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Only Cedric Kipre and Richard Tait clocked up more minutes in claret and amber in the 2017/18 campaign than Charles Dunne.

But as the 25-year-old prepares for his second season at Fir Park, the ever-present defender doesn’t take his playing time for granted.

Liam Donnelly and Aaron Taylor-Sinclair arrived during the summer to bolster Stephen Robinson’s defensive options, but the competition for places has only served as motivation for the London-born Irishman.

“It’s something that we all relish, to be honest,” Dunne said. “As a group you have to expect competition and we’ve all said it countless times but it really is true, it spurs us on to do better.

“Without that, you don’t demand more from yourself as a professional and that’s never a good thing. The manager makes sure that’s the way we operate as a side, and by strengthening in the summer, I think that will improve what was already here too.”

Dunne was part of the record-breaking side who registered 20 clean sheets last season, and with a 5-0 start to the new campaign, Motherwell’s number 18 is eyeing more of the same this term.

“Five goals, a clean sheet and an all round good team performance, you couldn’t have asked for much more than that to start the season,” Dunne beamed.

“But it’s just the start and now we face Stranraer on Saturday and we know that’s going to be a difficult game.

“We won’t even pay attention to the group table at the moment because regardless of their position, we know it’s going to be tough going to Stair Park and going up against a side that put in a strong performance against Queen of the South.”

He added: “We’ll focus on our own game. With the cup games coming so early it’s important to use them to our advantage as much as we can.

“One way of doing that is to get a run of games and minutes under your belt, but hopefully it also can be an opportunity to get some winning momentum for the opening league game.”

After opening the 2018/19 campaign with a resounding 5-0 win over Edinburgh City, Motherwell head to Stranraer for the second match in the Betfred Cup group stage.

Here are some key numbers and statistics you need to know ahead of the game.

669

That’s the number of days we waited for another Motherwell player to score a hat-trick, before Elliott Frear bagged three in the first half against Edinburgh City on Tuesday night.

Louis Moult was the last to do it on 17 September, 2016, when he netted four against Hamilton Academical at Fir Park.

921

Extending that theme, ‘Well fans waited 921 days to see the team record a victory again by five clear goals. The last time that happened was at home to Cove Rangers in the Scottish Cup in January 2016.

11

The amount of goals scored by Motherwell in the four games they’ve taken part in so far since reporting back for the 2018/19 campaign. Edinburgh City were the first competitive opponents, but Stephen Robinson’s men also put five past Darlington, and one past Crusaders, while keeping three clean sheets along the way.

Motherwell got their 2018/19 campaign off to the perfect start as they ran out 5-0 winners over Edinburgh City.

Elliott Frear bagged a hat-trick in the first half, while Andy Rose and Richard Tait also netted early on to claim all three points in the Betfred Cup group stage match.

Motherwell got their season off to an emphatic start with a 5-0 win over Edinburgh City.

Hat-trick hero Elliott Frear, Andy Rose and Mark Gillespie, who kept a clean sheet on his debut, spoke after the match.

Manager Stephen Robinson hailed his players after they kicked off the 2018/19 campaign with a 5-0 win over Edinburgh City.

Elliott Frear grabbed a first-half hat-trick, with goals also coming in the opening 45 minutes from Curtis Main and Richard Tait.

Motherwell kicked off the new season with an emphatic win over Edinburgh City. Five first half goals, including a hat-trick for Elliot Frear, ensured the Steelmen made the perfect start in their opening Betfred Cup tie.

It was Frear’s winner at Ainslie Park that led to ‘Well’s narrow victory over the side from the capital at the same stage of the competition last year. However, there was no chance of a cup upset on City’s visit to Fir Park as Calum Antwell’s goal was put under constant pressure in the first half.

The new score board was still displaying the seventh minute when Frear latched on to Chris Cadden’s low ball across the face of the goal, to smash home the first goal of the season.

Ten minutes later it was 2-0 when Richard Tait collected the ball just outside the box before drilling a sweet drive inside the ‘keeper’s post on his left foot.

Curtis Main looked keen to add his name to the scoresheet and after he hammered a free kick into the wall, Frear reacted to hammer the loose ball high into the top corner.

Chris Cadden came close to extending the lead when his 20 yard effort clipped the top of the bar. However, having earned his full Scotland cap, Cadden was again the provider for Frear, slipping the ball into his path for the ‘Well winger to bag his hat-trick after only 28 minutes.

