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Our second inductee to the Motherwell FC Hall of Fame in 2020 is Andy Paton.

The man who was previously voted as the club’s greatest-ever player joins John Hunter in this year’s intake.

We will honour the class of 2020 with a unique virtual induction event this winter by means of a special live, free-to-air, online event.

We are also once again asking the fans to pick our fifth inductee.

You can join in the vote by nominating any individual from any era in Motherwell’s past – player, manager or official – who you think is worthy of being included in the 2020 class.

Click here to vote for who you want to see in the Motherwell FC Hall of Fame.

“A footballing Prince amongst men” was how one enraptured newspaperman described Andy Paton in the immediate post-war years, as the multi-talented Ayrshire man emerged as one of the most cultured, yet commanding centre halves the Scottish game had ever known.

It’s perhaps stating the obvious to say that World War Two was a defining period for Motherwell FC. But football-wise it most certainly was.

Prior to the hostilities, ‘Well, with pretty much the same squad of players for the best part of a decade, had consistently challenge for honours in the Scottish game, playing a brand of football loved by fans up and down the land.

By the time the war had ended, John Hunter had been left with a threadbare playing staff, which he had used to some effect in the unofficial competitions during the 1939 to 1945 years.

Some big names in our history joined up with the club at this time, including goalkeeper Johnny Johnstone from Armadale, Willie Kilmarnock from Irvine Meadow, Willie Redpath from Polkemmet and Archie “Baldy” Shaw from Wishaw.

The biggest of them all though was Andy Paton from Kello Rovers.

Andy signed on the 6 November 1942 after a successful trial, impressing Hunter with his first touch and ability to read the game with consummate ease.

The Dreghorn-born defender had spent five years learning his trade in the junior ranks having made his debut for Irvine Meadow in 1937, aged just 14.

Because his family were specialist builders, young Andy was exempt for national service and that allowed him to develop and, in time, superbly marshal his local junior side, much to the admiration of the legendary Hunter.

Initially at Fir Park, he was somewhat impetuous and inclined to a display of bad temper, but he would mature into a beautifully balanced and reliable performer.

It was almost four years later that Paton made his official Steelmen debut against Rangers on 10 August 1946, after over 100 appearances in unofficial competitions. It wouldn’t be a happy occasion with the visitors notching up a 4-2 win.

By the time of that defeat in 1946, John Hunter had decided to leave his managerial duties and take up the important secretarial role at Fir Park.

It was decided by the board that George Stevenson would be entrusted with the manager’s job. This decision was greeted with joy by the Motherwell fans, given the previous service he’d given the club as a player.

His debut season had its share of ups and downs, but there was a feeling amongst the Fir Park faithful that there were signs during the campaign that the new signings would continue to improve over the coming years.

The end of the war had meant the league was no longer regionalised and suddenly for the first time, Paton had a national audience to entertain – and entertain he did.

Fans all over the country enjoyed not only Andy’s ability but his attitude to the game and his determination to give them their money’s worth. The new 1947/48 campaign kicked off with a home League Cup tie against Queen of the South, in which Paton became the first ‘Well player ever to wear the number five on his back, as the club introduced team numbers for the first time. It seemed to galvanise the Steelmen, who ran out comfortable 4-0 winners.

The league form was terrific from the outset with seven wins in the first eight games to go clear at the top of the league. With Paton superbly marshalling the defence, and the strike force of Wilson Humphries and Willie Watters on fire, a championship tilt was on the cards.

However, injuries to key players for the remainder of the season saw Motherwell slip, eventually finishing eighth, 19 points behind champions Hibernian.

An indifferent few seasons followed, including a number of near misses at the bottom of the table. The board were well aware of how close the club had come to relegation and made it clear things had to improve when they issued a statement that said that “to lose half of the total of the league games was not in the Motherwell tradition”.

Despite the determination of all concerned to improve the club’s fortunes, season 1949/50 would finish with Motherwell on the same 25 points total they had the previous campaign. 1950/51 saw no discernible improvement to our league placing, but happily, Paton became the first, and only, Motherwell captain to lift the League Cup to finally land our first-ever top-level silverware.

Our group section included Airdrie, Hearts and Partick Thistle. The Steelmen won five of the six games to progress to the quarter-final. Celtic were despatched with ease over the two legs, before coming out on top in a seven-goal thriller against Ayr United at Ibrox in the last four.

The final would be against champions’ elect Hibernian. The game apparently disappointed the neutrals in the ground as the build-up to the tie had indicated that the two best attacking teams of that era would be going at it toe to toe from the first whistle.

