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Stuart Kettlewell gives his thoughts on a dramatic late win in Perth.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell and Assistant Manager Stephen Frail have signed new contracts at the club. 

The Motherwell manager and Assistant have agreed to new rolling contracts.

“It’s been a huge honour to lead this team since February 2023,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

“Remaining at the club was always something I wanted. I’m proud of what we have achieved as a team so far.

“When I first joined, the outlook was bleak, and we needed to turn the form around quickly. Fast forward 18 months, and we have gone on a scintillating run at the end of the 22/23 season, just missed out on top-six last season, increased the revenue from player sales, and progressed to the quarter-final of the Premier Sports Cup.

“The development of players has been something I’m particularly proud of.

“But what made this decision so easy was the unwavering support I’ve received from staff, the executive board and most importantly, the supporters.

“Since my first day at the club, the backing has been immense. We’ve had lots of good moments that we have celebrated together.

“I said right at the very start of my tenure that there was lots we could achieve here. That included producing a team that the supporters could buy into.

“The work towards that doesn’t stop here; if anything, it increases. I will continue to do as best I can, work as hard as I can, to reach our goals and aspirations.”

Stuart Kettlewell named Stephen Frail as his assistant back in March 2023, having had experience at both international level with Northern Ireland and at club level.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at this fantastic club so far,” assistant manager Stephen Frail added.

“I love working with the players, the staff and the manager. I didn’t know the manager prior to coming here, and it’s been rewarding to work with him.

“I’m privileged to have been offered these new terms and hopefully we can have a very successful season.”

Stuart Kettlewell was named Motherwell boss in February 2023, having won his two games in interim charge.

He made the best start of any Motherwell manager since Roger Hynd in 1977, winning a manager of the month award in the process.

With the side joint bottom of the league at the start of February, Kettlewell led the team on an incredible few months of results, which included wins against Hibernian, Hearts, Livingston, Dundee United, St Johnstone and St Mirren. Motherwell also earned a point against Celtic at Parkhead. That run of form saw the Steelmen finish on 50 points, with Kettlewell at the helm for 30 of them.

That impressive run of form continued into the 23/24 season. Going into the September international break last year, Motherwell were undefeated on the road under Stuart Kettlewell, and they had extended their top-flight undefeated streak to 10 games, their longest run since 2010.

A run of winless games followed next. The team picked up six draws in 15 games, but a win over Livingston in December 2023 brought the Steelmen back to life.

Five wins and six draws from 15 games in all competitions prior to the split, which included our first win at Ibrox since 1997, saw Stuart Kettlewell’s side narrowly miss out on top-six on match day 32.

Two wins and a draw from the final matches saw Motherwell finish well above any of the relegation spots to secure our 40th consecutive season in the top flight.

Now, into his second full season at the club, Kettlewell has steered the team to the quarter-final of the Premier Sports Cup and to our first win of the league season against Hearts.

Motherwell’s 17th signing of the summer window is Jair Tavares, who joins on loan from Hibernian until the end of the season. 

The 23-year-old joined Hibernian in June 2022, having came through the youth system at Benfica.

“Signing Jair is an excellent piece of business,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

“We’ve got a player who has experience in this league, came through at a top academy at Benfica and will now get the opportunity of regular minutes here at Motherwell.

“He’s a winger who is direct, exciting and will add a lot to our team.”

A regular for the B side in Portugal, the pacy winger made the switch to Scotland for an undisclosed fee and has made 41 appearances for the Edinburgh side.

He has also continued to progress through his nation’s youth ranks being capped at U17, U18, and U19 level.

Tavares has featured three times for the Hibees this season, with all appearances coming in the group-stages of the Premier Sports Cup.

Welsh forward Jack Vale has re-joined the club for a second spell after agreeing a season-long loan deal from EFL Championship side Blackburn Rovers, subject to international clearance.

A product of the Blackburn Academy, the Welsh 23-year-old frontman joined Motherwell on deadline day in January, as the Steelmen sought to bolster their attacking options throughout the latter stages of the 2023/24 league campaign.

Vale instantly became a favourite amongst the Fir park faithful, netting twice over thirteen appearances whilst becoming a key component in a prolific partnership with striker Theo Bair.

“It’s a nice feeling to be back at Fir Park,” Vale explained.

“The time I spent here last season was really good, because I learnt so much in a short space of time.

“That was only from January onwards so I’m hoping with this move being for the season, I can accomplish more. There’s new faces but I know everyone around the place and some of the players from last time. It should be an easy transition and hopefully I can hit the ground running.

“I’ve been following all the results and everything about the club over the summer. It’s good to be back.”

