top flight at the third attempt.

    After improving his strike rate the following season as the Bankies narrowly missed out on promotion, bigger clubs began to take some notice of him. The start of 1983-4 season saw Coyne hit a purple patch with ten goals in eleven games which convinced legendary Dundee United manager Jim McLean to spend £60,000 on the hit man.

    There is little doubt that his 18-months at the bottom of Tannadice Street was a disappointment with only nine domestic goals to his name. He did, however, hit a very important goal at home to Lens at Tannadice to earn a place in the next round of the 1986/87 UEFA Cup – a cup run that would eventually see the Arabs famously eliminate the Catalans of Barcelona.

    Tommy was allowed to move up the road to Dens Park as Dundee manager Jocky Scott sought to make some inroads towards the dominant Tangerines of that time.

    The move to the Dark Blues was a success as he struck up a memorable partnership with Keith Wright. Fifty goals followed in thirty months, including finishing as top goal scorer in the 1987/88 Premier League, netting thirty-three goals.

    His strike rate was enough to alert Celtic manager Billy McNeil, who sanctioned a £500,000 bid for TC which was accepted.

    Tommy had mixed fortunes during his spell in Glasgow’s East End, and after a little over 100 appearances for the Hoops, he was off to English Championship side Tranmere Rovers.

    His brief time on Merseyside coincided with Tommy’s darkest hour, when his wife passed away in tragic and truly heartbreaking circumstances.

    With Tommy and his three young sons needing family around them, Coyne looked for a move home. After taking some advice from his big brother Jim, Motherwell boss Tommy Mclean offered terms and Tommy Coyne arrived at Fir Park. It’s fair to say that the tall blonde strikers arrival at Fir Park wasn’t welcomed with undiluted joy from the Motherwell fans, who were wary of time as an Old Firm player.

    His debut was in a 1-0 win over Partick Thistle at home on 30th November in front of over 5,000 punters, where Phil O’Donnell had nicked the winner. Tommy had came to a club that was clearly on the up, and when you look at the Steelmen’s line up that day, it was probably as good a side as a Motherwell fan could ever expect. In a 3-5-2 formation, Dykstra, Martin, McCart, Krivokapic, Shannon, Kirk, Lambert, O’Donnell, McKinnon, Arnott and Coyne.

    A little over a fortnight later, Tommy hit his first goals, a brace, for Motherwell in a 3-2 defeat at Easter Road. Four days further on, as the Steelmen returned to the capital to face Hearts, TC again hit a double, this time backed up with a Rab McKinnon drive to secure what was at that time a rare win at Tynecastle.

    Coyne played in all twenty-nine competitive games that the Fir Parkers played before the end of the season. His return to Scotland had yielded a decent thirteen goals as he began to strike up a terrific partnership with Dougie Arnott.

    The day where he perhaps turned the Motherwell fans firmly in his favour was when his head flick over the flailing arms of Carl Muggleton in the Celtic goal was enough to knock the Glasgow giants out of the Scottish Cup in a third round tie at Fir Park, much to the joy of everyone in claret and amber.

    Heading into April, Motherwell were firmly in the Championship race with Coyne now flying and the fans now declaring their undying love for him through the medium of song. At Easter Road, he was again on target before a late Krivokapic second secured a vital win, triggering wild celebrations behind the goals from the visiting fans.

    Next up were Rangers at Fir Park, and yet again the Fir Park side rose to the occasion as a Coyne penalty and a John Philliben pile driver sent the Light Blues home, desperately worried about the title challenge from South Lanarkshire.

    Four days later Tommy came up trumps again, netting the only goal at home to Kilmarnock leaving a Championship win well within our grasp with three games to go.

    When Dundee United visited mid week in May, ‘keeper Sieb Dykstra, who’d been a stalwart throughout the campaign, had his shakiest of ninety minutes, as our title hopes were extinguished in a 2-1 reverse.

    The arrival of Coyne had helped the Steelmen to their highest league position in thirty-five years, since the days of the Ancell Babes. Finishing just four points off the title with a team that was simply going to get better gave the Fir Park faithful major hopes that something special was about to be achieved in the near future.

    It was not only Motherwell who had benefited from Coyne’s contribution to the season, Republic of Ireland manager Jack Charlton had also taken a shine to the man the ‘Well fans had now christened “The Cobra.” Tommy had played himself into the starting line up of Ireland’s World Cup finals campaign in the United States. His appearance in the Republics 1-0 win over Italy in New York made him the first ever Motherwell player to feature in a World Cup finals tournament.

