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Motherwell will start their Betfred Cup campaign with a home match against Edinburgh City on Tuesday, 17 July.

The Steelmen, beaten finalists in the 2017/18 competition, will sit out the first day of group stage action on 14 July.

A trip to Stranraer will follow on Saturday, 21 July, before Queen of the South are visitors to Fir Park on Tuesday, 24 July.

The final match of the group stage away to Clyde on Saturday, 28 July will be broadcast live on BT Sport.

As was the case in the previous two seasons, group stage matches will be played in the traditional format of three points for the winner after 90 minutes.

In the event of a draw, both teams will be awarded a point but a bonus point will be on offer for the winner of a penalty shootout at the end of 90 minutes of play.

The group winners and four best runners up will then progress to the last 16, where they will be joined by Aberdeen, Celtic, Hibernian and Rangers.

This season’s final will be played on Sunday, 2 December.

BETFRED CUP FIXTURES

Tuesday, 17 July: Edinburgh City (H), 7.45pm

Saturday, 21 July: Stranraer (A), 3pm

Tuesday, 24 July: Queen of the South (H), 7.45pm

Saturday, 28 July: Clyde (A), 3pm, live on BT Sport

Chris Cadden earned his second Scotland cap on Sunday morning in the team’s 1-0 defeat in Mexico.

The Motherwell man was given a 35-minute run out by manager Alex McLeish, giving him the chance to stake his claim for the forthcoming Nation’s League matches.

Giovani Dos Santos’ strike early in the first half was enough for the hosts in front of 71,000 at the Azteca Stadium.

Cadden had a chance to make it an even more memorable trip with 10 minutes left on the clock, but his shot from outside the area was saved.

Allan Campbell was again in the starting team as Scotland Under 21s recorded a 2-1 win over South Korea at the Toulon Tournament.

The Motherwell midfield regular played his third consecutive match at the tournament as the young Scots followed up their win over France in midweek.

Chelsea’s Billy Gilmour and West Bromwich Albion winger Oliver Burke were on the scoresheet in the victory against the Koreans.

Campbell’s club team mate Chris Cadden will also hope to pull on the dark blue jersey this weekend, as the men’s senior A squad take on Mexico at 1am UK time on Sunday.

It’s been a season to remember for Chris Cadden.

Appearing in two national cup finals and representing his country at under 21 level are achievements to be proud of for the young Scot.

But in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the boy from Bellshill arguably topped the lot.

Trailing 2-0 against Peru, Scotland boss Alex McLeish called on Cadden to replace Aberdeen’s Kenny McLean.

And as he entered the fray with around five minutes remaining in the heat of Lima, it marked a memorable day for Chris, his family, and Motherwell Football Club too.

No player has appeared in Scotland colours whilst plying their trade at Fir Park since Steven Saunders in 2010.

[pullquote]To have travelled with the first team, got some valuable experience out here in Lima and then to have got my first cap was brilliant.[/pullquote]

And Chris, reflecting on a first cap for his country, said: “It’s obviously a moment I’ll never forget. It’s something that my family and I are extremely proud of and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity.

“The scoreline was obviously not what we would have wanted, but to have travelled with the first team, got some valuable experience out here in Lima and then to have got my first cap was brilliant.”

A proud Scot and a humble man, Chris is equally thrilled by earning his first cap, as much as he is hungry for more.

“It’s something I want to build on,” he explained. “Getting that experience and being around the group has made me determined to build on things from here.”

Off the pitch, Motherwell’s number seven has barely had a rest, with his phone being bombarded with messages.

“There’s been a few messages that’s for sure,” the midfielder joked, “but no, in all honesty it’s great hearing all the kind words from friends and family and it just makes it sink in a bit more to be honest.”

There’s an immediate opportunity for the youngster to follow up on his first cap, with Scotland back in action on Sunday as they take on Mexico.

Trevor Carson played his part in Northern Ireland keeping a clean sheet in their 0-0 draw away to Panama.

The Motherwell goalkeeper played the first 45 minutes in Panama City, in what was his second appearance for his country.

Carson will be in contention to feature again for his country when they play Costa Rica in San Jose on Sunday.

Motherwell youth academy graduate Chris Cadden made his first appearance in Scotland colours on Wednesday morning.

The 21-year-old, an ever-present for the Steelmen and one of our most consistent performers, was rewarded for his progression by coming on as a late substitute in the nation’s friendly defeat in Peru.

Cadden replaced Kenny McLean in the 87th minute in Lima, as Alex McLeish’s side lost 2-0 in the first of two international matches. Scotland next travel to face Mexico on Sunday morning.

Everyone at Motherwell FC is delighted for Chris and are immensely proud to see him represent Scotland at full senior level.

His appearance marks the first for Scotland by a current Motherwell player since Steven Saunders in 2010.

Motherwell will face Queen of the South, Clyde, Edinburgh City and Stranraer in the group stage of the 2018/19 Betfred Cup.

The Steelmen, the defeated finalists in the 2017/18 competition, were top seeds in Friday’s draw and will play in Group G.

The group stage will see us play four games across five match dates: 14 July, 18 July, 21 July, 25 July and 28 July.

Fixtures will be announced in due course, following broadcast selections by BT Sport.

The following players will leave the club when their contract expires at the end on 31 May 2018.

• Russell Griffiths
• Deimantas Petravičius
• Ellis Plummer
• Luke Watt (Under 20s)
• Dylan King (Under 20s)

The following loans will expire when the summer transfer window opens again in early June:

• Tom Aldred (Bury)
• Nadir Çiftçi (Celtic)
• Stephen Hendrie (Southend United)

Stephen Craigan has offered the following youngsters extended terms with the club:

• Shea Gordon
• Adam Livingstone
• Barry Maguire
• James Scott
• Peter Morrison
• Jason Krones
• Jordan Armstrong
• Shaun Bowers
• Alfredo Agyeman

‘Well boss Stephen Robinson said: “I would like to put on record my thanks to each of the lads leaving the club this week.

“Although Russell, Deimantas and Ellis weren’t regular starters in our first team for whatever reason, they contributed significantly by being great professionals and pushing those who were playing.

“I’d also like to record my appreciation to Tom, Nadir and Stephen, who joined us during the January window and helped us finish the season so strongly.

“We have been working on recruiting new players over the last few weeks. This summer will be different to last, where we made wholesale changes to the squad. We are more concentrated on fine tuning and tweaking certain areas, adding things we think we’re missing and that’s our mission.”

Motherwell Football Club would like to sincerely thank every player who is leaving Fir Park for the last time and wish them all every success in their future career.

Chris Cadden, Allan Campbell and Ryan Bowman reflect on the William Hill Scottish Cup final defeat to Celtic.

‘Well boss Stephen Robinson reflects on a spirited performance in the Scottish Cup final, as his side fall short against Celtic.