In reality, it appears that both teams seemed to cancel each other out somewhat until Archie Kelly struck to give the Fir Parkers the lead in front of the 64,000 fans. Two minutes later Jim Forrest swept home a cross and Willie Watters clinched the cup when he added a third near the end.

The League Cup victory whetted the appetite of all at Fir Park, and season 1951/52 would end in more success and immortality for 11 heroes in claret and amber.

In the league, Motherwell finished seventh, their best effort since the war, but the marginal improvement in that competition was overshadowed with the string of results the club managed in the 1952 Scottish Cup.

With Forfar Athletic and St Mirren beaten in the first two rounds, Dunfermline proved to be a tougher proposition, with a replay required to knock out the Fifers.

Rangers in the quarter-final also took the Steelmen to a replay, with Wilson Humphries driving home the winner at Fir Park.

The semi-final against Hearts would prove to be an epic, with no less than three games needed to at last despatch the Jambos. Cumulatively, almost half a million fans turned up to watch the tie finally put to be by Kelly, Humphries and Redpath in a 3-1 victory.

The final was a master class by manager Stevenson as his team produced a display of counter-attacking play rarely seen in that era. Despite Dundee having the lion share of possession, it was the Steelmen who had the pace and scoring prowess in front of a crowd just short of 140,000.

Goals from Watson, Redpath, Kelly and Humphries brought the famous old trophy back to Motherwell for the first time ever.

Andy Paton was a cornerstone of this Scottish Cup win, alongside the other seven “ever-presents” in the cup-ties. They were ‘keeper Johnstone, skipper Kilmarnock, half back Redpath, right winger Sloan, inside forwards Humphries and Kelly and left winger Aitkenhead.

After the cup successes of the previous two campaigns, everyone was upbeat about the progress the club were making on the pitch. Andy was by this time at the peak of his powers, and the success for Paton in claret and amber brought recognition from national selectors, gaining a rather meagre nine caps in total.

In truth, it was a poor return for a player who displayed such anticipation which bordered on being clairvoyant, along with sublime ball control and dribbling ability that belied his centre half status.

The start to 1952/53 campaign brought a red-letter day for Andy. Occasionally his adventurous habit of dribbling the ball away from dangerous situations caused palpitations among Motherwell fans, but they loved him for the thrills he bestowed and talked for decades about such exploits.

One such mazy resulted in his one and only goal for the Steelmen, at home to Rangers in a 3-3 League Cup draw on 27 August 1952.

Sadly, the season would end in calamitous fashion with Motherwell being relegated to Division B. Thankfully, the team bounced back at the first attempt in spectacular style, scoring 109 goals in the 30 games bringing Andy, and the club, back to the level where they belonged.

By the time the summer of 1958 arrived with a new Motherwell boss, Bobby Ancell installed, and the new incumbent going down the road of developing the Ancell “Babes”,

Andy was allowed to leave Fir Park for Hamilton Academical. He played for a full season before taking over as manager at Douglas Park, where he remained for a further nine years, including masterminding a famous championship win for the Accies.

He was, without doubt, a player before his time. These days, his footballing ability would be far better appreciated than it was during his career. Indeed, in 2007 Andy Paton was voted by fans as Motherwell FC’s best-ever player, and that’s an accolade that will never be taken away from the original Motherwell maverick.

Andy may not have been the biggest of defenders, measuring 5ft 10in tall. But without doubt he was one of the best, and fiercest tacklers ever to wear our famous colours. He had an uncompromising streak that the fans in the Hunter Stand today would have absolutely loved.

The Motherwell legend passed away at his home in Markinch in February 2014 at the grand old age of 91, having the distinction of being Scotland’s oldest football internationalist at the time. He may not be amongst us anymore, but no Motherwell fan reading this should ever forget his contribution to our fantastic club.

Andy Paton. The greatest ever Steelman.

Our first inductee to the Motherwell FC Hall of Fame in 2020 is John Hunter.

We will honour the class of 2020 with a unique virtual induction event this winter by means of a special live, free-to-air, online event.

We are also once again launching a special fans’ vote for a fifth inductee.

You can join in the vote by nominating any individual from any era in Motherwell’s past – player, manager or official – who you think is worthy of being included in the 2020 class.

Click here to vote for who you want to see in the Motherwell FC Hall of Fame.

John Bryson Hunter was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire on 6 April 1878. Motherwell Football Club hadn’t been formed yet, but the boy who would affectionately become known as ‘Sailor’ would grow up to become its greatest influence.

