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Queen of the South lie in wait next for Motherwell, with the Steelmen needing a win to keep pace with the Doonhamers at the top of their Betfred Cup group.

Here are some key numbers and statistics you need to know ahead of Tuesday’s fixture.

Five

The gap in points between leaders Queen of the South and second-placed Motherwell at the top of Group G.

A Motherwell victory would put them within two points and, with Queens not in action on Saturday, it would mean Stephen Robinson’s side would also need to win at Clyde to be group winners.

A win or a draw for Tuesday’s visitors would guarantee they qualify as group winners, regardless of which side claims the bonus point in the penalty shootout in the event of a draw.

Seven

Stephen Dobbie has always been a reliable goal scorer, but his start to the 2018/19 campaign is remarkable even by his standards.

The Queen of the South forward has netted seven in his side’s opening three games of the season. A double against Stranraer in their 5-3 win was followed up by a hat-trick against Clyde, and then two against Edinburgh City in his last match.

14

It’s been a long time since the two sides clashed on competitive business, with 14 years passing since the last encounter.

In the 2003/04 Scottish Cup, Motherwell played host in the fourth round of the competition, and were ahead early doors through Derek Adams’ penalty.

Alex Burns then completed a double before the interval to put ‘Well 3-0 up, with Queens grabbing two back in a snowy afternoon but ultimately failing to complete the comeback.

450

Having reached last year’s Betfred Cup final, the competition is a relatively happy hunting ground for Motherwell. With that in mind, it’s been five games – or 450 minutes – since a goal was conceded at Fir Park in the competition. In that same time span, 16 goals have been scored by the Steelmen.

Motherwell drew in their second Betfred Cup group match of the 2018/19 season, with League One side Stranraer pegging Stephen Robinson’s side back in a 1-1 draw.

The Stair Park side then also claimed the bonus point in the penalty shootout.

Richard Tait, Trevor Carson and Peter Hartley spoke frankly after the draw with Stranraer in the Betfred Cup.

The experienced trio gave their thoughts on the result against the League One team and the need to bounce back against Queen of the South.

Stephen Robinson has left the team in no doubt of what needs to change after the draw at Stranraer.

Motherwell toiled as they took a point from their League One opponents, before they lost the chance to take a bonus point in a penalty shootout.

Motherwell took a point from their second Betfred Cup group match after a 1-1 draw with League One side Stranraer.

The hosts took the bonus point after winning a penalty shootout by three goals to two.

Peter Hartley had given the visitors the lead in the first half but they were pegged back in the second, with the troublesome Issac Layne netting an equaliser.

Motherwell suffered an early blow as Charles Dunne went off injured with a groin strain after an awkward fall. Andy Rose replaced him, with Carl McHugh slotting into defence.

It took 30 minutes for the first real test of a defence, and it was Cédric Kipré who had to come to the rescue.

Smith’s cross into the box was set up perfectly for Anderson but the big defender managed to get a leg in to hook the ball behind for a corner.

Former ‘Well man Cummins then won the header from the resulting set play, but he headed past the left hand post.

The Steelmen immediately went up the other end. A corner from the left was met by the run of McHugh, but he saw the ball late and headed wide.

The game sparked to life. Main had time in the box 10 yards out but couldn’t find space to get away his shot, and Stranraer immediately countered, with Layne putting the defence under pressure before his shot was blocked by Carson.

It was a warning that jolted Motherwell into life. Winning a free kick on the right touchline, Cadden’s delivery into the box to an array of physical targets found Hartley, who powered a header into the net in his first game since December 30 last year.

Robinson’s men went on the hunt for a second. With the tempo increased, Cadden was next up to try his luck, with a fierce drive from 30 yards whistling past the left hand post.

Motherwell started the second half in the ascendency and the first chance fell to Sammon.

Making his first start, the Irishman got on the end of Rose’s knockdown but a delicate touch resulted only in the ball clipping the crossbar from close range and going over.

Stranraer though still showed dangerous flashes. Two chances in quick succession required the desperate, late interventions from Tait and Carson respectively as the game approached the hour mark.

The third attempt wouldn’t end well for the visitors. Muscling Hartley off it in the aerial challenge, Layne burst through on goal. Composing himself on the angle on the right hand side, his low drive beat Carson and found the bottom left corner of the net.

Manager Robinson rang the changes soon after. Midweek hat-trick scorer Elliott Frear and Ryan Bowman entered the fray, as the visitors looked to up their urgency.

Cadden had another chance almost immediately. Driving in from the right, his cross from the edge of the box sailed across with no takers, and just narrowly avoided sneaking in at the far post itself.

Stranraer had the golden chance to take the lead with 12 minutes left on the clock. With Layne again having got the better of Hartley, he played a perfectly-timed through ball for substitute Mark Lamont.