    When the Cobra showed up for pre-season back at Fir Park, he found one big difference. Tommy McLean, who without a shadow of a doubt is up there with Hunter and Stevenson in how this club has been shaped over the years, had left following a disagreement with the board over how the club should continue its evolution.

    Aberdeen and Scotland centre half Alex McLeish was the man the Motherwell directors turned to in a player-manager capacity, a move again the Fir Park support didn’t whole heartedly take to.

    McLeish didn’t alter things initially, pretty much leaving the squad McLean had left him alone, apart from signing two goalkeepers – Stevie Woods and Scott Howie.

    The change in management didn’t seem to hamper Coyne as we went into the new season. Tommy scored in five of his first six games against Havnar Boltfelag (UEFA Cup), Clydebank (League Cup), Rangers, Hearts and Kilmarnock (Premier League) as Motherwell made a steady if unspectacular start to the fledgling campaign.

    Our only defeat had been a controversial opening day one at Ibrox Stadium where a ten man Motherwell side lost out to a Duncan Ferguson winner for the hosts seven minutes into injury time, so Motherwell were yet again looking promising for the season ahead.

    After eliminating the Faroe Islanders, Havnar from the UEFA Cup, it was German cracks Borussia Dortmund who stood in the way of further progress in Europe. However, on the eve of the first leg in Germany, Motherwell accepted a bid of £1.75M upfront from Celtic for our young exciting midfielder Phil O’Donnell. It was an offer the club could not turn down, and off we went to the Westfalon Stadion minus a big part of our midfield.

    The performance by the Steelmen that night was immense against a team full of world class footballers. In particular, Coyne along with striker partner, Dougie Arnott caused all sorts of problems. Indeed twice, Tommy Coyne was inches from securing a result that would have shook the world. In the end, it was the home side who won it with an Andy Moeller second half strike.

    The disappointment of the much awaited second leg, which took place on a Tuesday afternoon to take advantage of the substantial cash on offer from German TV was soon forgotten as Motherwell again became a force domestically.

    After that first day defeat to Rangers, we went unbeaten for fifteen league games with the Cobra striking fourteen times. Included in this fabulous run were never to be forgotten wins at Pittodrie with goals from McKinnon, Kirk and Coyne, and Tynecastle with Shannon and Coyne the heroes.

    Also there was that game many Motherwell fans talk about as being the finest half of football ever seen at Fir Park as goals from Coyne, Davies and Arnott secured a win over Partick Thistle. In addition, who can forget the 2-2 draw at Hampden Park against Celtic, as Parkhead was getting rebuilt, when the Cobra struck twice to silence a massive home support.

    McLeish’s first season in charge ended with the Fir Parkers in the runners up spot for the first time in sixty-one years, although in truth a championship challenge was always some distance away from us.

    The next three seasons saw McLeish struggle to replace the quality side he had inherited with Tommy Coyne having to produce the goods in a team that were now flirting with the drop, only at Motherwell could we go from championship challengers to a relegation dog fight in twelve months!

    The 1995-96 season was a bit of a write off for Coyne with a knee injury hampering him for most of the campaign.

    The following season began with the loss of Paul Lambert and Rab McKinnon who both took advantage of the new Bosman ruling, and with money in increasingly short supply, the club began looking towards the youth system for replacements.

    A month after a memorable hat trick for Coyne at Rugby Park, two such products of the academy put their name in lights. After Scott Howie had been injured in a game against Celtic at Fir Park, Jamie Dolan took over the gloves with aplomb, leaving Ian Ross to bundle in an injury time winner to spark wild celebrations around three quarters of the old stadium.

    If the victory over Celtic was sweet, the win at Rangers five months later was simply divine. Motherwell were desperately trying to avoid a relegation play-off against Airdrie, whilst Rangers were looking for a point to clinch the much sought after “nine in a row”.

    Tommy Coyne played an integral part in a 2-0 win that forced the Rangers Directors to cancel a Championship party they’d arranged, and the planned “Conga” of Rangers fans from Ibrox to George Square after the game was ditched due to lack of interest.

    Season 1997-98 was another struggle for Motherwell, and would prove to be the Cobra’s last one at the club. With manager McLeish deciding to move to Hibernian in February, the club looked to Harri Kampman to try and change the downturn in fortunes. Coyne hit a double in Kampman’s first game in charge to seal a win at home to St. Johnstone, but come the end of the season for whatever reason, Tommy left the club to go back up to Dundee.