At the age of 18, he signed for Paisley side Abercorn, who had been relegated to the second tier the previous season. While Abercorn did not improve at all during his time there, Hunter was soon snapped up by English giants Liverpool.

He became part of the Liverpool side that won their first-ever First Division Championship in 1901. However a year later, after he failed to settle in Merseyside, he was persuaded to return to Scotland, signing for Hearts for £300 in a joint transfer with Tom Robertson.

He was to help the Jambos reach, but lose, the 1903 Scottish Cup Final against Rangers.

In 1904 he joined Woolwich Arsenal in a £165 transfer, playing 22 times for them in 1904/05 season, before joining Portsmouth, then of the Southern League. But it was only when he joined Dundee in 1907 that he came into his own, moving from left midfield to centre forward, becoming a quite prolific goalscorer, and earning his only cap for Scotland in a 3-2 defeat by Wales down in Wrexham in March 1909.

In the 1910 Scottish Cup Final, Hunter’s Dundee were up against a strong Clyde team who had knocked out Celtic 3-1 in the semi-final and were 2-0 up in the final with six minutes to play. Sailor scored a goal to give Dundee hope then, two minutes later, the Dark Blues equalised, and the teams had to do it all again. The first replay ended in a 0-0 draw but Dundee won the second replay 2-1 with Hunter notching the winner. It was to be his finest moment as a player in Scotland.

He signed for Clyde in September 1910, but an injury forced him to retire six months later, without making a single appearance for the Bully Wee.

Two months later, in April 1911, Hunter was appointed the first-ever manager at Fir Park at the age of 32, and so the man who would transform our beloved club began an incredible journey that would leave his name indelibly etched into the fabric of Motherwell FC history.

The Steelmen had finished second bottom of the First Division in season 1910/11, just above relegated Queen’s Park. Hunter would improve their position slightly in the following season, although the highlight was the reserve side winning their league title for the first time.

Motherwell improved steadily on the pitch over the next few years, as did John Hunter’s reputation off it, borne out by the directors handing him the secretary’s job in addition to his managerial duties midway through the 1912/13 season. Then, on 23 August 1913, the club sported the famous claret and amber colours for the first time in a 1-1 draw at home to Celtic.

In August 1916, Hunter gave a debut to a young centre forward signed from Parkhead Juniors, Hughie Ferguson, who hit a double against Raith Rovers and followed it up with a hat trick two weeks later against Dundee. It was to prove an inspirational signing as Ferguson was Motherwell’s top scorer in every one of the nine seasons he played at Fir Park, amassing a terrific 362 goals and to this day he remains Motherwell’s all-time top scorer, a record unlikely to be surpassed. He was also the top scorer in the Scottish Football League in seasons 1917/18, 1919/20 & 1920/21.

For the next four campaigns, Motherwell never finished lower than fifth in the league but, over time, financial restraints began to tell on the club. Local unemployment was higher than it had ever been, crowds were down, and the club had to abandon their reserve team.

Motherwell began to slip in the league and they finished the 1924/25 third from bottom, on the same points total as the two teams immediately below them. Indeed, it was only Ferguson’s goals that kept the club in the top flight. The following season started pretty well for Motherwell, but soon into the season Ferguson was sold to Cardiff City for £5,000, putting paid, it seemed, to the club’s hopes for the near future.

Mr Hunter though had identified an instant replacement for Ferguson in the shape of another signed from Parkhead Juniors, Willie MacFadyen, who would go on to more than justify the manager’s faith in him. He took Ferguson’s number nine shirt and spookily, repeated his predecessor’s debut feat by firing a double past Raith Rovers in a 5-0 romp.

Motherwell finished fifth that season and for the next eight seasons, they would not finish lower than third, with a league title to celebrate in 1931/32.

The original “famous five” adorned Fir Park in this era, with the names, Murdoch, McMenemy, MacFadyen, Stevenson and Ferrier tripping off the tongues of the Motherwell faithful, as the men in claret and amber played a brand of football that had the world drooling in anticipation whenever Motherwell came to town.

It was at this time that Mr Hunter saw the advantage of taking such a football team abroad, and was the architect of four successful world-wide tours undertaken by the club, played to big crowds, to boost finances.

The summer of 1927 saw Motherwell tour Spain, beating Real Madrid to win the King of Spain Cup, and drawing with Barcelona to secure the Barcelona Cup. The following year, ‘Well headed to South America with matches in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil yielding more silverware yet, and, 1931 and 1934 saw the Steelmen visit South Africa in the most arduous of tours.

During the 1931 tour, 15 players played 15 games within 42 days, losing just the once, with MacFadyen scoring 30 of the 57 goals Motherwell rattled past the opposition.