Bearing down on goal one versus one against Carson, he had the time to pick his spot. When he pulled the trigger he beat the goalkeeper, but his effort rattled the crossbar and was eventually cleared.

Motherwell tried to flood forward to get a winner but struggled to carve out further opportunities to test goalkeeper Currie, and the match went to penalties for the prize of a bonus point.

Motherwell: Carson; Tait, Kipré, Hartley, Dunne (Rose 3), Taylor-Sinclair; McHugh (Frear 63), Cadden, Grimshaw; Main, Sammon (Bowman 68).

Subs not used: Gillespie, Rodríguez Gorrín, Donnelly, Johnson.

Motherwell travel to Stair Park to take on Stranraer in the Betfred Cup on Saturday, in the first away fixture of the 2018/19 campaign. 

And Stephen Robinson’s side, who started the campaign with a convincing 5-0 win over Edinburgh City, will face tough opposition in the League One side.

Searching for points

The Blues started their 2018/19 campaign off with a scorching start against Queen of the South, scoring twice within 10 minutes to stun Queen of the South on their own patch.

The hosts then turned the game on its head with three goals in four minutes to lead 3-2 at the break, and Stranraer ended the game on the losing end of an eight goal thriller as the Dumfriesshire side ran out 5-3 winners.

With some promising signs in their opening game, Stephen Farrell will be eager to see his side build on their start as the Steelmen arrive for the second game of the group.

Foundations to build on

The 2017/18 league campaign ended with Stranraer narrowly missing out on a Championship play-off spot, and the Stair Park side will be looking to make forward strides in the new campaign.

Last season dealt the Blues a difficult group stage in the League Cup, with Livingston, Partick Thistle, St Mirren and Airdrieonians all grouped with Saturday’s opponents in Group H.

Fresh faces

It’s been a busy transfer window for Stephen Farrell, with at least 10 new faces coming through the door as the club prepare for the 2018/19 campaign.

The manager offloaded experienced players Scott Robertson, Paul Woods and Scott Agnew, all in their 30s, bringing in some younger options.

Luke Donnelly, David Brownlie and Isaac Layne, all in their early 20s, were among the new arrivals as the Blues revamped their side with young, exciting talent.

We’re on our travels for the second game of the 2018/19 campaign as we head to Stranraer in the group stage of the Betfred Cup.

Here’s everything you need to know going into the game.

Ticket prices are the same for all Betfred Cup games

As is the case in our home games, the price to get in at Stair Park on Saturday is £12 for adults and £6 for concessions. You can pay at the gate at the ground.

Don’t overpay on the train

If you are taking the train to Stranraer on Saturday, make sure you don’t pay more than you need to.

If you choose Motherwell as your origin station when purchasing, and Stranraer as your destination, you will be charged £47.50 for an adult return.

Alternatively, you can currently purchase a return ticket online from Motherwell to Glasgow Central, which will cost £4.90, and then separately buy a return from Glasgow Central to Stranraer, which will cost £21.80.

Team news

Cédric Kipré and Peter Hartley are back, having served one-match suspensions against Edinburgh City. Craig Tanner remains out injured long term. Aaron Taylor-Sinclair is the only summer recruit waiting to make his debut

Read lots more about the game

• Manager relishing selection dilemma
• Scene setter: Motherwell travel to Stranraer
• In numbers: Stranraer up next for the Steelmen

Our opening game of the 2018/19 Ladbrokes Premiership season against Hibernian has been put back by 24 hours.

The Steelmen will now travel to Easter Road on Sunday, 5 August. The game will kick off at 3pm.

Hibs are in Europa League action on the Thursday night against Asteras, meaning our game needed to be moved.

In the week Elliott Frear scored the first Motherwell hat-trick since 2016, this week’s quiz will test your knowledge of other Steelmen to net three goals in a match.

Since 1996, can you name every hat-trick scorer in claret and amber?

Stephen Robinson is enjoying having a selection dilemma ahead of the trip to face Stranraer.

Having spent the summer recruiting to give himself more options in the squad, he has a fully fit squad to choose from for the second Betfred Cup match, except for long-term absentee Craig Tanner.

“It’s a fine balancing act between putting out a team to win and getting minutes in players’ legs,” said the manager, who will also welcome back Cédric Kipré and Peter Hartley back from suspension.

“We’ll make changes but, if anything, the team might be stronger than it was on Tuesday night.

“We are expected to win, but by no means is it a given. If you give teams time on the ball, they are capable of hurting you.”

New recruit Conor Sammon has spoken publicly about settling in quickly at Fir Park, something Robinson puts down to the culture at the club.

“I’m proud of the atmosphere we’ve created here,” he added. “It’s a close-knit group. We’ve boys who have kickstarted their careers and got their confidence back. That’s what we do.

“With someone of Conor’s experience coming in, it also adds experience to a young squad.”