    Sixty-three goals in a little over four years, almost a goal every two games, was a great return considering a quality Motherwell squad was gradually being dismantled during his time. Tommy had a great ability to hold the ball up and play clever passes to retain possession. He was a number nine who perhaps lacked a yard of pace, but was good in the air and could protect the ball with ease. Coyne was never just a goal scorer, he was much more than that, being blessed with a football intelligence rarely seen below the top echelons of the game.

    Tommy rarely dealt with the press, and was never really one who interacted with fans, but for one special reason he’ll always be one of my heroes.

    He came over to my Dad’s house in May 1997 to watch the Scottish Cup final on TV as my ol’ man was in his last months, fighting a terminal illness. Tommy had known how big a ‘Well fan Fergie “senior” was, and couldn’t do enough to make his day. For a couple of hours Tommy wasn’t Motherwell’s star centre forward, he was one of the lads having a couple of beers, watching and talking about the football on the telly.

    That afternoon I found Tommy Coyne to be a quiet, intelligent, witty and kind man. A top bloke who had come through some tough times, but also happened to be a helluva football player.

  • Club

    Can you name that tune?

    With Motherwell Makes Music starting on Friday night, the players go head to head with the coaches in a game of name that tune.

    The event returns for a second year with more than 30 bands performing in the town from March 16 to 18.

    Organised by Derek Watson from The Banter Thiefs, the event has attracted bands from all over the country, as well as big crowds.

    Tickets are available to buy here, as well as on the door each night.

  • Club

    ‘Well’s world class footballer of his time

    The legend of Robert Ferrier began in Sheffield when he was born to a father who himself was a football icon of the local “Wednesday” football club.

    His dad had previously turned out for his local side Dumbarton at a time when the Sons were operating at the very top of Scottish football, winning the title twice in successive seasons, before being transferred to Sheffield Wednesday in the summer of 1894.

    Ferrier senior, “Rabbie”, spent 12 years in South Yorkshire appearing 329 times for the side, who at that time, played at Owlerton Park. The Scot played his part in helping the Owls gain promotion to the top division in England, and then, securing two league titles in 1903 and 1904.

    Rabbie it seems, was a fine wing half who to this day is revered at Hillsborough, where he can still be seen on the walls of the stadium with his team mates complete with, ankle high football boots, knee length shorts and excellent moustaches. Three weeks after his birth, young Robert was brought back to Dumbarton, and lived there for the rest of his life.

    Ferrier’s career at Motherwell, his only club, was incredible not only in its length and quality, but in its achievement. For eight seasons in the period between 1926 and 1934, Motherwell were never out of the top three in Scotland. When the Steelmen won the championship in 1932, they were the only team outside the Old Firm to do so in 44 years.

    Even then, Scottish football was dominated by the two large Glasgow clubs. Ferrier was captain of the title winning side and always maintained that they were the greatest team he ever played with, although he rated the Motherwell side of the early 20s, including stars like Willie Rankin, Davie Thackeray and Hughie Ferguson, almost as highly.

    The Motherwell championship winning team was a side of moulded talents allied with a supreme elegance and style. That season 66 points were won from a possible 76, with 119 goals being scored in 38 matches, with legendary striker Willie McFadyen netting 52 times.

    Bobby Ferrier had a long, lazy and deceptive stride which allowed him to float past defenders with ease. He could flick, clip and back heel in the air, balls any other player could not reach. His was a game of spaces and angles played with infinite grace, and his control of a ball through the air was often quite exquisite. He could float, chip, hook or slice crosses to his liking with a left foot which many commentators claimed was akin to a magic wand.

    That left peg also possessed enough strength to allow him on occasion to the drill a ball into an opponents net with accuracy and power. In 1929-30 Ferrier scored 32 goals from 37 games playing in his favoured left wing position, often scoring from the touchline, beating goalkeepers at both the near post, and drifting a cross by them, and nestling the ball inside the far post.

    Ferrier was a cultured footballer in an era where many hard men were playing the game. Players like Meiklejohn and McPhail of Rangers, with McGrory and McGonagle at Celtic, would rejoice in repeatedly going in heavy on Ferrier, but the Motherwell man would routinely get up dust himself down and continue his task of mesmerising full backs.

    It all began for Bobby as the Great War was nearing a conclusion in December 1917, when he signed as a teenager for Motherwell from Junior outfit Petershill.

    He would go on to be an integral part of the football club for an incredible 22 seasons. His first two goals for the club came almost a year later on a cold crisp day down at Rugby Park, with the visitors earning a good 2-0 win in front of 4,000 hardy punters.

    A week later Bobby would open the scoring at Fir Park against champions-elect, Celtic, as the Glasgow hoops were swept aside with ease by the Steelmen. His final goal of his debut season came on Ne’erday at Douglas Park, as 10,000 excited Lanarkshire folk witnessed a terrific derby.

