| 4 | Dundee United | 20 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 32 |
| 5 | St Mirren | 21 | 8 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 27 |
| 6 | Motherwell | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | -9 | 27 |
| 7 | Hibernian | 21 | 6 | 7 | 8 | -4 | 25 |
| 8 | Kilmarnock | 21 | 6 | 6 | 9 | -11 | 24 |
Defender Dan Casey believes there is fire in the players’ bellies ahead of Aberdeen’s visit to Fir Park. Casey says the players are all hurting after their most recent outing and are looking to rectify immediately.
Casey thinks every team is tiring from the amount of games played in a short space of time, so there are no excuses.
Manager Stuart Kettlewell emphasised his disappointment at his team’s performance against Hearts and wants to see a major reaction to that poor display.
Kettlewell is not blaming the quantity of games as an excuse for the Hearts game, saying the team can bounce back against Aberdeen on Sunday.
Motherwell play their only home match this month against Aberdeen on Sunday 5 January.
Kick off is 2:30pm.
| Hunter Stand | O’Donnell, Cooper, McLean Stand | |
| Adults | £24 | £26 |
| Concessions | £19 | £19 |
| Young Adults | £12 | £12 |
| Juniors | £6 | £6 |
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.
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.
The match is being shown live on Premier Sports.
We will be wearing our home kit for this match.
Ross Callachan, Zach Robinson, Steve Seddon and Lennon Miller are out for this game. The latter will be out for six to eight weeks with an ankle injury.
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos has been described as a major doubt for the match. Jack Vale returned to action against Hearts. Callum Slattery has been in full training for last three weeks and is building up.
Motherwell returned from Edinburgh with no points on Thursday, losing out 1-0 to Hearts. That result didn’t change the Steelmen’s position in the league standings, with them remaining sixth.
It’s now two wins, two draws and two defeats in their last six, but Kettlewell will be optimistic with one of those draws being against Rangers.
After a hot start to the league, Aberdeen are winless in nine games. It’s four defeats on the spin for the Dons however they are still well in the hunt for European football.
First choice keeper Mitov is out of action for a few weeks with a minor injury, so it’s expected that Ross Doohan will be between the sticks. Pape Habib Guèye remains out of action also, with Ester Sokler recently taking over as top goalscorer for Jimmy Thelin’s side.
Motherwell were looking to start 2025 in a positive light when they travelled to Tynecastle for their first fixture of the new year, but the hosts got themselves ahead in the opening stages and rarely looked back.
A lacklustre day at the office was pounced upon by the Jambos, with Hearts dominating and creating numerous openings.
In what was a day to forget, the Steelmen could’ve snatched a point but for the late dramatics of Hearts keeper Craig Gordon.
The next chance comes quick, as Aberdeen visit ML1 in just two days time.
Motherwell came away from Edinburgh empty-handed after a 1-0 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle.
Motherwell failed to replicate their resilient performance against Rangers last weekend, as Musa Drammeh’s early strike proved to be enough for the home side in a largely toothless visiting display in tbe capital.
The first chance of the game fell to the home side, as Penrice’s cross into the box found the head of striker Liam Boyce, but the forward couldn’t direct his header towards goal.
A hopeful corner into the box spiralled high into the Motherwell six-yard area, and the visiting defence couldn’t clear their lines, allowing Musa a simple tap-in from close-range. Referee Calum Scott initially ruled the goal out for a potential foul on goalkeeper Aston Oxborough, but was advised by VAR to review his decision, with Scott reversing his decision and awarding the decisive goal.
Motherwell failed to muster a single shot in the first half, with manager Stuart Kettlewell swiftly turning to the options on his bench at half-time, introducing Sam Nicholson, Moses Ebiye and Davor Zdravkovski.
The visitors were unable to find a foothold in the game, as Hearts continued to mount pressure on the visiting goal. Jorge Grant’s shot from 30 yards came crashing back off the bar and Liam Boyce couldn’t convert with the goal at his mercy, knocking his rebounded effort wide of the target.
