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Motherwell were in action all over the world this month, with five players on international duty.

Lennon Miller

Lennon Miller made his first appearance at Scotland Under 19 level. The midfielder played 90 minutes in Scotland’s first friendly match against Belgium. Miller and Scotland lost 3-0, despite an encouraging performance.

In their second match against Czech Republic, Miller was named on the bench however featured for 30 minutes in the second half. He notched an assist in the process as Scotland drew 2-2.

Bevis Mugabi

It was a huge night for Uganda as they had hopes of qualifying for AFCON in Ivory Coast. To do so, Uganda needed a win and to hope other results went their way.

Bevis Mugabi was named in the starting lineup and Uganda proved too strong for Niger as the Cranes recorded a 2-0 win. However, Tanzania drew with group winners Algeria which was enough for the former to finish second place, a point above Uganda.

During the Ugandan National Team’s time in Morocco, the country was hit with a 6.8-magnitude earthquake which has seen over 2000 people killed. Thankfully, Mugabi and his the rest of the squad avoided injury and departed the country safely.

Brodie Spencer

Brodie Spencer was called into Northern Ireland’s Under 21 squad initially but was then called into the senior squad due to injuries.

He was an unused substitute in both matches where Northern Ireland travelled to Slovenia and Kazakhstan. They lost both matches 4-2 and 1-0 respectively.

Liam Kelly

After joined up with the Scotland squad ahead of their matches against Cyprus and England, Liam Kelly had to withdraw prior the matches being played due to injury.

Davor Zravkovski

North Macedonia has two matches in this international period. The first match was a tricky game against Italy at home. Still waiting for his first senior international cap, Davor Zdravkovski wasn’t named in the matchday squad for their match against Italy. North Macedonia recorded 1-1 draw.

In their second match against Malta, Zdravkovski was an unused substitute with North Macedonia coming away with a 2-0 win.

With international football now over, domestic action returns with St Mirren the visitors to Fir Park on Saturday. 

Kick off is 3pm.

How to follow the game

– Concessions Tickets would be ages 65 and over and FT Students with a valid matric card.
– Young Adults tickets would ages 12 to 17.
– Juveniles would be 11 and under

Supporters are able to buy tickets online here or visit the ticket office at Fir Park.

Ticket Office open from 11am – the ticket office is open until kick-off with no pay gate facility.

Tickets can be purchased online.

If you are outside the UK, you can watch the game via Motherwell TV.

Should you be in the UK, it will be live commentary only.

Kit watch

We will be wearing our home kit on Saturday.

Team News

Calum Butcher remains missing for this match.

Mika Biereth, Pape Souare, Conor Wilkinson and Jon Obika are also all unavailable for Saturday.

Liam Kelly is a doubt after he pulled out of the Scotland squad with a back injury last week.

Blair Spittal and Shane Blaney are also struggling with knocks and will be assessed this week.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

It’s been an incredible run of form for the Steelmen. They are joint top of the table after four games and remain unbeaten.

It was a memorable trip to the capital in the last game before the international break, with Callum Slattery’s goal the difference in a 1-0 win over Hearts.

The result means Stuart Kettlewell is yet to taste defeat on the road in the cinch Premiership since his arrival, with Motherwell going ten games unbeaten in the league which is our best run since 2010.

Opposition Report

St Mirren are also unbeaten in the league thus far, with two wins and two draws in the cinch Premiership. They have drew their last two games against Aberdeen and Livingston before the break.

They got the better of Motherwell in the Viaplay Cup last month, with a 1-0 win in Paisley.

There has been a spread amongst the team when it comes to goals for St Mirren. Former Motherwell man Mikael Mandron remains their top goalscorer this season, with four goals in all competitions. Alex Grieve has two goals in his last four games with Stav Nachmani also notching his first league goal last time out against Livingston.

We have seven players currently out on loan in various leagues. 

Ricki Lamie

Joining Dundee at the end of August, Ricki Lamie was an unused substitute against Hearts as he joined the night prior.

He made his debut away to St Johnstone seven days later, playing the full match. He scored just shy of the hour mark to give his side a two goal advantage. The home side would produce a sensational comeback in the latter stages of the match as the Dee had to settle for a point.

Sam Campbell

Young centre-back Sam Campbell signed a new deal in the summer before joining League 1 side Annan Athletic on loan.

Making his debut against Kilmarnock in the Viaplay Cup back in July, Campbell has made eight appearances for Annan since with the Black and Golds Galabankies picking up four points in the league so far.

The 19-year-old did miss a couple of games in August due to a slight knock but returned to full fitness shortly after.

Robbie Garcia

17-year-old Robbie Garcia was on the bench for the Motherwell first-team against St Mirren last month, before joining Lowland League side Cowdenbeath on loan.

He made his debut on 2 September against Berwick Rangers, where he featured for 12 minutes in a 2-0 win.

Three days later, he was handed his first start against Tranent at home, with the visitors picking up the 2-0 win before being an unused sub against Gala Fairydean in Cowdenbeath’s last match.

Barry Maguire

The games have been coming thick and fast for Barry Maguire and Kidderminster Harriers in the National League. With three draws and two losses in his first five games in the league, Maguire has been building up fitness since his arrival Worcestershire.

Playing a half in both of his first two matches against Bromley and Ebbsfleet, he played an hour against Southend before playing a full 90 last Saturday against Rochdale. Continuing to apply his trade his trade in the middle of the pitch, Maguire has featured a total of four times now for The Harriers as they now get ready to take on Solihull Moors on Saturday.

Ross Tierney

Similarly to Maguire, Ross Tierney has been involved in a busy period for Walsall. From taking on Hollywood’s Wrexham to a tie against Premier League Under 21 side Brighton and Hove Albion, Tierney has been racking up the minutes on the pitch.

In his time down south, the Irishman has made six appearances for Walsall and has been an unused substitute on three occasions. He has been involved in every match day squad since his arrival. He scored against Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Cup in what was his debut for the The Saddlers. Against Rovers, he also bagged an assist. Sitting on 11 points after seven games in League Two, it has been a promising start for Tierney and his new side.

Adam MacDonald

Adam MacDonald has become something of a regular starter at Cowdenbeath in the Lowland League since his arrival on loan. The 17-year-old has started six games, with his first goal for the club coming in his second match against Edinburgh Uni.

He scored his second goal last Saturday, coming on a second half substitute against Gala Fairydean. The midfielder scored with only five minutes remaining, earning his side a point.

A successful spell so far at Cowdenbeath, MacDonald will now be looking to add to his eight appearances at the Blue Brazil.

Robbie Mahon

Winger Robbie Mahon has made eight appearances so far for Edinburgh City in all competitions. It has been a troublesome spell at the League One outfit, with no wins so far across the board and a SPFL Trust Trophy exit to East Kilbride on Saturday.

Despite the tricky run of form, Mahon has bagged an assist so far in his three starts and five substitute appearances. He missed their last match against East Kilbride in the SPFL Trust Trophy with a return to league action against Montrose next on the list for Edinburgh City.

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.

Liam Kelly

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.

Lennon Miller

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.

Bevis Mugabi

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.

Davor Zdravkovski

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.

Brodie Spencer

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