Vale has made 27-senior appearances for Blackburn Rovers, with his debut coming in 2020, scoring two goals. Since leaving Fir Park following the conclusion of the 2023/24 season, Vale has continued to train with the first-team squad, making two appearances in the Carabao cup against Stockport County and Blackpool.

“Getting Jack back for another season is great,” Stuart Kettlewell reiterated.

“Everyone witnessed the impact he made last season. He has all the qualities to score goals at this level. We have been trying to get him back since the end of his previous loan deal, but Blackburn wanted to see his over the summer which is understandable.

“He’s in the building, he’s match fit and he’s ready to go.”

18-year-old Lennon Miller remains fully focused on his football on a Saturday, as he shuts out all the outside speculation about his future.

Miller discusses the team’s performance on Sunday against Hearts and how everyone is looking to follow that result up against St Johnstone this weekend.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell provides a transfer update ahead of the summer window closing tomorrow at 11pm. The Motherwell manager says nobody needs to leave the club and that the only planned departures would be for the younger plays going out on loan. 

Kettlewell talks about how his side will have to add layers onto Sunday’s impressive display and also refers back to the strong recruitment the team has had over the summer.

Krisztián Hegyi has been called up by Hungary’s Under 21s. 

The 21-year-old has 22 caps at Under 21 level and earned his first call up to the first-team in March.

Hungary take on Slovakia in a friendly match on Thursday 5 September and then face Spain in Euro Under 21 qualifying action.

The Hungarians are in the same group as Lennon Miller and Scotland’s Under 21 side.

• Hungary v Slovakia 
• Thursday 5 September 
• 5:45pm Kick Off
• Új Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium, Budapest

• Hungary v Spain
• Tuesday 10 September
• 5:45pm Kick Off 
• Szent Gellért Fórum, Szeged

Lennon Miller has been named in the Scotland Under 21 squad.

Scotland have two matches in September, taking on Spain and Malta in Under 21 Euro qualifiers.

They face off against Spain on Friday 6 September, before travelling to Malta on Tuesday 10 September.

With six matches played so far, Scotland are in a good position. They are currently in second place on 13 points, three points behind leaders Spain.

Malta are bottom of the group and are yet to pick up a point.

• Scotland v Spain 
• Friday 6 September
• 7pm Kick Off 
• Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh

• Malta v Scotland 
• Tuesday 10 September 
• 5:30pm Kick Off
• National Stadium (Ta’qali), Ta’qali, Malta

Motherwell travel to Perth on Saturday 31 August to take on St Johnstone in the William Hill Premiership. 

Kick off is 3pm.

How to follow the game

The online link for Motherwell supporters purchasing tickets is here.

Please note, for the £20 family deal, all ticket holders must enter via turnstile 5 which will be monitored by stewards. Strictly one adult and max of two Under 12s only. These will be available to purchase online.

Tickets for Motherwell area of the ground will not be available via the St Johnstone FC website.

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our away kit for this match.

Injury update

Callum Slattery, Harry Paton, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Ross Callachan, Sam Nicholson, Shane Blaney and Johnny Koutroumbis remain out for this game.

Filip Stuparevic is a doubt.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell got their first win in the Premiership against Hearts on Sunday, registering an impressive 3-1 win over the Jambos.

That three points and a point on the opening day, mean the Steelmen are currently on four points after three games, with a quarter final to look forward to in the Premier Sports Cup.

The goals have been spread out amongst the team so far, with Ebiye, O’Donnell, McGinn, Sparrow, Balmer, Stuparevic, Casey and Miller all off the mark thus far.

Opposition Report

St Johnstone got off the mark in the league in their second match against Kilmarnock. A convincing 3-0 win at Rugby Park against ten men Killie was followed up with a 2-0 defeat in the league against Dundee United last weekend.

Adama Sidibeh has made a strong start to the season, with the forward scoring four goals so far. The Gambian seen red against Dundee United so won’t be available for selection.

Benjamin Kimpioka has scored six goals already this season, five of which came in the Premier Sports Cup group-stage.

Motherwell produced a sensational performance when Hearts came to Fir Park. With both teams still seeking their first win of the new Premiership season, both were hungry to get off the mark early. 

But it was the Steelmen who started strongly, setting the tone for the rest of the match. Lennon Miller, Dan Casey and Andy Halliday all had chances before Paul McGinn found the opener at the back post from a free-kick.

The second-half started in similar fashion with Motherwell remaining on the front foot. Stephen O’Donnell doubled the lead before Hearts pulled one back in a rare attack from forward.

Stuart Kettlewell’s men didn’t take their foot off the gas however and were rewarded when Tom Sparrow scored his first professional goal to seal the win and send the Fir Park faithful home happy after a strong Sunday showing.