Hearts had another chance to double their advantage moments later, when Penrice took advantage of Liam Gordon’s heavy first-touch touch, but Boyce again couldn’t find the target.
It was a game of few chances, with Stuart Kettlewell utilising his bench once again, bringing on recent returnee Jack Vale who took to the pitch for the first time since September, as he replaced Tawanda Maswanhise.
The on-loan Welshman added an instant threat to the Motherwell attacking line, almost scoring a miraculous late equaliser to secure a point with seconds to go. Ewan Wilson’s deep delivery was redirected into the path of Vale from defender Dan Casey, but the Blackburn loanee was inexplicably denied by an outstanding save from Scotland international Craig Gordon. The experienced shot-stopper ensured all three points remained in Gorgie. The Steelmen will have little time to reflect, as they refocus their attention to visitors Aberdeen at Fir Park on Sunday.
Stuart Kettlewell gives his reaction to a 1-0 defeat at Tynecastle.
Tony Watt is feeling the best he has done in a while at Motherwell having put in extra effort and work in the last few months.
Watt was disappointed to see his team on the wrong end of another decision at the weekend but believes the players have a job to do and they won’t sit back and feel hard done by.
Assistant manager Stephen Frail says the KMI report that concluded Tony Watt’s goal should have stood against Rangers doesn’t do anything for the team and that they have moved onto the next challenge.
Frail believes Hearts are a good team with good players and is expecting a tough day at the office.
Motherwell begin 2025 with a trip to Edinburgh to face Hearts at Tynecastle on Thursday 2 January.
Kick off is 3pm.
TICKETS FOR THE AWAY END ARE SOLD OUT!
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.
We will be wearing our third kit for this match.
Callum Slattery, Steve Seddon, Ross Callachan and Zach Robinson remain out for this game.
Jack Vale has returned for his first training session at the club, having trained two weeks with Blackburn.
Paul McGinn made the bench against Rangers having been out injured since September. Marvin Kaleta and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos came off in the last match and will be assessed by the medical staff.
Lennon Miller is waiting to see a specialist for an injury sustained in the last match.
Motherwell fought valiantly for a point against Rangers last time out, the first points gained against Rangers at Fir Park in almost five years.
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos made it four goals in six games, with the Aussie hitting top form during the festive period. The result leaves Motherwell joint fifth in the table, having played a game less than St Mirren.
Tynecastle has been a tricky place to go for the Steelmen, with Motherwell winning one in their last six visits to the Capital.
Hearts have went through a patch run of form in all competitions this season, with the Jambos looking certain to pick up three points against Ross County on Sunday, until the Staggies netted in the 97th and 99th minute to nick a draw.
That result leaves Hearts in 11th making it two wins in eight games. Academy graduate James Wilson has been the real surprise package this season for Hearts. The young striker has got five goals to his name this season, making 12 appearances.
Jonathan Obika made his first senior appearance in football back in November 2008 in the UEFA Cup for Tottenham Hotspur. A local London boy who was brought through the Spurs ranks, he went on to have a fruitful career in the game, with a playing career spanning over 14 years.
Turning out for 14 different clubs, the time came for him to make the biggest decision of his life. Having joined Motherwell on deadline day in January 2023, come the summer of 2024, he had made 14 appearances for the Steelmen during the 2023/24 campaign, and injury was becoming a growing issue.
Often lauded as the ‘nicest man in football,’ it was clear that Obika was a respected individual within the Motherwell dressing room, and with Stuart Kettlewell keen to keep the Englishman aboard his ship, he was offered the position of first-team coach at the end of last season.
Now six months into that new role, Obika has learnt so much in such a short space of time but is doing it with a smile on his face.
“It has been life-changing in a sense,” Jon Obika said.
“When it was proposed by the Gaffer to take up this role, the trust was there. I knew the manager, Stevie, and the people around the club. You don’t know what it entails to run a football club until you’re in it.
