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Goals from James Scott and Shea Gordon gave the young Steelmen victory at Glebe Park.

Under 20s manager Stephen Craigan was relieved to see his side finally play competitive football, after nearly two months without a game.

And he was even happier with the hard-working, determined performance from his side during their 2-1 win over Aberdeen.

Speaking to MFC TV at full-time at Glebe Park, Craigan reflected on an impressive three points in his sides first game of 2018.

[pullquote]When it went to 1-1 I thought, do we have the guts and the desire and the determination to go and win the game? And we did.[/pullquote]

“First and foremost, I think the result will stand out, but I also think the performance does too,” the Northern Irishman said.

“It’s been almost two months since our last competitive game on December 5^th, so it’s been a frustrating two months for the players.”

He added: “To put that effort in to the game for 90-minutes, the fitness levels that requires, asks even more questions of them, but I’m really pleased with the performance and the grit and determination.”

Motherwell returned to Development League action with a 2-1 win over Aberdeen, after nearly two months without a game.

Snow and ice led to countless postponements for Stephen Craigan’s youngsters over December and January, and following an early morning pitch inspection, the clash at Glebe Park was given the go ahead.

First team midfielder Ross MacLean was included in the starting line-up, with forwards Alfie Agyeman, Jamie Semple and James Scott all included from the start. Shea Gordon, returning from a long injury lay-off, made the bench.

Agyeman and Semple, working tirelessly up front, nearly combined to give the Steelmen a perfect start in Brechin. The former closed down Dons stopper Archie Mair, who sliced the ball straight to Semple, whose attempted finish landed narrowly over the crossbar.

In a rather quiet first half, Craigan’s side nearly took the lead in style just before the break. Barry Maguire linked up Davie Turnbull in the middle of the park, who slid in James Scott with a reverse pass on the left side of the box, but his shot was dragged wide of the mark.

But it didn’t take long in the second half for the travelling Steelmen to take the lead. After winning the ball in the middle of the park, ‘Well broke down the left flank. Scott, racing back on to the park following an injury, burst through and slotted beyond the keeper.

Just four minutes later, Aberdeen were level. Jordan Armstrong’s foul on the edge of the area led to a free kick in a decent position. A low, driven effort was palmed in to the path of Sam Roscoe, who finished high past PJ Morrison to equalise.

Craigan didn’t hesitate to change things up, introducing Gordon in place of Semple with just under 25 minutes remaining.

And it was the Northern Ireland under-21 international who nearly provided the leveller with a terrific cross from a clever free kick.

Turnbull slipped a neat reverse ball around the Dons wall for Gordon to stand up to the back post. Hastie turned a header goal ward but it crashed off the crossbar.

Play stayed alive though and MacLean’s cross back in to the box was headed beyond Mair by Gordon late on to grab all three points for the Steelmen.

Motherwell Football Club can today confirm Jack McMillan has left the club to join Livingston.

McMillan, a product of the club’s youth academy, broke into the first team squad back in early 2016/17.

But he has failed to nail down a regular first team berth and currently finds himself down the pecking order for a place in the starting 11.

The 20-year-old right back had been on loan at the Tony Macaroni Arena this term and boss David Hopkin indicated his desire to make the more permanent.

Although his contract at ‘Well had one more year to run, with regular first-team football looking unlikely, the club has allowed the player to switch to the Championship club to continue his career development. Motherwell have protected their interests with a sizable sell-on clause.

McMillan leaves having made 16 appearances in claret and amber, 10 of them as a starter.

“Jack is a great kid and we didn’t want to hold him back from making a career from the game,” ‘Well boss Stephen Robinson said of the departure.

“With Richard Tait, Liam Grimshaw and Chris Cadden all pushing for a spot on the right, it made life for Jack that more difficult.

“However, this move will allow him to continue to develop himself and at the same time protects the club should he do well. We wish him every success at his hometown club.’

McMillan added: “I obviously leave Motherwell with a bit of a heavy heart, having came through the system there.

“However, I also want to thank the club and the manager for their honesty and allowing me to go and progress my career in the game.

“We’ve left each other on good terms and I wish everyone at Fir Park all the very best for the future. For my part, I am excited about the challenges that lie ahead.”

Everyone at Motherwell Football Club would like to thank Jack for his contribution whilst at Fir Park and wish him every success in his future career.