    Hughie Ferguson had netted twice for the ‘Well before the Accies pulled one back. As the second half wore on, and the game raged from end to end, Ferrier broke free and fired home to send the Motherwell fans back across the Clyde wishing all and sundry a Happy New 1919.

    That first full season for Ferrier saw the club finish a very respectable fifth in an 18-team top division, with Bobby appearing 16 times. The following few years saw him firmly establish himself in “Sailor” Hunters’ first XI, as Motherwell became a major threat in domestic competitions.

    However in season 1924/25, injuries impacted greatly on the manager’s ability to put a consistent team on the park, resulting in a disappointing campaign. One of the few highlights of that season came in January with a 1-0 win at Parkhead, as the Fir Parkers produced a sparkling performance to beat Celtic.

    The decisive winner came after Ferrier had weaved his way through the home defence and fired in a fierce drive, which the Celtic ‘keeper could only parry into the path of Hughie Ferguson. The prolific Motherwell centre forward then gleefully swept the ball home in front of the 12,000 crowd.

    At the end of that season there was a shock for the Motherwell fans when Bobby turned down the terms offered by the club in a new contract, and was promptly placed on the transfer list with a fee of £100 on his head. Happily by the time the squad had reported back for pre-season, the left winger had signed on again, and he could continue his career where he belonged, at Fir Park.

    In March 1926, as per terms of his new contract, Bobby was given the gate money from the league game at Fir Park against Celtic. This was seen as a benefit for his years of great service to the club, and was made captain for the day. As far as we know, this was the first time that a Motherwell player had been awarded a benefit or testimonial of any kind.

    Happily, it would turn out to be a victorious occasion for Ferrier and his teammates. Dick Little had fired a free kick passed the Celtic ‘keeper, before Tennant latched onto a Ferrier pass and buried an accurate drive passed the helpless visiting custodian to secure a 2-1 win in front of an ecstatic home crowd.

    By the summer of 1927, Motherwell were keen to exploit the world’s developing love of Scottish football by arranging lucrative tours during the close season. That summer, Spain and France were the destinations, where eight games were arranged for a Motherwell squad now captained by Ferrier.

    The captain had a very productive time of it on tour with goals against both Swansea City and Real Madrid, a double against Celta Vigo and a hat-trick in Paris against Red Star Olympique. Six games were won, with only one loss, and scoring 23 goals in the process.

    This successful tour, combined with the excellent season that had gone before, had set Motherwell up for an unprecedented run of success over the next decade, as they put up a sustained challenge to the two Glasgow clubs who had dominated league football in Scotland since the game had turned professional in the late 18th century.

    A cracking start to the following season by the Steelmen meant that there was a great deal of anticipation for the visit of Rangers to Fir Park in September. The club had announced that it would be bringing in “horses to help cart ashes to extend the capacity of the ground.” As it turned out, the game drew 30,000 fans who witnessed a rather tame 1-1 draw.

    ‘Well captain Ferrier had put Motherwell into the lead before a penalty, which was converted, brought parity.

    By the time the 1929-30 season kicked off, Motherwell fans had every reason to be upbeat, as they had an astute set of directors, a visionary manager, a much improved ground with a group of loyal and talented players who were seen as second to none in the country.

    The ground improvements had seen over £1,000 spent on a new concrete wall around the pitch, a “state of the art” drainage system installed, and work done to extend the playing surface to 100 yards by 70 yards. These improvements allowed the capacity of Fir Park to be increased to 35,000 with plans in place to extend that further to 40,000.  The season itself was tremendous, with the club finishing runners up, five points behind Rangers.

    A trip to Celtic Park in March gives us a flavour of how the Steelmen were performing. It was reported that Motherwell produced a stunning exhibition of football to overcome the Glasgow club 4-0, thanks to a Dowall hat trick and a Ferrier strike.

    On Christmas Day 1930, manager Hunter left out centre forward Dowall at Firhill against Partick Thistle. In came Willie McFadyen, and for the first time Motherwell’s “Famous Five” forward line played together in a 3-0 win, in which three of them scored.

    For the next few years the names of Murdoch, McMenemy, McFadyen, Stevenson and Ferrier, were on the lips of every Motherwell fan.

    By April 1932 the Fir Parkers were on the verge of achieving something special, with captain Ferrier only having missed one game in all competitions, and scoring 16 times in that campaign. With three league games to go Motherwell, travelled to Firhill looking to confirm themselves as champions with a win, and as a result a huge army of fans headed through from the Steel Town to the north side of Glasgow in anticipation of a wonderful occasion.