Six minutes from the break, Antell did well to block a thunderous drive from Main. The ‘Well striker was not to be denied his first goal of the campaign when another long range effort swerved beyond the ‘keeper and made it 5-0 at the break.

The second 45 was always going to struggle to live up to the first, however, there were debuts for midfielder Alex Gorrin and the twin strike force of Danny Johnson and Conor Sammon.

We’re updating our style for the 2018/19 season. Out go the old white numbers on the back of our home shirts, in come the proper colours.

Our new home kits, which will be worn competitively for the first time on Tuesday night, will have claret numbers for the first time in two decades.

You can get your home kit printed with the claret numbering from 26 July in the ‘Well Shop. Home tops are currently available to buy online.

Peter Hartley may be on the sidelines for Tuesday’s Betfred Cup clash against Edinburgh City, but the club captain can’t wait for competitive football to return. 

The Englishman, who is suspended for the first competitive fixture of the 2018/19 campaign, admits that wearing the armband is something he is proud of.

He said: “I’m chomping at the bit and I can’t wait to get back in to action. I’m honoured to represent this club and to be given the captaincy.”

After 60 days without a competitive game, Motherwell return to competitive action on Tuesday night when Edinburgh City come calling at Fir Park.

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

Around the ground before the game

Fans of both clubs have the choice of two bars before the game. Both the Centenary Suite, situated in the main stand, and the David Cooper bar are open from 5.30pm for pre-match food and drinks.

The ‘Well Shop is also open from 6pm before the game. Our new home kit is available to buy in store, and you can place a pre-order for the away kit ahead of its launch shortly.

We’re testing our new access control system

If you’ve bought a ticket in advance, please look for turnstiles marked for “pre-paid tickets”. This will allow our staff to scan the barcode on your ticket and test out the new system.

If you experience any problems, please contact the nearest steward, who will be able to assist.

You can also pay at the gate

If you’ve not bought your ticket in advance online, don’t worry. Pay at the gate is still available on the night priced at £12 for adults and £6 for concessions.

Team news

Cédric Kipré and Peter Hartley are suspended for the match, while Craig Tanner remains out injured long term. All six summer signings are in contention for places, with Mark Gillespie, Aaron Taylor-Sinclair, Alex Rodríguez Gorrín, Conor Sammon, Danny Johnson and Liam Donnelly all awaiting debuts.

Read lots more about the game

• Want to learn more about our opponents? We’ve profiled them.
• Get up to speed with the context of the game with our scene setter.
• Get the breakdown on the game in numbers.
• Hear from the manager Stephen Robinson, as he says momentum is key early on.

Edinburgh City make their second visit to Fir Park on Tuesday night, as they continue their Betfred Cup campaign.

Motherwell are making their first competitive appearance of the season against the capital side. Here’s some things you need to know about our opponents.

Experience in their ranks

For a League Two club, Edinburgh City contain plenty top flight experience. Conrad Balatoni has 93 Premiership games under his belt with Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock, and former Hibernian man Danny Handling played 55 times in the top league.

Manager James McDonaugh brings valuable experience to the role, having coached at Hibs before taking over at Ainslie Park in October 2017.

Familiar foes

This isn’t the first time Motherwell and Edinburgh City have met in the group stage of the Betfred Cup. On their way to the 2017/18 final, the Steelmen traveled to Ainslie Park off the back of two wins in their opening two games.

After going a goal down to their hosts, Motherwell rallied and came from behind to win 2-1 in the capital through goals from Elliott Frear and Chris Cadden. Stephen Robinson’s men had to work hard for the three points though, with the two goals coming in the final five minutes of the game.

The Citizens have also played once before at Fir Park. In an Irn-Bru Cup match in 2016, they took on Motherwell’s Colts team, losing 2-1 to goals from Dylan Mackin and Tom Fry.

They’ve already been in action

Edinburgh City picked up two points from their opening game, after drawing with Clyde and grabbing the bonus point thanks to a 4-1 win in the penalty shootout.

Balatoni netted the opener and the side from the capital led until the 95th minute, when Martin McNiff levelled for the hosts.

A number of the new recruits for Tuesday’s opponents have bedded in well in a run of friendlies. In particular, striker Blair Henderson, who was recruited from Annan Athletic to address City’s deficiencies in front of goal, has three pre-season strikes to his name.

The fifth-top scorer in League Two last season looks set to play a valuable part for City, and the former Hibs academy player is a proven goalscorer following previous spells with Berwick Rangers and Stirling Albion.