| 3 | Rangers | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 23 |
| 4 | Dundee United | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 20 |
| 5 | Motherwell | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 19 |
| 6 | St Mirren | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | -4 | 18 |
| 7 | Dundee | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 15 |
Joe Efford has left the club having had his contact terminated by mutual consent.
The American forward joined the club in January 2022 and has made 31 appearances for the Steelmen, scoring four goals.
He has made three appearances this season, starting once against Kilmarnock at Fir Park in August.
We thank Joe for his efforts at Motherwell and wish him well for the future.
Blair Spittal has become a vital part of Motherwell’s team. The midfielder joined in the summer of 2022 and has raced towards the 50 game mark since.
But away from football, he has also approached the next chapter in his life with wife, Hailey. Having had their marriage delayed due to Covid-19, they purchased their first pet together, Simba.
Now two years of age, Simba has prepared Blair and his wife for the arrival of their first child, that is due in December of this year.
With his football going well on the pitch, he takes Simba to a local play park where he can run freely and Blair can reflect and think about how his life is going to change at the end of this year.
Our match against Rangers at Ibrox will now place on Sunday 24 September.
The match was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday 23 September but has been moved due Rangers’ participation in the UEFA Europa League.
Kick off is 3pm.
We have five players on international duty over the next couple of weeks.
He may still be waiting for his first international cap but Liam Kelly has become a regular in Steve Clarke’s squads.
It’s a crucial match for Scotland in their quest for EURO 2024 qualification. They travel to Cyprus on Friday 8 September before playing England in a special anniversary match on Tuesday 12 September at Hampden.
Scotland can secure qualification this month. If they beat Cyprus and Spain beat Georgia, a draw between Georgia and Norway on Tuesday 12 September would mean qualification for Scotland.
Making the step up to Scotland’s Under 19 squad for the first time, 17-year-old Lennon Miller has two matches this week.
Scotland face Belgium on Wednesday 6 September before a match against the Czech Republic on Saturday 9 September. Both are friendly matches that are taking place in Belgium.
Back in the Uganda squad and it couldn’t have came at a more important time for Bevis Mugabi and the Cranes. They take on Niger on Wednesday 7 September in Morocco.
Uganda are three points behind second placed Tanzania going into this round of games. If Uganda win and Tanzania lose to Algeria, Uganda would move up to second in the standings and would ensure they qualify for The Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Retaining his place in the North Macedonian squad, Davor Zdravkovski is looking for his first cap for his nation.
North Macedonia travel on Italy first on Saturday 9 September before a home match against Malta on Tuesday 12 September.
They are currently 4th in their group, three points off second placed Ukraine.
Originally called up the Northern Ireland Under 21 squad, Brodie Spencer received a call-up to the senior squad for their upcoming matches.
Northern Ireland travel to Slovenia on Thursday 7 September and are on the road again on Sunday 10 September, in Kazakhstan.
The Northern Irish will be looking to move up their group standings, as they are currently in 5th with three points after four matches.
With the first international break of the season upon us, Motherwell knew a win would see them go joint top with Celtic in the cinch Premiership.
Visiting a ground they hadn’t won on in four years, the Steelmen shaped up to face Hearts, with the Jambos being knocked out of the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.
Starting the brighter of the two sides, Motherwell had the majority of the chances in the opening exchanges. Bevis Mugabi went close with a header before Callum Slattery’s ball across goal was intercepted.
It would be Slattery who would finish an exquisite team goal on the half hour mark. Initially ruled out for offside, VAR intervened to show Slattery was well onside.
Motherwell finished the half strong however, it would be a test to the finish. Paul McGinn received his second yellow of the game with 20 minutes to go and Hearts threw everything at the ‘Well backline.
They held firm however and secured a massive three points that see them on 10 points out of a possible 12 so far this campaign.
Motherwell went into the International break undefeated with a fine 0-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle, their first win at the venue in four years.
Callum Slattery’s strike on 29 minutes was enough to seal the three points for ten-man Motherwell after Paul McGinn saw two bookings.
Motherwell started brightly and went close after 20 minutes when Bevis Mugabi’s powerful header was tipped over the bar by Zander Clark from Blair Spittal’s corner.
Motherwell took a deserved lead shortly after. A move that started from a Hearts free kick, ended with Spittal and Callum Slattery combining excellently on the edge of the box and the Englishman fired past Clark.
There was a bit of drama as the linesman’s flag went up but after a short check, VAR awarded the goal. 0-1.
Slattery then almost doubled the lead with what would have been a goal of the season contender but his shot from inside his own half drifted inches over the bar.
Motherwell took a deserved lead into the break and nearly extended the lead shortly into the second 45.
More fine play between Slattery, Paton and Spittal set up the latter inside the box but his shot flew just past.
The game then took a turn as Paul McGinn was shown a second-yellow card with 20 minutes to go after a tussle with Liam Boyce as he was about to race through on goal.
What followed next was a superb gritty defensive display as Hearts pressed forward in search of an equaliser.
Lawrence Shankland had a shot on target saved comfortably by Liam Kelly.
Crosses were headed away or plucked to safety. Shots from the edge for the box were met with a claret and amber body being thrown in the way; it was a mammoth performance from the entire back line to secure a clean sheet and third win of the season.
The win means Motherwell remain undefeated on the road under Stuart Kettlewell’s reign since February and they also extend their top-flight undefeated streak to 10 games, their longest run since 2010.
The Steelmen now go into the International break sitting joint top of the cinch Premiership.
Stuart Kettlewell reacts to a fine win at Tynecastle.
• Fighting for each other
• Level of character shown
• Adapting our style of play
Georgie Gent has joined from Blackburn Rovers on loan until the end of the season.
The 19-year-old has arrived from Ewood Park as he looks to get his first minutes at senior level.
Gent was at Manchester City from a young age before moving to Blackburn Rovers in 2019.
Since then, he impressed at Under 18 level playing on 36 occasions, scoring four times and assisting eight.
He then moved up to Under 21 level, playing regularly in the Premier League 2. Making 35 appearances, he now joins up with Stuart Kettlewell’s squad in his first loan move of his career.
Gent predominately plays at left-back but has also featured at the left of the midfield also.
“Getting Georgie in provides us with strength and depth in a position that we needed,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said.
“Georgie came through at Manchester City, which I think shows how impressive he was from a young age.
“He has since developed well at Blackburn and got plenty minutes for his age. This is his next step in development, playing first-team football.”
Gent will wear the number three shirt.
Dan Casey is your G4 Claims player of the month.
Winning the award for the first time since he arrived at the club in February, Casey had a month to remember.
He has played every match since his first appearance of the season against Queen’s Park.
Casey was part of the defensive line that limited Hibernian to one shot on target at Fir Park and also was involved in some last ditch defending against St Mirren.
Against Kilmarnock, he scored his first Motherwell goal, twisting and turning in the penalty area before blasting home from Brodie Spencer’s cutback.
He also won Motherwell a penalty as he found himself in the forward areas once again. His defensive solidity has meant he is now ranked 3rd highest in the league for interceptions.
On deadline day, manager Stuart Kettlewell says Motherwell have more signing to announce and that it is unlikely anymore business will be completed thereafter.
Kettlewell is happy with his squad and insists that he likes to get his business done ahead of the deadline.
Assessing his teams’ start in the league, Kettlewell says he is happy with how they have performed but knows they can improve even further.
The manager provides and squad update ahead of the match on Sunday and says Hearts’ departure from Europe has no impact on his preparations for the match.