    The 32,000 crowd, including legendary entertainer Harry Lauder, were largely disappointed with the dull 0-0 draw which left Motherwell still looking for a point from the last two games.

    A 3-0 win at home to Cowdenbeath, in which Ferrier opened the scoring, left a chasing Rangers outfit with no margin for error. That margin was lost the following midweek when the Ibrox club could only draw leaving Motherwell as champions of Scotland by the time they took the field for the final game of the season at Fir Park against Clyde.

    The title triumph was dedicated by the players to manager Sailor Hunter, who had spent years developing a squad and a way of coaching which was years ahead if its time.

    In an interview shortly after the success, John Hunter explained his strategy. “I give the players a square deal, make sure they are happy and have harmony in the dressing room,” he said.

    “As an old player, I am conversant with the ups and downs of the players. Make your ambition theirs, get their confidence, exercise discipline reasonably and the best that is in them will emerge spontaneously.”

    The following season saw a spirited defence of the title which fell tantalisingly short, finishing narrowly behind Rangers.

    That championship was ultimately decided in an action packed February afternoon at Fir Park. The Steelmen had taken the lead with a typical Ferrier dribble and shot. Shortly after the visitors had equalised, an incident saw Rangers forward, Sam English deliberately charge into ‘Well ‘keeper, Alan McClory, who retaliated and was sent off on the advice of the linesman.

    Bobby donned the gloves, but was beaten by the resultant penalty and the Light Blues held on for a controversial and decisive victory.

    April 1937 saw the great man’s final goals for Motherwell, a brace in a 6-0 demolition at Fir Park against Dunfermline, whilst his final season registered as a player was 1937/38. After the summer of 1938, Bobby, with his boots hung up, was appointed Motherwell’s first ever assistant manager. This meant the break-up of one of the greatest wing partnerships the game had ever seen, lasting almost 15 years.

    Much of Motherwell’s success can be laid at the feet of the partnership of George Stevenson and Ferrier, and the club’s refusal to sell them on. This, despite the number of blank cheques offered by other clubs to remove this golden partnership from Fir Park. During his Motherwell career, Bobby played 697 games, scoring a grand total of 345 goals, 262 of which were in the league.

    The adulation he experienced in Lanarkshire from the Motherwell fans would surely have been replicated throughout the country had he been eligible to play for Scotland. Having been born in England, something he always cursed, and stayed only for a matter of weeks, it was enough to stop Bobby from representing “his” country.

    Bobby Ferrier was without question Motherwell FC’s greatest ever outside left. He had all the qualities that a winger requires: great skill, peerless dribbling and pin point crossing. Of course, he also made innumerable opportunities for others with a vision and a passing ability second to none. With a knack of shooting with power and accuracy, he was also a prolific scorer in his own right, notching close to 350 career goals, an astonishing return for a wide man.

    Robert “Bobby” Ferrier died in April 1971, aged 71, and is buried in Dumbarton. Revered in his time by Motherwell fans, he should still be revered by Motherwell fans today, because if ever we had a truly world class footballer at our club that we should celebrate, then Bobby Ferrier is that man.

    Eddie Ferguson

  • First team

    Get your tickets for Celtic clash

    Motherwell host league leaders Celtic on Sunday looking to keep themselves in the race for a top six finish in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

    The reigning champions were so nearly toppled on their last visit to Fir Park, with the Steelmen coming within two minutes of a famous win before being denied by a last-gasp penalty.

    Stephen Robinson’s men are still in the chase to cement a top half place ahead of the league split and your support could be the key to spurring the team on to a huge win.

    Tickets are available at the Fir Park ticket office or by calling 01698 333333.

    Celtic supporters should contact their club for ticket information.

    Kick off at Fir Park on Sunday is at 2.15pm.

    Admission prices are as follows:

    ADULTS £27/20
    CONCESSIONS £18/£16
    JUVENILES £14/£10
    FAMILY (1 ADULT + 1 JUNIOR) £27

    Concessions are applicable to 60 and over and full time students with a valid matriculation card. Juveniles are applicable to aged 15 and under. The cheaper price is for the John Hunter stand.

    Motherwell fans who require ambulant or wheelchair access should contact Brian Davidson on 07428 225254 or tickets@mfcdsa.com. Fans must contact Brian by Wednesday night before the match.

  • Club

    Players take on coaches again

    The players lead the coaches 2-0 going into the third round of our players against coaches challenge.

    In the third instalment, we headed to the training ground for a penalty shootout challenge… with a twist.

