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The recent recruit speaks about adapting to life in ML1, and the tests which still lie in front this season, starting with Saturday’s Scottish Cup fifth round tie with Aberdeen.

It’s Scottish Cup weekend at Fir Park, as Aberdeen visit in the fifth round.

Kick-off is at 3pm.

Ticket information

Tickets are now available to buy online or from the Fir Park ticket office.

All tickets are now on general sale. The season ticket seat reservation period has now ended.

Our prices, agreed between both clubs, are:

• Adults: £18
• Over 60s, full-time students and 16-18 year-olds: £12
• 15 and under: £6

Pay at the gate is not available. Alternatively, call 01698 333333 or email tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk.

Aberdeen fans are asked to buy directly from their club.

Covid restrictions

Due to a change in legislation by the Scottish FA, Covid-19 certification checks will not be in place.

Only venues with over 10,000 in attendance are required to carry out checks.

We advise that all fans take a lateral flow test before travelling to the match, regardless of their vaccination status.

Watch live online

In the UK and Ireland, you can buy a pay-per-view pass for £12. To buy, go to ppv.motherwellfc.co.uk.

If you’re based abroad, you can watch via subscription at live.motherwellfc.co.uk.

Form guide

Both sides are in a challenging spell of form going into the fixture.

Motherwell are now six league games without victory, drawing two and losing four, with the most recent defeat coming at Dundee United on Wednesday.

Aberdeen are without a win in five league matches, losing 3-2 to Celtic in midweek.

Both Motherwell and Aberdeen did taste victory in the cup in January, defeating Greenock Morton and Edinburgh City respectively.

Tale of the tape

Motherwell have the upper hand in encounters so far this season.

Two 2-0 victories have come the Steelmen’s way. Kevin van Veen and Juhani Ojala were on target at Fir Park earlier in the campaign, before Van Veen scored two more to seal the win at Pittodrie.

We head to face Rangers in the cinch Premiership on Sunday 27 February.

Kick-off at Ibrox is at 3pm.

To buy tickets, you can get them from us now, or visit the ticket office at Fir Park.

Prices are:

• Adults: £29
• Over 65s and Under 18s: £22
• Under 16s: £11

Covid restrictions

Covid-19 certification checks will be in place. Venues with over 10,000 in attendance are required to carry out checks. Please bring vaccine certification with you.

We also advise that all fans take a lateral flow test before travelling to the match, regardless of their vaccination status.

“We have to look inside ourselves and ask if we really want a good season or be in a bang average position. That’s the challenge for us.”

Motherwell were punished for a lack of cutting edge as Dundee United ran out 2-0 winners in the cinch Premiership.

Goals from Dylan Levitt and Tony Watt sealed the win for United in a game where ‘Well should have been out of sight with their spurned chances in the first half.

Motherwell saw four changes from the team which lost to Celtic at home at the weekend.

Juhani Ojala, Kaiyne Woolery and Jordan Roberts were restored to the side, with Joe Efford making his first start. Stephen O’Donnell, Jake Carroll, Dean Cornelius and Kevin van Veen dropped to the bench.

It was almost an incredible dream start for ‘Well.

With just 10 seconds on the clock, Slattery’s pass inside to Goss saw the midfielder unleash a shot on goal from 30 yards.

Siegrist was completely beaten, but Goss saw his shot rattle the crossbar and bounce clear.

Seconds later, Goss had another chance on goal with a free-kick from 25 yards, but the ball just wouldn’t come down quick enough as it landed on the roof of the net.

‘Well were by far the brighter but almost came undone with 10 minutes on the clock.

Harkes’ defence-splitting pass through the middle caught Ojala on his heels and allowed McNulty in behind.

The forward shrugged off the desperate late attentions of the Finn, before sending his shot on an angle from the left into the side netting.

Motherwell continued positively, sending bodies forward and looking to get crosses into the box for the forwards to attack.

Donnelly would see a half-volley from 20 yards blocked as he tried to smash it through a sea of bodies while, at the other end, a superb last-ditch intervention from Mugabi denied Niskanen as he went to pull the trigger.

A clear chance would also fall the way of Efford at the midway point. Bursting forward and with Woolery and Roberts other side to assist, the American elected to shoot from just inside the area after getting free, but saw his effort fly over.