“I’ve enjoyed every moment. When I’m working with the players, I feel like I can pass on experience and knowledge that I’ve gained over the years. It’s a really fulfilling experience.”
Although he may be in the same industry, being a coach is very different f rom being a player, and that is something Obika has had to adapt to very quickly.
“The time frames for a start are different,” he explained.
“There are early starts, late leaves, and you appreciate what the coaches and staff have to do. The staff controlling the club, f rom cleaners to ground staff, have to do so much to make Motherwell FC tick. You saw it a bit as a player, but now as a coach, you appreciate it more.
“I said to the Sports Scientist the other day, I’m more nervous on the sidelines than I was when I was playing, just because you want everything to go well. The staff create a plan, and you just want that plan to work. I love learning and it’s good, knowledgeable people who are educating me.
“Even as a player, learning was important to me. Sometimes it was just f rom the older pros. I’d learn about their diet, discipline, and how they recovered f rom games. Now I’m in a position where I can see how staff move day to day. It just all matches at the moment.”
Being a coach carries its own responsibilities. You have to take sessions, try and improve players within your squad, but that’s just the standard duties. Jon Obika has discovered it goes deeper than that.
“As a player, even though I was a team player, you still have that individual edge,” Obika noted.
“You want to score goals and get assists. But when you think of the group as a whole when you’re a coach, it’s different. You see moods and people who need to be picked up a little. It’s not just on the field; it’s away from the game too. I’ve always seen players as humans, but you consider each other as athletes. When you step away, you see people have lives, kids, and families. You treat them accordingly.
“It has been easy to adapt to everyone. As a coach, I feel like I can express myself to them and understand what they need. Even if they’re coming f rom down south or, like Moses, f rom abroad, it’s all about how you can get them to settle and play the Motherwell way.”
As a player, your time in the coach’s off ice would be limited to video analysis and meetings. But now in there full-time, Obika has observed the daily workload the staff undertake.
“I’d love to say I’m first in, but I’m in for 7:30 am, and the Gaffer and Stevie are already there,” he laughed.
“I’ll go over sessions first with Stevie and the Gaffer. After planning the session, I do video analysis with some of the strikers. We go through some of their clips and some performance gains they can look for.
“Then we head to training before the team to set up. I hope the session goes smoothly; then it’s back to the stadium for lunch and more video analysis. We’ll look at the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent, and then we brainstorm in the off ice about things we may need for tomorrow. From 2 pm until 6 pm, it’s quite sporadic depending on the week.”
“And during a match, I’m on the earpiece linking up with the analysts. He’s got a better view, so we pass on information to Stevie in real time. On the iPad, I’m on set pieces and making sure the substitutes are aware of their jobs. I want to keep them sharp; as in a game, emotion can make you forget things.”
Having become fully acclimatised to the life of a first-team coach, Obika reflects on his admiration and respect that he holds for manager Stuart Kettlewell.
“I remember as a player when the manager came in, he brought a culture with him,” Obika reminisced.
“All the players took to it and it’s the same this season. I knew my role was to implement that culture. You have 11 players who start, but they’re all competitors, and they want to play. So, it’s just about keeping them all motivated and believing in the product.
“It’s been rewarding. Even after the full-time whistle blows, I like to speak with the subs because they’re all a part of it too. You see, when we score, the subs are running out and supporting. That energy is needed for the whole season.
“I’ve worked with so many managers but not as a coach. I’m in awe of the manager and his work rate. I don’t think I’ve seen a manager with that work ethic; he instills it in all of us. We know what he does, and that’s the bar. He’s very personable; you can talk to him on and off the pitch.
“You can see the detail he gives to his players and staff; it makes you understand easily what he wants. He only has to say it once. It’s been great to learn from him, and his support through my badges has been excellent.
“I often ask myself, when does he rest? But that’s the bar, and I love people setting the level; I think the manager does that for his staff.”