    Instead of facing Trevor Carson or Russell Griffiths, the heroics were instead left to Steelman as the coaches look to get themselves back in the game.

  • Club

    John Johnston: A goalkeeper of stature

    Born in Bo’ness on September 10, 1921, John Johnston had been watched by John Hunter and the Motherwell chairman in the Scottish Junior Cup final as his Armadale Thistle side drew with Glasgow Perthshire at Firhill.

    He must have suitably impressed the duo from Fir Park because during the following week they visited the player at his home in Bo’ness and offered him terms.

    John was reluctant to sign before the season was completed with his local club, and it was two weeks later on May 13, 1941 that John joined Motherwell, in the midst of World War II.

    He had previously played within his own community having starred with his local Academy and Winchburgh Albion. Indeed, he had been a provisional signing with Rangers when he was only 16, and turned out several times for the reserves without ever being called up to the first team squad.

    Johnston would become a stalwart Motherwell ‘keeper of the mid 40s and early 50s who frequently had his name incorrectly spelt with an “e” at the end, much to his annoyance. Johnny’s first five seasons at Fir Park were over shadowed by the hostilities taking place in Europe and beyond, as Motherwell competed in “unofficial” competitions, namely the Southern District League, Southern League Cup and latterly the Summer Cup.

    John was an important member of the Summer Cup winning side of July 1944, a memorable occasion as it saw Motherwell smash their long standing Hampden Park cup final jinx. Johnston had been an ever present in the cup run as the Steelmen beat St. Mirren, then edged out Falkirk 3-2 in the semi final.

    The Steelmen then defeated Clyde 1-0 in the final, with right winger Gibson the goal hero, in front of 40,000 fans, a pretty impressive attendance considering the country was still at war.

    Johnston was to win other medals and enjoy further Hampden occasions. Indeed, less than a year later, he was back between the sticks in Mount Florida as the Steelmen lined up against Rangers in the final of the Southern League Cup, which the Light Blues edged 2-1 in an reportedly exciting tussle.

    In 1947, John played against Hibernian in a Scottish Cup semi final at Hampden Park which lasted until the 152nd minute, when the Easter Road outfit hit the winning golden goal.

    The Steelmen acquitted themselves very well in the 16 team league during this period. The club finished fourth, fourth, fifth and third, before ending in sixth position after the victory season in 1946, all with Johnston the favoured Motherwell custodian.

    When Rangers visited in the opening game of the 1946/47 campaign it saw the official introduction of a number of players who were to become legends at Fir Park, including names such as Willie Kilmarnock, Archie “Baldy” Shaw, Andy Paton, Willie Redpath and of course John Johnston. In front of a vociferous audience, Rangers ran out 4-2 winners, with Brown scoring a double for Motherwell.

    Johnston had a very good season playing in all 42 matches the club played in, achieving eight clean sheets, no mean feat in an era where football was all about scoring goals rather than preventing them. The following year, the club claimed a second consecutive eighth place finish as John once again gained ever present status playing 40 matches with 12 shutouts.

    Seasin 1948/49 saw Motherwell struggle a little with injuries to important players taking its toll on results. Despite this, Johnston once again was an ever present, appearing 38 times and keeping the opposition at bay on nine occasions. On one notable occasion that season, John saved two penalties against Hibernian at Easter Road. Sadly, the duo of stops mattered little, as the Hibs had already romped to a 5-1 lead.

    As the new season, which would take the club into the 50s, was appearing over the horizon, John was the only player to have played in all 120 competitive matches the club had taken part in since the ending of the war.

    He kept that run going in all the six league cup sectional ties from which Motherwell narrowly failed to progress against Partick Thistle, Dundee and Clyde.

    They missed out despite only losing once and Johnston posting two shut outs. As the league campaign kicked off with a 2-2 draw at Fir Park against Falkirk, followed by a tough looking away fixture to Third Lanark.

    John Johnston took to the field in Motherwell colours for the 128th match on the bounce that day, and nobody could have foreseen what was about to happen. Johnny was badly injured in the 3-3 draw at Cathkin Park, to such an extent that he wouldn’t turn out again for another seven months after totting up more than 180 consecutive appearances stretching back into October 1943 and the “unofficial” competitions played during the war years.

    John returned to his goal line, replacing his more than able deputy, the admirable Dick Hamilton, just in time for the last game of that season against East Fife, much to the delight of everyone with Motherwell at heart.

    Unfortunately it was to be no glory return for John as he couldn’t prevent the visitors winning 4-3 at Fir Park despite two goals for Johnny Aitkenhead and a late effort by Archie Kelly.

