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Brian Graham and Ross Stewart scored as Ross County came from behind, cancelling out Allan Campbell’s goal, to beat Motherwell 2-1.

“We should have won. Make no mistake. We just didn’t manage the game well enough.”

Stephen Robinson speaks after the 2-1 loss to Ross County.

Motherwell gave up a one-goal advantage to lose out 2-1 at home to Ross County.

The Steelmen had the chance to go second in the Premiership and looked to be in control, after Allan Campbell’s goal on the hour mark put them ahead.

But goals from Brian Graham and Ross Stewart, sandwiched by Jake Carroll’s dismissal for two bookings in quick succession near the end, sent the Staggies back home with all three points.

Motherwell named an unchanged starting team from the side which won at Tynecastle last weekend, as they went in search of a fourth successive win.

A first half of chances for both teams, but largely controlled by the hosts, was notable only for a controversially-disallowed headed goal from Declan Gallagher.

Referee Alan Muir ruled that the defender had knocked his marker off the ball in challenging in the air, and blew the whistle as the ball made the way into the net.

Motherwell flew out the traps in the second half and deservedly took the lead with 15 minutes of the match played.

Devante Cole’s ingenuity led to a passage of play which saw the ball laid off to Campbell on the edge of the area. The midfielder saw the opening, and placed the ball brilliantly into the bottom left corner of the net.

Motherwell went in for the kill, with James Scott and Sherwin Seedorf having opportunities but failing to double the advantage.

The introduction of Brian Graham in the 72nd minute suddenly swung the match. Within three minutes, Michael Gardyne’s reverse pass found the substitute in acres of space on the left, and time to place the ball past Gillespie and into the net.

Minutes later, defender Carroll’s two yellow cards in two minutes suddenly made the job for Motherwell to get back in it all the more difficult, and the visitors made their numerical advantage count in the dying minutes.

Richard Foster’s cross from the left eluded everyone bar Stewart at the far post, who headed the ball into the ground and into the net.

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Stephen Robinson is warning his side against complacency when Ross County come calling in the Ladbrokes Premiership on Saturday.

Motherwell are in buoyant mood after three wins against difficult opponents.

But the manager says the squad will be made well aware of the need to display the same battling qualities to stand an chance of making it four successive victories.

On guarding against complacency

“It’s just the start of the season. We’ve started well. But we can’t turn up expecting to just win football matches.

“We had to work very hard for our win against Hearts. In the first 20 minutes it was scrappy and we had to fight before we played any football. And the same in the last 15 minutes where they put us under a lot of pressure. It’s going to be the same on Saturday.

“Ross County had a good result last week. I have a lot of admiration for the two coaches and for Roy MacGregor. I think they’ve done really well.

“They gave us a lesson last year at Christmas time that if you turn up and don’t perform they’ve got a lot of players that will punish you. And I think they’ve improved since then as well.”

On Ross County

“They are a dangerous side. They are well drilled. I think Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson have got the boys playing very well.

“We always have good conversations coaching-wise when we speak to each other. So there’s a lot of mutual respect there. Believe me, we will be well prepared for it. We have to be.

“I’ve worked with Billy McKay. I know he’s a threat in and around the box. The big boy [Ross] Stewart… if they play him out wide, they’ll hit diagonal balls onto him. And Michael Gardyne has been there and done that, and is very experienced.

“The front three cause a lot of problems. They’ve got good footballers in midfield. Technically very good. So we have to be at our very best.

“We can’t be judged on beating Hearts or Hibs. This is where we get judged. We have to make sure we try and get the three points against Ross County.”

On Charles Dunne’s injury

“Charles [Dunne] we are still waiting for. He’s going to see a specialist on Monday. So I can’t give you an indication of how long that will be.

“We think it will be a little while but I wouldn’t like to put a timescale on it before he sees the specialist on Monday. So we will probably have an update then.”

On other returning players

“Christy Manzinga got another 70 minutes. Bevis Mugabi got 60 in the reserves.

“Maybe both need another reserve game to put them right into contention. But they are getting there and there’s a lot of competition for places.”