It proved to be the perfect preparation for the new campaign, which would see the Steelmen scoring an incredible 119 goals in 38 league games to finally secure the league title, after twice narrowly finishing runners up.

Motherwell became the first club to win the Championship outside the Old Firm in almost 30 years and whilst using only 19 players.

Despite the foreign tours being money-spinning for the club, Hunter insisted on the board curtailing them in future years, which they did into four or five games at a time, and a little closer to Lanarkshire.

It was also during this period that “Sailor” instilled a cup fighting spirit at the club, resulting in three Scottish Cup final appearances, the first in the club’s history.

Hunter would remain as secretary/manager at Fir Park until the summer of 1946 when George Stevenson, inside left and playmaker of the team which won the Championship, would take over the managerial hot seat, leaving Hunter to the then important secretary role.

He oversaw the team winning its first-ever domestic cup, the League Cup, by beating the infamous ‘Famous Five’ Hibernian team 3-0 at Hampden Park in October 1950.

Two years later, in 1952, the Fir Parkers would win the Scottish Cup for the first time, and the first stop for the victorious Motherwell team after lifting the old trophy was Fir Park to show Mr Hunter, who had been unable to witness the Hampden showpiece due to a deterioration of his eyesight.

Sailor found it hard to leave Fir Park and remained as club secretary until his retirement in 1959 at the age of 80. After 48 years service, the club granted him a weekly pension of £10 a week upon his retirement.

The legend that was John “Sailor” Hunter passed away, aged 87, in January 1966. It’s pretty safe to say that Motherwell Football Club would not be in the prominent position it is today within Scottish football, were it not for the vision, wisdom and influence of John Hunter.

The original, and only, Mr Motherwell FC, the East Stand at Fir Park was renamed after him in November 2016 as a permanent tribute to his unrivalled contribution.

Want to get your hands on a limited edition Motherwell FC Loch Lomond 10-year-old single malt?

Our whisky partners Lomond Group have made a special run of 500 bottles for fans to enjoy.

Priced at just £50 with free delivery included, you can order yours now.

This single malt has been created by Michael Henry, Loch Lomond’s Master Blender. He chose two single casks and married them together to create this wonderful single malt.

Matured in American Oak casks from Loch Lomond’s own on-site cooperage, it delivers fruity and honey-sweet malt with some hints of toffee and warming cinnamon spice.

This whisky opens on a gentle honeyed sweetness with green apple, pear and fresh vanilla. There is some juicy peach and apricot with chewy toffee, then warming cinnamon spice on the finish.

This could be the perfect Christmas gift for any whisky lovers amongst the Motherwell support as we raise a glass to what has been a challenging but also successful year, with the club competing in Europe once again.

We will honour the Motherwell FC Hall of Fame Class of 2020 with a unique virtual induction event this winter.

Our Hall of Fame was launched in November 2019 at a memorable dinner in the Bothwell Bridge Hotel.

George Stevenson, Willie Pettigrew, Ally Maxwell and James McFadden were all inducted, with our fans’ vote adding Phil O’Donnell to complete the inaugural group.

The current Covid-19 restrictions make a similar night impossible in 2020. Instead, we will have a special live, free-to-air, online event coming soon.

Tam Cowan will again host, and our assistant manager – and former club captain – Keith Lasley will join him to induct four more legends from the club’s past.

We are also once again launching a special fans’ vote for a five inductee.

You can join in the vote by nominating any individual from any era in Motherwell’s past – player, manager or official – who you think is worthy of being included in the 2020 class.

Click here to vote for who you want to see in the Motherwell FC Hall of Fame.

We will shortly be announcing the other four inductees who will either receive their induction on the night, either in person or represented by a relative, the date of which will be announced in due course.

The four inductees usually come from four broad groups:

1886 – 1939
1945 – 1969
1970 – 1995
1996 – 2020

“It was crucial to continue the Hall of Fame this year, despite the Covid-19 restrictions,” chief executive Alan Burrows said.

“We want to ensure this is an annual induction, and being a member of the Hall of Fame really means something special to those involved, which is why we will carry on with an online version.

“All four in the class of 2020 have made incredible contributions to Motherwell FC and are already, rightly, genuine club legends.

“The event itself is only possible thanks to the brilliant backing of our five sponsors, who I thank very much for their ongoing support. I hope fans enjoy the event when we broadcast it live across our platforms later this year.”

Our precautionary round of Covid-19 testing has returned negative results for the entire playing squad and coaching staff.