    This was an era in which Motherwell were recognised as a solid mid-table side, who could be dangerous opponents at any given time. This would certainly prove to be the case over seasons 1950/51 and 1951/52. During the former campaign, John missed a dozen games which was unusual for him due to a variety of reasons, with Hamilton once again proving an able back up.

    Johnston played 35 games, two of which were Hampden Park cup finals. In the League Cup version against Hibernian, John had been drafted in for the final after an injury to Dick Hamilton, and as is often the case, the player coming into these situations was tremendous.

    Johnston was a stand out with a confident display as part of a well organised Fir Park defence against an attacked blessed with pace, trickery and deadly accuracy. Three second half goals by Motherwell’s Kelly, Forrest and Watters allowed Johnston and his team mates to lift the silverware much to the delight of the travelling Motherwell fans in the 64,000 crowd.

    Five of the victorious players that afternoon – Willie Kilmarnock, Archie Shaw, Andy Paton, Jimmy Watson along with Johnny – had all taken part in the League Cup final of 1945, when they had lost 2-1 to Rangers, so it must’ve been so much sweeter for these guys to finally lay the club’s cup bogey to rest.

    Following the 3-0 victory, the team headed back to the Steel Town on a high to meet a welcoming committee of over 8,000 fans waiting at Motherwell Cross desperate to catch a glimpse of the first major cup bedecked in our famous colours.

    The Scottish League Cup, if you include the Southern League Cup, was to be a favourite competition for Johnston, who played in a quite remarkable 71 League Cup ties. The winning of the trophy was recognised by Motherwell Town Council with a civic reception at the town hall two months later.

    Four months after the reception, Johnny and his team mates were back at Mount Florida attempting to win the cup double against Celtic in the Scottish. Despite Motherwell dominating much of the final and playing the better football, the Steelmen narrowly missed out on what would have been a unique achievement for this club.

    The normally deadly forwards Kelly, Humphries and Aitkenhead all spurned great opportunities before Celtic’s McPhail shot beyond John to send the Celtic fans in the 132,000 crowd home happy, leaving the Motherwell supporters to reflect on what might have been.

    The following season of course, as every ‘Well fan should tell you, ended in Scottish Cup glory for the extremely talented Fir Park squad in which John Johnston was integral. The defence of the League Cup was going well for Motherwell with Stirling Albion, Hibernian and Partick Thistle all defeated by the Fir Parkers lining up a quarter final two legged affair against St. Johnstone. On the face of it, the tie was won in the first leg at Muirton Park, but the 4-0 score line for Motherwell masked the important part played by Johnny.

    After Jimmy Watson had fired the visitors ahead, Johnston pulled off a terrific penalty save after Willie Kilmarnock had handled in the box. Two more spectacular saves were recorded before the interval allowing for the Steelmen to score two more goals in classic breakaway fashion to pretty much wrap up the tie in the first 45 minutes.

    Sadly for the club, when the defence of the trophy finally ended it was with a whimper, being hammered 5-1 in the semi final at Ibrox against Dundee.

    Of course, the Scottish Cup final would see Motherwell try to lift the silverware for the first time in their history at the fifth attempt, while looking to gain revenge on the Dark Blues.

    John Johnston probably had his finest 90 minutes in a Motherwell shirt in front of almost 137,000 paying punters. Time and again he denied the Dundee attackers, particularly in the first half facing a stiff wind, building the platform for two sets of quick fire goals by Watson, Redpath, Humphries and Kelly. Johnny had also made a terrific point blank save from Dundee inside forward Pattillo midway through the second half to keep his clean sheet intact.

    On the way from Hampden to Fir Park, John was part of the party which edged slowly through vast crowds in Viewpark and Bellshill before inching through Motherwell Cross once again, with an estimated 25,000 cheering fans acclaiming their heroes as they headed for a celebration dinner at Robb’s Restaurant.

    John was back to being the undisputed number one around these parts, turning out in 48 of the 49 competitive matches played by the Steelmen, only missing out on a 2-1 home win over East Fife in January.

    In September 1952, a 31-year-old policeman was shot and killed as he approached a suspect of a bank robbery. PC John MacLeod left a wife and young son as a result of this awful incident, and a fund was quickly set up, the centre of which was a football match with the proceeds hopefully boosting the monies significantly.

    The league champions, Hibernian were to take on the Scottish Cup holders Motherwell for the Lord Provost Trophy at Firhill in Glasgow, 18 days after the tragedy. Johnny and his teammates turned in a scintillating display, routing the champions by five goals to one. As superb as the performance was, and as memorable as the victory turned out to be, it was a bittersweet night for the ‘Well fans in the ground given the sad circumstances surrounding the occasion.

