Latest News

Stuart Kettlewell gives his thoughts on the 3-1 win over Clyde in the Premier Sports Cup.

Motherwell maintained top spot in Group G of the Premier Sports Cup with a 3-1 win over Clyde at New Douglas Park.

Lee Hamilton cancelled out Moses Ebiye’s early opener before a penalty from Lennon Miller and a first goal for Filip Stuparevic put to bed any fears of a repeat of Tuesday night.

Motherwell almost got off to a great start after just four minutes. Ewan Wilson’s cross seemed to confuse Kinnear in the Clyde goal which allowed Stephen O’Donnell to sweep the ball back across goal but Zach Robinson saw his effort cleared off the line.

Robinson had a second chance just moments later as he capitalised on some slack defending but from a tight angle couldn’t hit the target.

Clyde then responded well as Martin Rennie got on the end of a low cross but Liam Gordon was on hand to clear the danger.

Motherwell had the lead after 12 minutes after some good play by Harry Paton set up Ewan Wilson whose cross was converted by Moses Ebiye.

Krisztian Hegyi was a spectator for the rest of the half, with the Motherwell defence looking comfortable.

The Steelmen were forced into a change as Harry Paton, who played a vital part in the goal, had to limp off after going down in the box, with Andy Halliday being brought into the action.

Lennon Miller was controlling the midfield and he produced a great ball threaded though the defence to find Ebiye but with a shot looking a good option, he opted to find his strike partner Zach Robinson but the ball in wasn’t accurate enough and the chance was gone.

Motherwell came back out after the break and within seconds Ebiye almost had his second. O’Donnell clipped a fine ball over the top but the Nigerian snatched at his attempt to lob the goalkeeper.

The chances were beginning to stack up and Ebiye passed up another opportunity when Robinson pulled the ball back across goal but Houston recovered well and cleared off the line.

Chances then came for Halliday who clipped his shot just wide, Ebiye again who hit high and wide and Miller whose neat control and shot was well saved by Kinnear.

The Steelmen were made to pay for all those missed chances as indecision in the defence left plenty of space for Hamilton to take a shot and see it deflect into the net.

A more clinical edge was needed and that came just a minute later through 17-year-old Miller. The youngster jinked into the box and was brought down by the Clyde goalkeeper with Craig Napier wasting no time in pointing to the spot. The academy graduate dusted himself down and found the top corner from 12 yards. 1-2.

Clyde looked to have gained confidence from their goal but the goal from the spot appeared to have lifted the mood of the Steelmen. Zdravkovski took a free kick quickly, Miller drove forward before feeding Ebiye who blazed over the bar.

Miller went close next, this time from a dead ball from 25 yards. The 17-year-old got the ball up and over the wall but just missed the target.

The young starlet continued to be at the heart of everything going forward. Halliday plucked a long, high ball out the sky, laid back to skipper O’Donnell who found Miller. His first time effort was saved by the keeper.

The host’s best chance since finding the back of the net came 10 minutes later, when former Motherwell Academy man Logan Dunachie got on the end of a ball into the box and forced Hegyi into a smart stop.

Andy Halliday almost responded perfectly to that chance. The midfielder drove forward into the space, Clyde continued to back off and as he entered the box, Halliday got a shot away that skimmed just wide of the mark.

As the game went into the final 10 minutes, it would be substitute Filip Stuparevic who made sure of the points. The Serbian cut inside from the right flank and curled a fine effort past the keeper to make it 3-1 and end any anxiety in the stands.

Motherwell finish the week top of the group with one game left to play, against Partick Thistle next Sunday.

Take a journey behind-the-scenes for the launch of our 2024/25 away kit, featuring Sam Nicholson and our main model, Stephen O’Donnell.

Aston Oxborough has had to patient for his chance in the Motherwell net, playing second choice to club captain Liam Kelly for the past two seasons. However, Stuart Kettlewell opted for Oxborough in their last outing as the keeper made a pivotal stop in the shootout to earn his side a bonus point.

That match has given Oxborough some confidence as he says the competition for the number one spot is heating up.

Assistant Manager Stephen Frail says Motherwell had the majority of the possession in their last match against Montrose but failed to really test the League One side. He says he doesn’t think the team needs to show a drastic reaction but need to see improvement in the forward areas.

Frail discussed Theo Bair’s move to Auxerre and how the recruitment staff are working hard at bringing in a replacement for the Canadian.

Following the news that Erik Barmack had withdrawn his offer of investment into the club, Chief Executive Brian Caldwell speaks about how that process came about.

He discusses his relationship with the Well Society and the close communication the two parties have had and positive discussions about the future.

Caldwell also explains Theo Bair’s transfer away from the club as well as offering an update on further recruitment.

Motherwell make the short journey to Hamilton on Saturday 20 July to face Clyde in the Premier Sports Cup.

Kick off is 3pm at the ZLX Stadium.

How to follow the game

Tickets for our trip to Clyde are now on sale. Adult prices cost £12, while Concessions, which are Over 65 & Under 18, cost £6.

They can be bought online here.

Premier Sports will be broadcasting over 75 live games in total from the William Hill Premiership, Scottish Cup and the Premier Sports Cup, featuring exclusive Motherwell games including the following Premier Sports Cup Group stage games, with more to follow:

• Clyde v Motherwell (3pm on 20 July – streamed live)

• Motherwell v Partick Thistle (3pm on 28 July – TV game – live on Premier Sports 1)

Motherwell fans can watch these exclusive games on Premier Sports – who are offering a special, limited-time annual offer of £99 for an entire year of Premier Sports by using promo code FITBA99, saving you £92 on the regular annual price – almost 50%!

