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Despite a bundle of chances, Motherwell fell to a 1-0 defeat to visitors Sligo Rovers in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

An Aidan Keena goal in the first half was enough to give Sligo the advantage ahead of the second leg next Thursday in Ireland.

Motherwell created the first opening of the game in the opening stages. Summer signing Josh Morris found himself in the danger area and lashed a shot towards goal. The covering Sligo defender got enough of a touch to deflect the ball into the side netting.

Bevis Mugabi was next to try his luck. The Ugandan got up well from a Motherwell free kick and seen his effort comfortably gathered by McNicholas.

Despite the early chances, it would be the visitors who took the lead. A long ball forward found Mugabi back tracking, as he tried to nod the ball back to keeper Liam Kelly, former Hearts man Keena nicked in and knocked the ball over the top of the on rushing goalie to make it 1-0 on 27 minutes.

From then, Kelly wasn’t really troubled but the the Bit O’Reds defence stood strong and limited the Steelmen to few clear chances.

Kevin van Veen looked to bring the game back on level terms shortly after the Sligo goal. He burst through but instead of going for goal, he opted to square to Morris who couldn’t get the ball out of his feet in time to get a shot away.

Barry Maguire tried his luck next with a curling effort which McNicholas produced an excellent stop to keep his side ahead.

On the stroke of half-time, Connor Shields saw his effort go agonisingly wide of the post.

Motherwell continued to press in the second half. Morris had a go from a 20-yard free kick but McNicholas was once again a match for the effort.

Substitute Ross Tierney was introduced from the bench on 64 minutes and immediately was involved in the action. The Irish forward drove into the box and fired a low strike into the side netting.

It would continue to be a frustrating night when Morris fired a header on target but once again the keeper saved in the closing stages.

Motherwell now travel to Ireland next week looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit and keep their European campaign alive.

The G4Claims brand will again feature on the back of first team home and away kits at the bottom.

G4Claims are an accident management and hire car company. They are a family run business who pride themselves on their customer service. Having an accident can be a stressful experience and the company ensure all their customers are cared for to the highest standard.

“We are delighted to continue our relationship with Motherwell Football Club and continue our partnership for the coming season,” G4Claims Director Nicole Rudder said.

“We wish the team all the best and can’t wait to see the boys play in European Competition”

“We’d like to invite supporters of Motherwell Football Club to follow us on our social media platforms for give-aways and competitions.”

“You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube”

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with G4Claims and thank Nicole for her continued support of the club,” Suzanne Reid, head of commercial and marketing at Motherwell FC added.

“We share many values with the company being a family business in the local community and I very much look forward to working with the team this season.”

Our UEFA Europa Conference League first leg match against Sligo Rovers will be streamed online for £12. 

The match is now available to buy here.

Kick-off is at 7:45pm.

Bevis Mugabi says Motherwell are eager to get their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign underway after a gruelling pre-season is now under their belt.

The Ugandan was part of the squad that qualified in Motherwell’s last European adventure in 2020 and wants go a step further this time round.

Graham Alexander is looking forward to his first venture in domestic European football.

He says his side have performed well in pre-season and have completed everything that has been asked of them Despite only a couple of friendly matches, the manager reckons his side are ready for competitive football again and are focused on getting to the next round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Motherwell begin their UEFA Europa Conference League adventure on Thursday 21 July when they take on League of Ireland Premier Division side Sligo Rovers at Fir Park. 

Kick-off is 7:45pm.

Ticket Information

You can buy tickets for the game here. Sligo Rovers supporters should select the Tommy McLean stand.

Alternatively, you can get yours by calling 01698 333333 or visit the ticket office at Fir Park.

How to Follow the Game Online

The match is now available to buy here. The price is £12.

There will be live radio coverage on BBC Scotland. This can be found on FM at 92.5–94.7 and MHz AM at 810 kHz.

Tale of the Tape

Motherwell and Sligo Rovers have faced off in cup competitions before.

In 2018, The Bit O’Reds travelled to Fir Park to take on Motherwell Colts in the Irn-Bru Cup.

In a side that featured the likes of David Turnbull, James Scott, Barry Maguire and Jake Hastie, the youngsters made history by becoming the first colts side to reach the Quarter-Finals of the competition after a 2-0 victory.