    John’s last ever game for Motherwell at Fir Park was a 2-1 win over Arbroath in April 1954 as Motherwell wrapped up the Second Division title and returned to the top flight of Scottish football. Johnston was an ever present in the championship winning side playing 43 games, earning 12 shut outs.

    His final appearance for the club came at Pittodrie in January 1955 in a 4-1 loss to Aberdeen. He finally left Motherwell later that year as the much younger Hastie Weir, recruited from Queen’s Park in August 1954, established himself as the new first choice.

    John Johnston was a popular man with his team mates and amongst the Motherwell support in an era where the club had had decent success and lifted trophies.

    His was a long and interesting career and perhaps suffered less than most from the impact of the war. John died in Law Hospital on January 21, 1989, just one day after the death of his former team mate and cup final winning legend Willie Redpath.

    John Johnston played 323 times for the Steelmen, a legendary Motherwell goalkeeper who delighted in collecting cross balls and enjoying the physical challenges of his position in the 40s and 50s. He spent a season across the river with Hamilton Accies, playing five games before hanging up his gloves – had he worn any.

    Agile, brave and a wonderful shot stopper, he was very highly respected within the Scottish game and had only that one notable absence in his 14-year career at Fir Park. A player of stature, integrity, consistency and quality, there is little doubt that John Johnston not only has a claim to be a legend of this football club, but also to be the finest goalkeeper ever to represent it.

  • First team

    Semi final set for Saturday

    Motherwell’s William Hill Scottish Cup semi final against either Aberdeen or Kilmarnock will be played on Saturday, April 14.

    The match, which will be played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, will kick off at 12.15pm.

    The fixture is also being broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC Scotland.

    Ticket information for the match is as follows:

    North and William Hill South Stand

    £30 Adult / £15 Concessions

    East & West Stands

    £20 Adult / £10 Concessions

    Concessions are regarded as those aged under 16 and those aged 65 and over.

    The Scottish FA haven’t as yet been able to give the competing clubs a confirmed date as to when the tickets are likely to be available. When they do, the club will announce when the tickets will go on sale and the planned sale arrangements.

    Getting to Hampden

    The club are operating a bus from the Cooper Bar on the day of the game. The bar will be open before departure for food and drink.

    The bus, which will take supporters to and from Hampden Park, will cost £8. Supporters can buy by calling 01698 333333 or visiting the ticket office at Fir Park.

    Semi final hospitality

    Come and enjoy the day in style with our pre and post-match hospitality here at Fir Park.

    For just £80, you can get:

    • Your match ticket
    • Hot breakfast roll
    • Match programme
    • Official bus to and from Hampden Park
    • Pay bar facility at Fir Park
    • Hot buffet served at Fir Park on your return
  • Club

    Get your tickets for Hamilton derby

    Motherwell are on a high as they prepare to face Hamilton Academical in the Lanarkshire derby.

    The Steelmen travel to face their rivals in the Ladbrokes Premiership on Saturday, March 10 and fans are encouraged to buy early to guarantee their seat.

    To help you get your ticket early, you can now buy online for this fixture.

    Adult tickets cost £22, while over 65s and under 18s can get in for £12.

    The trip to Hamilton represents another huge game for Stephen Robinson’s side in their push to make the top six in the Ladbrokes Premiership. Let’s fill the stand and give the team as big a backing as possible.

  • First team

    Scottish Cup ticket information

    It’s a huge fixture on Sunday as Hearts come calling in the quarter finals of the William Hill Scottish Cup.

    Motherwell are just one game away from yet another trip to Hampden Park this season and a place in the last four of the competition.

    Having reached one cup final this season, your support could help push us a step closer towards another as we strive for new cup heroes.

    Tickets can be purchased in advance and, if you’re a season ticket holder, your seat has been reserved for you to purchase. Just pop by the Fir Park ticket office to secure yours. Please note the ticket office is closed on Thursday due to the adverse weather conditions.

    Cash gates will also be in operation but we encourage all fans to try and buy in advance to minimise delays on the day.

    Hearts supporters should contact their club for ticket information.

    Kick off at Fir Park on Sunday is at 2.15pm.

    Admission prices are as follows:

    ADULTS £18
    CONCESSIONS £12
    JUVENILES £8
    FAMILY (1 ADULT + 2 JUNIOR) £30

    Concessions are applicable to 60 and over and full time students with a valid matriculation card. Juveniles are applicable to aged 15 and under.