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We had six first-team players travelling the world over the last seven days. Here’s how they got on. 

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos

Stamatelopoulos was an unused substitute for Australia in their 3-1 win over China.

He also had to settle for a place on the bench as the Socceroos produced a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Japan.

Tawanda Maswanhise

Maswanhise was an unused substitute for Zimbabwe in their first match, as the Warriors overcame Namibia 1-0 in their quest for AFCON qualification.

The 21-year-old came on in the 66th minute of part two of their Namibian double-header and had the ball in the net but the offside flag was raised.

Ewan Wilson & Lennon Miller

Our two Scottish young guns had mixed fortunes.

Lennon Miller played the full 90 against Belgium and Ewan Wilson had to watch on as defeat to Belgium dealt their qualification hopes a big blow.

The Young Scots then made the long journey to Almaty to face Kazakhstan in their final Group B qualifier, knowing that a win was required to have any hope of securing second place in the group. Again Miller started, setting up one and scoring a stunner from the edge of the box but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat in which Ewan Wilson made a last-minute appearance.

Krisztián Hegyi

The on-loan stopper didn’t sample any game time as Hungary’s Under 21s saw off Malta but started against Belgium, keeping a clean sheet as the Hungarian youngsters won 1-0.

Kofi Balmer

A late call up to the squad, Kofi didn’t see any game time in their draw with Belarus and impressive 5-0 win over Bulgaria.

Tawanda Maswanhise has signed a new contract at the club. 

The Zimbabwean has put pen to paper on a deal until the summer of 2026, with the club holding an option of a further year.

Maswanhise joined the club in August and immediately made an impact in his debut against Kilmarnock. He initially signed a short-term deal until January, but will now remain at Fir Park until 2026.

“It’s great to say I’ll be a Motherwell player until 2026,” Maswanhise said.

“I have loved my time here so far. With it being a short-term deal I signed, I knew I had to try and impress the coaching staff and work as hard as possible.

“There was no doubt I wanted to stay here for longer and I’m pleased that’s going to happen.”

“Tawanda has shown what he brings to this team,” manager Stuart Kettlewell added.

“His pace, directness and quality on the ball causes problems for the opposition. He is a great lad who I believe really helps the team.

“He has his future secured now and can knuckle down.”

It was only in May of this year that Ewan Wilson was playing Junior football with Beith, after a failed loan spell at Stirling Albion.

With his contract coming to an end, he knew he had to impress to have a chance of continuing his career at Motherwell.

Fast forward to October and the 19-year-old is the first-team left-back for the Steelmen, having not missed a minute of league action.

He’s now a Scotland Under 21 internationalist and is preparing to play at Hampden in a League Cup semi-final against Rangers.

The rise has been nothing short of exceptional, but it isn’t just down to luck. Having came across personal issues with diet and weight, Wilson has been working hard behind the scenes to rectify his problems and come out the other side all the better for it.

Aston Oxborough has signed a new contract with the club. 

The new deal will see the goalkeeper remain at the club until the summer of 2027, with the club holding an option of a further year.

The 26-year-old has impressed everyone between the sticks this season. Oxborough has been named in the Premiership team of the week twice, and was voted player of the month for September by the Motherwell supporters.

“It’s great to get Aston signed on a longer contract,” manager Stuart Kettlewell added.

“There’s been no doubt in my mind that I wanted him to stay at Fir Park beyond this season. His qualities have shone through in his performances this season. And I think everyone knows how patient he has had to be for his opportunity.

“He is a huge part of the success we’ve had so far.”

The Englishman has started 11 games this season and has firmly secured his spot as the number one keeper at the club, with a string of impressive saves and performances.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind this season but I’m so happy to be signing on,” Aston Oxborough said.

“I’ve tried to give my absolute all and I’m pleased with how it’s went so far. Signing this deal doesn’t mean I’ll be taking my foot off the gas.

“We have huge games coming up and long-term, I want to be the number one keeper. So, it’s time to keep my head down and get back to work.”

Goalkeeper Aston Oxborough is your G4 Claims player of the month for September. 

The 26-year-old has made an impressive start to the season and has seemingly secured the number one jersey at the club.

He made a number of impressive stops against Aberdeen at Pittodrie, before a number of saves against Dundee United to help his side reach the semi-final.

Oxborough then went on to have a man of the match performance against St Mirren, which included saving Mark O’Hara’s penalty, which subsequently helped Motherwell pick up the three points.

Kofi Balmer has been named in the Northern Ireland squad for their upcoming matches. 

Michael O’Neill has brought Balmer into the squad a late addition.

The 24-year-old has been in Northern Ireland squads before however, he is yet to make his first appearance at senior level for his country.

Northern Ireland are on three points after two games in League C of the Nations League. They will continue their campaign on Saturday 12 October against Belarus.

They then travel home to take on Bulgaria on Tuesday 15 October.

• Belarus v Northern Ireland 
• Saturday 12 October 
• 7:45pm Kick Off 
• ZTE Arena

• Northern Ireland v Bulgaria
• Tuesday 15 October
• 7:45pm Kick Off
• Windsor Park

The second international break of the season has arrived, and we have five players away representing their countries over the next eight days. 

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos

Back from injury and back in the Australian squad, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos received a call-up to Tony Popovic’s first international camp.