Christian Mbulu and Jake Hastie the scorers that day.

Form Guide

Motherwell come into the game off the back of a strong showing in pre-season.

During their camp in Austria, Motherwell took on Austrian Second Division side SK Vorwarts Steyr, where the ‘Well won 5-1. Kevin van Veen scoring a hat-trick and Barry Maguire bagging a brace.

In their most recent run out, Motherwell took on Partick Thistle on Saturday. Joe Efford scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory.

Sligo Rovers are currently 23 games into their league campaign, they occupy fifth place in the table.

They lost 2-0 in their most recent game against University College Dublin, their first league defeat under new manager John Russell who was appointed at the start of June.

Despite losing 1-0 at home in the second leg, the Irish outfit went through in a penalty shootout against Bala Town in the first round of the Europa Conference League, scoring all five penalties in the shootout.

Graham Alexander was pleased with his side’s approach to their 0-1 pre-season win over Partick Thistle.

A second-half strike from American Joe Efford was enough to separate the sides in a clammy afternoon at Firhill.

However, it was the player’s attitude and their desire to put what they’ve worked on at Dalziel Park into play that pleased the manager the most.

“I thought the players approached the match in the correct manner,” manager Graham Alexander said.

“There’s still some things we need to tighten up on, but we didn’t just go out to simply win a game of football, as much as we wanted to do that.

“We put into play what we have been doing in training and I think that [having a style] is important as it is a long season and the players have to have an idea of how we want to play.”

Kevin van Veen, Juhani Ojala, Paul McGinn, Scott Fox and Nathan McGinley weren’t in the squad and Alexander revealed the medical staff will have to take another look on Monday ahead of the midweek European match.

“We’ve taken a few knocks in training and the lads weren’t fit for today, but we’ll assess them on Monday to see if they’ll be able to train and prepare for the game [against Sligo Rovers],” Alexander added.

“We feel we have got some good competition, but we obviously need everyone as fit as possible. That said, I think the players that played today showed what they can do. We just need to keep working hard to take what we’re doing in training into up coming matches.”

Motherwell rounded off their pre-season preparations with a win at Partick Thistle.

Joe Efford’s strike in the 58th minute was enough in a comfortable win in the west end of Glasgow.

Graham Alexander started two of his summer recruits; Blair Spittal taking his place in midfield and Josh Morris making up a front three with Efford and Connor Shields, with Kevin van Veen nursing a knock from training.

There wasn’t much goal mouth action in the first half. Morris saw his shot fire into the side netting after 25 minutes and almost turned supplier ten minutes later when his free-kick from the right was spilled but Jake Carroll’s resulting header crashed back off the post.

Shields’ half-chance almost ended up breaking the deadlock. The striker didn’t make great contact with a bouncing cross into the box, but it was enough to deceived the Thistle defence who had to rely on Milne to sweep clear as the ball trickled towards goal.

The Steelmen came out for the second half with Ross Tierney replacing Morris and instantly created two good chances.

Shields saw his shot flash just wide of the post before Carroll headed Blair Spittal’s free-kick just over the bar.

‘Well finally took the lead in the 58th minute as Efford was slid in and kept his cool to fire past Mitchell.

From then Motherwell were largely comfortable and created a few chances which neither Shields nor Tierney could take.

A ball down the right-hand channel found Shields and after he drove to the byline, the forward man fired a cross into the danger area where Tierney looked to finish but his effort skewed over the bar.

Thistle would create little in the closing periods of the game and Motherwell remained in control of proceedings.

The game would finish 1-0 to Graham Alexander’s men as they now look towards their first competitive match of the campaign in the UEFA Europa Conference League as Irish side Sligo Rovers visit Lanarkshire.

The Motherwell squad returned to training after their summer break at the end of June and have been hammered back into shape.

After initial pre-season testing upon their return to Fir Park, the squad travelled to Austria for a week’s worth of double sessions and 6am runs.

Jake Carroll returns for his fourth season in claret and amber and while the training has been gruelling, it has gotten himself and the rest of the team well prepared for the long and arduous season ahead.