The chances kept coming. Next, Woolery took flight down the left, squaring to the penalty spot for Roberts, but he flashed his effort wide.

Remarkably, a sucker punch would arrive on the half-hour mark.

A cross from the right was cleared to the edge of the box where Levitt was waiting unopposed. With a challenging ball to get under his spell. he smashed it straight into the t0p-left corner of the net to leave ‘Well scratching their heads at how they found themselves behind.

Motherwell persisted, with Slattery firing over from distance and with the attacking players consistently linking together high up the park.

The second half started slower but the visitors came out with the same intent.

A Goss free-kick from the left brought the first chance of the half, with Mugabi being blocked as he tried to steer it in at the back post, and then Slattery’s placed follow-up being diverted away from goal.

United would, however, go two ahead on the hour mark.

Niskanen was able to maraud all too freely down the left and – firing across the face of goal – he found Watt at the back post who just had to get something on it to double his team’s advantage against his old side.

Motherwell struggled to get back in it after that, despite the introduction of four substitutions, as United saw the game through.

Headers from Tierney and Solholm troubled the United goal, but it would end with another defeat for the Steelmen.

Motherwell: Kelly, Mugabi, Solholm, Ojala, McGinley, Donnelly (Shields), Goss, Slattery (Cornelius), Woolery (Tierney), Roberts (Van Veen), Efford.

Subs not used: Fox, O’Donnell, Carroll, Grimshaw, Shaw.

The boss speaks as his team go in search of a first league win in 2022 and keep up their pace at the top end of the cinch Premiership table.

The games keep coming with a trip to face Dundee United on Wednesday in the cinch Premiership.

Kick-off at Tannadice is at 7.45pm.

Get your tickets now

To buy tickets, you can get yours online now from Dundee United, or from the ticket office at Tannadice until kick-off.

Prices are:

• Adults: £26
• Concessions : £14

Covid restrictions

Covid-19 certification checks will not be in operation.

We also advise that all fans take a lateral flow test before travelling to the match, regardless of their vaccination status.

Live streaming

You can watch a live stream of Dundee United v Motherwell for £12.50 if you’re in the UK.

To buy, head to ppv.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk

International viewers can watch through our subscription service at live.motherwellfc.co.uk. Packages start at as little as £12.50 per month to watch all 38 cinch Premiership fixtures.

Tale of the tape

Motherwell won the last meeting between the two sides in a 1-0 victory at Fir Park.

Last time at Tannadice, Charlie Mulgrew’s late goal gave United all three points in a 2-1 win.

Form guide

Motherwell are seeking a first league win of 2022, having drawn two and lost three since the return from the winter break.

Dundee United have won one, drawn two and lost two since the turn of the year, with their last two matches ending 0-0.

“We’re always going to have challenges. It’s about how we respond to that and how we get back up.”

Motherwell were blown away as Celtic racked up four without reply in victory at Fir Park in the cinch Premiership.

Tom Rogic’s double, with further strikes from Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda, consigned the Steelmen to defeat.

The Steelmen set up to play in a positive fashion, with only one change from the midweek draw at St Mirren. The enforced removal of Liam Shaw, who couldn’t play against his parent club, saw Dean Cornelius step in to midfield.

Motherwell pressed high from the off, making life uncomfortable for the visiting defence as they looked to build from the back.

Celtic though were dangerous when they broke out of the trap, and Kelly twice had to come to the rescue to deny Abada and Giakoumakis early on.

That endeavour lasted 28 minutes, before a double salvo from Celtic swung the game in their favour.

Hatate found room all too easily on the left from a swift move, crossing for Abada at the back post to steer the ball home.

Three minutes later, Rogic found room 25 yards from goal in the centre, and sent an unstoppable curling effort into the top-left corner to make it two.

Celtic’s third would come on the stroke of half-time. Abada beat the offside trap on the right, sliding the ball across goal for Rogic to tap in.

Manager Graham Alexander responded by making three changes at the interval. Joe Efford made his debut, and was joined in attack by Ross Tierney and Kaiyne Woolery. Van Veen, Goss and Carroll made away.

That change sparked a more positive approach from the hosts, with Efford having the best chance to pull one back.

Finding room cutting in from the right, his shot took a deflection and had Hart sprawling to tip it behind.