The striker earned his first international cap back in the summer and is now looking for his second. After a slow start to their World Cup qualifying campaign, the Socceroos take on China in Adelaide before travelling to Japan in their second match.

Australia are on one point after two games.

Lennon Miller & Ewan Wilson

It’s a huge couple of games for Scotland’s Under 21 squad.

Scotland are in second place on 16 points and in their first match, face Belgium who are also on 16 points. The match will take place on Friday 11 October.

It’s then a long haul flight to Almaty on Tuesday 15 October to face Kazakhstan in their final group match.

Both Miller and Wilson impressed in the last camp, with both notching assists and Miller finding the back of the net against Malta.

Tawanda Maswanhise

Maswanhise is once again in the Zimbabwe squad.

The Warriors will continue their AFCON qualification group with a double header against Namibia in South Africa. They are on two points after the opening two matches, drawing 0-0 twice.

They play on 9 October and 14 October. Namibia were beaten in both of their September matches, against Kenya and Cameroon.

Krisztián Hegyi

With two games left to play, the Hungarians are six points off a qualification spot.

They play at home in their first match against Malta on 10 October, before travelling to Belgium on 15 October. There is only an outside chance of the Hungarians earning qualification from the group. They would need maximum points and hope results go their way.

Lennon Miller has won the September William Hill Premiership player of the month award. 

The 18-year-old was in scintillating form for the month, as he scored two goals against St Mirren at Fir Park.

A highly influential figure in Stuart Kettlewell’s side, Miller has made a fast start to his 2024/25 campaign, adding goals and assists to his already impressive CV.

“I’m extremely pleased to pick up this award,” Lennon Miller said.

“Not many Motherwell players win it, Blair Spittal won it last season and he was only the third Motherwell player in five years to do so.

“Personally, it’s great but more importantly, the team have been playing well collectively. There is a real sense of togetherness and cohesion between us all. We can’t wait to get back to the action.”

Motherwell travelled down the M8 to Edinburgh, looking to make it six wins out of seven going into the October international break. 

Taking on Hibernian at Easter Road, the Steelmen knew it wouldn’t be an easy task and they felt the full force of an attacking Hibs side in the first-half, with Aston Oxborough and Lennon Miller both called into action to prevent the hosts taking the lead.

A half-time alteration seemed to do the trick however, as Apostolos Stamatelopoulos netted his first Motherwell goal from a clever Miller free kick.

The lead didn’t last long as Junior Hoilett levelled the game minutes later. Moses Ebiye thought he had poked his team back in front, but the linesman had other ideas as he raised his flag for offside.

A red card for Hibernian’s Nectarios Triantis swung the momentum with ten minutes to go, and shortly after, Andy Halliday cushioned home the winner from a Kofi Balmer throw-in.

The win takes Stuart Kettlewell’s side fourth in table, and with a semi-final still to look forward to, things are looking good in ML1.

The sunshine shone on Leith, as Motherwell emerged from an action-packed afternoon of football with a comfortable 2-1 victory over 10-man Hibernian to extend their foothold on fourth-place in the Premiership table.

Apostolous Stamatelopoulous drilled home his maiden Motherwell goal to force the steelmen into the ascendency before a quickfire equaliser brought the hosts level. Hibs were soon reduced to 10-men, as Nectarios Triantis received a second yellow card following a rash challenge, and Motherwell immediately took advantage. Andy Halliday proved to be the hero in the latter stages of the game, forcing home Kofi Balmer’s sensational long-throw from close-range to seal the three points in the Scottish capital.

Stuart Kettlewell made two changes from last weekend’s victory over St. Mirren at Fir Park, with Stamatelopoulous making his first-start since returning from injury, as Balmer also came into the starting XI following Dan Casey’s red card last week. Australian International defender, Johnny Koutroumbis also made his first appearance in the matchday squad following a substantial period of time on the sidelines with a pre-season injury.

The hosts looked likelier to break the deadlock following the early exchanges in the first-half. Aston Oxborough again came to the Steelmen’s rescue, brilliantly parrying a series of goal bound efforts from Ukrainian striker Mykola Kukharevych, with Lennon Miller also showing his defensive capabilities, heading clear Kukharevych’s chance on the goalline.

Heading into the break on level-terms, Motherwell opened the second-half with their most productive spell of the 90-minutes. Miller’s quick free-kick caught the static Hibs backline off-guard, and Stamatelopoulous rifled a magnificent finish high into the roof of the net, sending the travelling support into raptures.

The visitors lead only lasted for around three-minutes, as Junior Hoilett capitalised on a defensive mix-up, curling a precise finish into the bottom-right corner; beyond the reach of Oxborough.

Second-half substitute Moses Ebiye thought he had restored Motherwell’s advantage after converting from close-range, but following a VAR check, the goal was ruled out after the striker had strayed offside.

Hibs were reduced to 10-men in the latter stages of the game after Triantis caught Miller with a rash challenge, leaving referee Matthew MacDermid no alternative but to brandish a second yellow-card.

The steelmen took full advantage, and with less than 10-minutes left to play, former Hearts midfielder Halliday responded to his familiar Easter Road reception, latching onto Balmer’s long-throw in before placing a composed finish into the bottom-left corner in-front of a jubilant away support.

Motherwell held on in the final few minutes to earn their third successive victory and their second victory on the road in the Premiership this season. Stuart Kettlewell’s side now sit one-point clear of Dundee United in fourth-place, level on points with Rangers in third.