After one player tested positive earlier this week, we took the measure of an additional round of tests to ensure the health and safety of all, including our weekend opponents Ross County.

With no-one other than our positive player required to isolate and no further Covid-19 cases, Saturday’s Premiership match will go ahead as planned.

A member of our playing squad has tested positive for Covid-19.

Following testing on Tuesday morning, we then learned of the result.

The player in question immediately went into self-isolation and underwent a secondary test on Wednesday, which also returned positive.

No other squad members or staff members tested positive in that round of testing, and no-one has been required to isolate under contact tracing procedure.

As a precaution, the playing squad and coaching staff will undergo further tests on Friday morning.

Racism has no place in football. Racism has no place in society.

We are proudly continuing our support for Show Racism the Red Card, as they continue their Fortnight of Action. The education charity have spread messages of tolerance and inclusion within football for many years.

Now more than ever, the importance of this fortnight cannot be overstated.

Our fight to end racism exists every day. This weekend against Ross County – and across all Scottish football matches – we as clubs will united to call for an end to racial discrimination and inequality throughout society.

Show Racism the Red Card work all year round with schools, workplaces, grassroots, youth football clubs and the prison service to educate young people and adults on challenging prejudice and stereotypes, using the power of football as a positive way to instigate conversation on anti-racism.

Covid-19 and events overseas have shone a light on the growing inequalities that some of us unfairly face. Still today, many experience this disproportionately due to the colour of their skin.

Last year in Scotland, 81% of young people felt more confident in identifying and safely challenging racism after working directly with Show Racism the Red Card.

Scottish football is committed to eradicating racism and discrimination in all its forms from our game. We call on our supporters to continue to challenge racism. It is the responsibility of us all to ensure that the anti-racism message is carried out beyond the Fortnight of Action.

“It is so important that we continue to push the message that racism has no place in our sport or society,” Motherwell FC manager Stephen Robinson said.

“Sadly, we continue to see incidents of racism around the world. Whether they are occurring on our doorstep or thousands of miles away, the connected world we live in means that these despicable moments are brought close to home for all.

“We must never be complacent. We must never stop calling it for what it is. We must stand against racism.”

We stand with everyone who has had to endure racial prejudice in all areas of their lives. We condemn all forms of racism and any racist behaviour will not be tolerated at our club.

Football is a sport that is loved by people across the world and football matches should be an enjoyable experience for all, whatever your background. Education is the key. We support Show Racism the Red Card to ensure our future generation are equipped with the tools to challenge and eradicate racism from football and society.

For useful resources and information, please visit theredcard.org or follow the organisation on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Our main sponsor Paycare have teamed up with iconic fragrance brand Molton Brown to offer an exclusive range of discounts on Eau de Parfum and Toilette, Bath, Body and Hair Care, and Home collections.

The partnership, which saw Paycare staff and policyholders given access to unique offers for a limited time back in May, was formed when Molton Brown’s Sarah White met Paycare CEO Kevin Rogers at a pre-lockdown football match in Scotland.

The first tranche of discounts proved so popular that there will be even more exclusive products and discounts on offer from 16 October to 9 November.

“The initial offering ran during May, at a time when we knew many of our policyholders were struggling with being in lockdown and not being able to jet away for their summer holidays,” explained Paycare CEO Rogers.

“In addition to the range of services we were able to continue offering throughout the spring peak of the pandemic – like our Wellbeing services and newly-launched Bundle product, including our well-loved and well-used MyPocket GP app and Employee Assistance Programme – we wanted to remind people how important it was to relax, unwind and take care of their own wellbeing.

“It was so well received that a repeat in autumn – when many of us are starting to think about festive gifting – seemed perfect, even before we knew tighter restrictions were about to be announced by the Government.

“As a luxury brand, with a strong sense of care, Molton Brown is a perfect fit and we’re delighted to continue the partnership, helping many of our Policyholders to truly unwind and focus on taking time for mental wellbeing.”

Sarah White, Corporate Sales at Molton Brown, added: “Our partnership with Paycare allows us to add luxurious moments to daily routines.

“From iconic Bath and Shower Gels to nourishing Body Lotions, our exquisite fragrances refresh, intrigue or unwind the senses. During these uncertain times, our reassuring gestures of care and cleansing are more important than ever.

“With our second promotion, we’re adding an extra twinkle to uplift the spirits this festive season; featuring shower gel-filled Baubles and sensational gift sets that’ll bring joy to loved ones.”

Paycare policyholders can access the discounts through their MyPaycare Portal between Friday 16 October and Monday 9 November 2020.