It would be the visitors who would get the lucky break from a deflection to increase their lead with 20 minutes left.

The lively Maeda cut in from the right side and his shot was blocked by the brilliant sliding intervention of Mugabi. Unfortunately though, the ball looped up into the sky and came down into the net.

Motherwell: Kelly, O’Donnell, Solholm (Nirennold), Mugabi, Carroll (Tierney), McGinley, Donnelly, Goss (Woolery), Cornelius, Slattery (Grimshaw), Van Veen (Efford).

Subs not used: Fox, Ojala, Amazluzor, Roberts.

He may have only been here two months, but already, Ross Tierney considers Motherwell home.

The 20-year-old made the move to Fir Park at the end of last year from Bohemian FC in the League of Ireland and would make his debut as the Steelmen hosted Morton in the Scottish Cup in late January.

Along with the challenges of moving his young family to Scotland, Tierney also contracted Covid-19 earlier in the year.

It has been a whirlwind, but the trials of the early stages of his time in ML1 has done nothing to dampen his desire to make the most of his opportunity.

“I’m loving it so far, things are going really well and Motherwell already feels like home for me,” said Tierney, who netted a dramatic leveller against St Mirren midweek.

“It was important that I came to Scotland and settled quickly, not just for me, but also for my missus and the kids too.

“There are a lot of similarities between Scotland and Ireland. I think the people are very similar and just like back home, the weather isn’t very good. For a pale guy like me, I don’t really enjoy the sun much.

“I caught Covid at the beginning of the year. It was hard not being able to go into training, but thankfully I felt okay and was able to return after my isolation. During that downtime, I ended up reading about trends in Florida online casinos, which have gained traction as people sought entertainment options while stuck at home. The rest of the family were in Ireland at the time and all tested negative; I was relieved as I’d have blamed myself if any of them had caught it from me. Overall, it wasn’t too catastrophic.”

“Obviously you don’t want to catch Covid, but I was lucky that it happened during the winter break and I wasn’t missing games. I’m back, feeling good and looking forward to the busy run of games that we have coming up.”

After touching down in Scotland, Tierney trained with his new teammates for a few weeks before being available for selection at the turn of the year.

Walking into the dressing room at Fir Park, he admits to being shy initially as he took the time to adapt, but with the support of the players and staff at the football club, he has adjusted quickly.

There has been limited time to explore his new surroundings – except for trips to a famous chain of restaurants and a kids’ soft play.

“I was quite quiet when I came in, but the lads in the dressing room have been brilliant with me,” he added. “It doesn’t feel like a job coming into Fir Park every morning, it’s more like an extension of my family, from the
groundsman to the chef, to the office staff – everyone will stop for a chat and to say hello. Karen [Paterson] has been a brilliant help to me too since I signed.

“I think apart from Nando’s I’ve not really been anywhere, although I did go to ‘Ruff and Tumble’ last weekend – my two-year-old was able to use up plenty of energy.”

The attacking midfielder was sold on a move to ‘Well by boss Graham Alexander who explained he would be part of the first team and should he impress in training, then he would be given an opportunity to demonstrate his worth.

True to his word, Alexander handed Tierney his Premiership debut off the bench against Hibernian, though following the dismissal of Liam Donnelly, his first taste of league action would end after 19 minutes and he was replaced by Callum Slattery as Motherwell tried to ensure a share of the spoils.

Although it was disappointing, the Dublin-born ace says he understood the decision to take him off, and four days later, the faith the Motherwell boss has in him was clear as Tierney was handed his first start in claret and amber for the meeting with Hearts at Tynecastle.

“The manager told me that if I came here and trained well then I would get my chance and that’s what I want to do,” he explained. “I watched a lot of Scottish football growing up and I knew what to expect in terms of the standard.

“It was brilliant to get my debut against Morton and I felt that I did well when I got my chance. The next game against Hibs, I came on and then was subbed off as the gaffer looked to make sure we took something from the game.

“I obviously heard the reaction of the fans and to be honest I didn’t want to applaud as it might have been taken the wrong way and that I agreed with them being upset – that wasn’t the case.

“The manager spoke to me after the game and explained he hates having to do that sort of thing, but I understood his reasons why he did it and my only concern was that the team went on to get a result, which we managed to do.