To begin, head to the Premier Sports website.

Simply select the ‘Pre-Paid Annual’ option on the subscribe now page, and enter the promo code FITBA99 to avail of this special, limited time offer.

This will give you live and on-demand access to all 75 Scottish football games and all other channel content including LALIGA, United Rugby Championship and much more. This offer is applicable only to Sky and Premier Sports streaming service platforms.

This Saturday’s game will be live on the Premier Sports streaming service only, which is available to Sky customers at no extra cost.

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

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

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our new away kit for the first time.

Injury Update

Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson, Ross Callachan, Paul McGinn and Johnny Koutroumbis will all be missing for this match.

Steve Seddon and Tom Sparrow are doubts having missed the trip to Montrose on Tuesday night.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell are on five points at the halfway stage of their group action. A 3-0 win over Edinburgh City was followed by a 1-1 draw with Montrose, but five perfect penalties seen the Steelmen come away with a bonus point.

It’s four goals scored so far, all from defenders, and three from corners after two games. A win would put Motherwell in the driving seat for top spot with one game left to play against Partick Thistle.

A reminder that the eight group winners and three best runners-up progress to the second round, with the three best group winners being seeded for the next round.

Opposition Report

Clyde kicked off their group stage campaign on Wednesday night with a 5-0 win over Edinburgh City at Meadowbank.

Former Motherwell youngster Logan Dunachie got on the scoresheet, with another familiar face in Robbie Leitch also involved. It was a positive night for Ian McCall’s side with all three forwards Rennie, Connolly and Connell getting on the scoresheet.

The major goal threat for Clyde last season was Martin Rennie, who got 14 in the league.

Stuart Kettlewelll gives his reaction to the 1-1 draw with Montrose.

Motherwell had taken the lead in the first-half but passed up numerous chances before Montrose equalised late on.

All five Motherwell players held their nerve and converted from the spot and Aston Oxborough produced a big save.

Motherwell had to settle for a penalty shootout bonus point after a 1-1 draw with Montrose at Links Park

Shane Blaney’s header had given the Steelmen the lead but a late squaliser from Ally Shrive forced a shootout which all five Motherwell takers cooly finished with Aston Oxborough again being the hero with a save.

The first chance of the game came in the tenth minute. Motherwell had most of the ball and a neatly worked  move down the left created a shooting opportunity for Halliday but he hooked his shot well over the bar.

Halliday had another chance ten minutes later, this time with his head as he nodded Stephen O’Donnell’s cross towards goal but couldn’t get enough on it to test Gill in the Montrose goal.

With Montrose sitting so deep there became  a need for one of the Motherwell centre backs to step into the game. Dan Casey did exactly that and combined well with Paton but the defender’s shot was well blocked by Dillon.

The opening half hour had a similar feel to the Edinburgh City game – Motherwell with all the ball but struggling to create many chances. That air of familiarity also came as the Steelmen took the lead.

Just like against Edinburgh City, from a corner, an Irish centre back rose highest and bulleted a header past the goalkeeper. This time it was Shane Blaney who netted past Gill from Paton’s delivery.

It could easily have been two, ten minutes into the second half as Harry Paton chased down a lost cause and got in ahead of Gill but his ball across goal was inches away from Robinson who would certainly have scored.

Motherwell continued to dominate the game and Lennon Miller had two opportunities to extend the lead but couldn’t find the target with either shot from the outside of the box.

Fellow academy graduate Ewan Wilson also went close as he drove forward and got a powerful shot away but it was well beaten away by Gill.

Another chance fell to substitute Moses Ebiye as he latched onto Zdravkovski’s ball but he fired wide of the mark.

With just under ten minutes to go, Montrose almost snatched an equaliser.  A long throw into the box was met by a looper header which Oxborough just got enough on to keep the ball from crossing the line.

As time ticked away Montrose pulled themselves level. A ball into the box found Alasdair Shrive and he turned his man and finished past Oxborough.

The Steelmen then had to compose themselves as a penalty shootout loomed for the bonus point.

Thankfully Stuparevic, Blaney, Miller, O’Donnell and Ebiye cooly dispatched from 12 yards and Aston Oxbrough saved Steeves’ penalty.

The bonus point means Motherwell siit top on five points with a clash against Clyde at the weekend.

Theo Bair has joined Ligue 1 side AJ Auxerre for an undisclosed fee.

Arriving at the club 12 months ago from St Johnstone, Bair scored on his debut for the Steelmen on the opening day of the season against Dundee.

Leading the line as the only fit striker at the club, the Canadian began to work harder than ever before behind the scenes to improve.

That work began to pay off when his season sparked into life after he scored a double against Livingston at Fir Park in December.

From then on, Bair never looked back and helped Motherwell’s push for top-six by scoring 15 goals in the Premiership, including six assists. Scoring at Ibrox in the ‘Well’s first win over Rangers in Glasgow since 1997, Bair earned a call-up to the Canadian national side for the first time in four years.

His achievements seen him named Motherwell’s Player of the Year, Motherwell Top Goalscorer and in the PFA Team of the Year.

Bair was named in Canada’s Copa America squad, where they subsequently reached the semi-finals. The forward earned his third cap, and first in four years, in the 3rd place playoff match against Uruguay.

“My time at the club has been unbelievable,” Theo Bair said.

“These have been some of the most enjoyable moments of my career. I love this club and I will always be a supporter. I wish everyone nothing but the best!”

We’re immensely grateful for Theo’s efforts last season and wish him well in this next step. Thanks for everything, Theo.