Motherwell welcome Ross County to Fir Park on Saturday, as the Steelmen look to build on three consecutive wins.

The weekend’s visitors recently returned to the Ladbrokes Premiership, winning the Championship last campaign.

The story so far

Having topped the second tier last season with a five-point advantage over Dundee United, County have made a solid start to life back in the top flight.

With seven points from their first five matches, a streetwise squad have taken the step up in their stride.

They have plenty Premiership experience in their ranks. Marcus Fraser, Liam Fontaine, Richard Foster, Ross Draper, Michael Gardyne, Iain Vigurs and Billy McKay are well accustomed to the level, with added youth in Celtic loanee Ewan Henderson making them a formidable outfit.

Form guide

Home wins over Hamilton Academical and St Mirren have provided the basis of their points so far, while a 0-0 draw at Hearts demonstrated their ability on the road.

Defeats so far came in a heavy 4-1 home loss to Livingston and a 3-0 defeat at Aberdeen, while a Betfred Cup exit came in the second round at Partick Thistle after extra time.

How they shaped up last time

In their 2-1 win at St Mirren last time out, managers Steven Ferguson and Stuart Kettlewell made three changes from the team that had lost 3-0 at Aberdeen previous.

Liam Fontaine, Ewan Henderson and Harry Paton came in for Callum Morris, Tom Grivosti and Josh Mullin.

Marcus Fraser’s injury-time winner got the Staggies the points, after his first strike was cancelled out by Tony Andreu.

Three to watch

Marcus Fraser

Ross County captain Marcus Fraser has played a pivotal role at the heart of the Staggies defence since arriving from Celtic in 2015.

The 25-year-old has racked up 175 appearances for the Highlanders and enjoyed his most successful season of his career to date when he captained the side to the Championship title and IRN-BRU Cup in 2018/19.

Fraser’s ability to find a long pass from defence has been an impressive part of his game so far this season and he currently leads the way in the Scottish Premiership when it comes to long pass accuracy. He has completed 63.89% of his long passes – Declan Gallagher is second with 60.61%.

Joe Chalmers

After enduring a frustrating time with Motherwell, Joe Chalmers was able to kick start his career during two seasons with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

In his new role as a central midfielder, Chalmers flourished for Caley, making 96 appearances and played a key role in their run to the last four of the Scottish Cup and the Championship play-offs.

After making the trip across the Kessock bridge in the summer to join Ross County on a two-year deal, the 25-year-old got off to a flying start when he swept home the opening goal in the 3-0 victory over Hamilton.

Ross Stewart

Ross Stewart has demonstrated his abilities to make the step up to the top flight of Scottish football in the early stages of the new season.

Following on from grabbing a brace in wins over Montrose and Brechin in the Betfred Cup, he opened his Premiership account as County began their first campaign back in the top flight in style with a 3-0 triumph over Hamilton, before adding a consolation against Livingston and the opener in the win at home to St Mirren.

Stewart endeared himself to County fans with three goals against Inverness last season and he may also be a name familiar to some Motherwell fans, having scored both of the goals in the 2-1 victory over the ‘Well Colts side at Fir Park in November last year.

What they said

“Motherwell have been flying,” striker Ross Stewart said. “We know how good a team they are.

“We will get them watched and be well aware of the task in the hand.

“But we’ve got to try and build on our performances. We had a good win last week and we go down there with a belief we can get the result.

“Our home form is going to be vital for us this season. But if we can pick up points at tough places like Motherwell on Saturday, it will go a long way to where we want to be.”

Team news

Out injured: Don Cowie

Doubtful: Iain Vigurs, Lewis Spence, Lee Erwin.

Suspended: None

With three wins on the bounce, Motherwell welcome Ross County to Fir Park on Saturday.

Stephen Robinson’s men head in to the game in third spot, following the victory at Hearts last weekend.

Kick off on Saturday is at 3pm. Our Cooper Bar is open from 11am for fans of both clubs.