“I respect the supporters, but when it comes to my football, the most important opinion is that of the manager.

“It is also important not to look too far ahead, I know there is real competition for places and that I’ll need to keep performing well if I want to stay in the team.

“We are getting nearer to the point where almost all of our squad are fully fit and there are new players arriving too – I certainly don’t envy the gaffer having to pick the team for every game. Everyone is hungry and looking to make an impact, those in the team know they have to perform if they want to stay there.”

Tierney’s former side Bohemians have forged a reputation for being a club with community at the heart of everything they do, and he says he quickly saw real comparisons between the Dublin outfit and Motherwell.

Like ‘Well, Bohs are also fan-owned, contribute to a number of important causes locally, and such was the affinity that Tierney’s family built up for the club, some remain season ticket holders at Dalymount Park.

Having been handed his first opportunities in the professional game, and supported by those at the club through difficult times, he says that he will be forever grateful to Ireland’s oldest professional team.

“There are a lot of similarities between the two clubs, that is something I pointed out to my agent when I arrived at Motherwell,” he explained. “The club is a big part of the local community and there is a real family atmosphere to the place. That is something that attracted me to Motherwell, I felt I could fit in well and settle quickly.

“After I signed I received a lot of messages from the fans – I tried to respond to as many as I could. Our fans work hard all week and in many ways live for the weekend – I want to be doing my best to make sure they have many good weekends.

“We all want to do our best for the club and if we do that then the supporters will get behind us.

“I’m so grateful to Bohs for giving me my opportunity and for everything they have done for me professionally and in my personal life. They gave me my opportunity and when I was going through a tough time personally a few years ago, they were fantastic in the way that they supported me.

“All of my family now support the club, in fact last year when I was playing for the Under 21s against Italy and Bohs were playing Shamrock Rovers on the same night – most of my family went to Dalymount Park instead of my game.

“That shows how much the club means to my family and I will always look back on my time there with great fondness. I also owe a lot to St Kevin’s Boys too for the part they have played in getting to me to where I am now.”

Tierney did not have to look far for examples of players from the League of Ireland who have made an impact in the Scottish Premiership.

Jamie McGrath’s performances for St Mirren led to his first senior caps for the Republic of Ireland, while Liam Scales and Johnny Kenny have signed for Celtic from Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers respectively.

With five caps for the Irish Under 21 side, Tierney holds aspirations to follow in McGrath’s footsteps and break into Stephen Kenny’s senior squad, but insists there is a lot of work to be done if he is to achieve his goal.

“I know Jamie McGrath went to St Mirren and done well, that’s probably the best example of a League of Ireland player coming to Scotland and making an impact,” he added. “I have been playing for the Under 21s for and of course it would be brilliant to have the chance to play for the senior side, but I’m not getting carried away – that’s a long, long way right now.

“First of all I need to perform well for Motherwell and see where that takes me.”

Ross’ time at Bohemians ended in an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat at the hands of St Patrick’s Athletic in the Irish FA Cup final – meaning Bohs will miss out on participation in European competition next season.

Tierney has European experience having scored twice as the Irish side played their way through to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League, defeating Stjarnan, Dudelange and PAOK before eventually losing to the Greek side on aggregate.

His move to Fir Park comes amidst the team mounting a challenge for a European place, and having sampled the big match atmosphere of European nights last year, he is determined for the chance to create more memories.

“It was a shame to end my time with the club on that note, I’d have loved to have clinched a place in Europe for the club,” he reflected. “Jake Carroll was in my ear as soon as I arrived as he used to play with St Pat’s.

“The European nights with Bohs were unbelievable and I would love to experience that again with Motherwell. I’m hungry for more European nights, but we know that they won’t come until we perform on the pitch consistently.”

Celtic visit Fir Park this afternoon with Motherwell hoping to record a positive result against the Hoops for the first time in 10 meetings.

In the stands, Ross’ father will be torn between backing his son and his love for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

It will be a special occasion for the youngster and one that he hopes ends with holding the bragging rights over his old man.

“It is a fixture I’m really looking forward to,” the forward said. “My dad is over for the game and he is a big Celtic fan.  I think he is in a no-lose situation for him.

“Hopefully I will have the bragging rights. It’s a big game for us and one that we are aiming to take something from to help us continue to challenge in the top half of the table.”