Tale of the tape

With wins over Hamilton, Hibernian and Hearts, the Steelmen are in form going into the match.

Sitting third in the Premiership with 10 points from a possible 15, Motherwell are separated by two points either side of Rangers in second and Aberdeen in fourth.

Ross County currently occupy seventh spot after a strong start to life back in the Premiership.

With home wins over Hamilton Academical and St Mirren, they also drew 0-0 at Hearts in the first away match. Defeats to Aberdeen and Livingston followed.

Head to head

The last meeting between the two sides came in last season’s Scottish Cup, with the Staggies winning 2-1 at Fir Park in the fourth round match.

The last league encounter between the two ended in a 0-0 draw in Dingwall in April 2018, while Motherwell won the last league match between the pair at Fir Park in January 2018 by two goals to nil.

Ticket information

Tickets are available online now or from the Fir Park ticket office for Motherwell supporters. Fans can also pay at the gate on the day.

The cheaper price is for our John Hunter Stand.

Fans who require ambulant or wheelchair access should contact Andy Sim on 07428 225254 or email tickets@mfcdsa.com.

Can’t make it? Watch or listen live

If you’re outside the UK/Ireland, you can watch Motherwell v Ross County and the majority of our Ladbrokes Premiership games this season on our live streaming service.

Priced at £12 a month, just head to tv.motherwellfc.co.uk to subscribe.

Wherever you are, there’s also live audio commentary available on our streaming service for £5.99 a month.

Declan Gallagher, Sherwin Seedorf and Jermaine Hylton were all on target as Motherwell claimed a huge win in the capital.

“We will enjoy tonight. But we know we are still right at the start of things.”

Stephen Robinson speaks after Motherwell’s 3-2 win over Hearts.

Motherwell took a big three points back home in a commanding 3-2 win at Hearts.

Declan Gallagher’s header, a stunner from Sherwin Seedorf and Jermaine Hylton’s clincher ensured the win, although the hosts set up a nervy finish in front of an urging home crowd.

The Steelmen went into the game off the back of two consecutive victories, but with the feeling still of a point to prove having lost to Hearts earlier in the Betfred Cup.

Stephen Robinson made one change from the team which had blown Hibernian away before the international break. Devante Cole came into the team, with Christopher Long swapping to the bench. Mark O’Hara and Bevis Mugabi both came in on the bench.

After a tepid start, the game exploded into life from a Motherwell set play with 20 minutes on the clock.

Liam Polworth’s pinpoint corner found Gallagher at the back post, where he was waiting to bullet the header home for his first Motherwell goal.

From there, the visitors took control. Liam Donnelly rattled the crossbar as he went in pursuit of his ninth goal in nine games, while Cole also went agonisingly close to opening his account.

Motherwell remained in control in the second half, and it took seven minutes for the advantage to be doubled.

Peter Hartley’s excellent harrying of Uche Ikpeazu forced the defender into trying to bounce the ball back to his team-mates from deep. But his attempt went into acres of space in the right back area, with Jamie Brandon having bombed on.

That left acres of space for Seedorf to open up and run at goal. Closed down 25 yards from goal, he took his opportunity to rifle an unstoppable effort in at the near post, via the crossbar, to send the travelling support wild.

A home crowd growing in anger and desperation got something to give them hope nine minutes later. A scramble in the box eventually allowed the strength of Ikpeazu to give him a goal, after Mark Gillespie had done so well to keep out an initial effort.

Undeterred, Motherwell ploughed on. Five minutes later, and less than 30 seconds after entering the field as a substitute, Hylton restored the two-goal cushion.

Chasing a supposed lost cause down the flank as Sean Clare looked to have things under control, the winger took his opportunity to steal the ball on the edge of the area.

With goalkeeper Colin Doyle committed and the angle tight, the Englishman still had it all to do. But he composed himself brilliantly to squeeze the ball through the bodies and into the net.

Substitute Ryotaro Meshino set up a nervy end, after being given room to shoot past Gillespie with four minutes remaining. Then, with four minutes added, Motherwell held firm to take a huge three points home from the capital.