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Pictures from the 2-1 defeat to Hearts in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League at Fir Park. These action shots and more are available to buy online at www.motherwellpics.com.

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A second-half penalty from Kevin Kyle gave Hearts all three points against ten-man Motherwell at Fir Park this evening.

Jim Jefferies side went ahead two minutes before the half-time interval when David Templeton’s speculative bicycle kick was well saved by Darren Randolph, only for the rebound to cruelly bounce of Mark Reynolds and trickle over the line.

However, the lead was short-lived when Keith Lasley scored his first goal in three years, tucking away from twelve yards after good work by Alan Gow.

Both teams went for it in the second half, but it was Kyle who would grab the winning goal from the penalty spot after referee Stevie O’Reilly adjudged Stephen Craigan to have fouled David Templeton inside the area.

‘Well pushed for a second leveller but their rally was derailed by Steve Jennings’ controversial ordering off.

The Steelmen were led by Youth Development supremo Gordon Young, following the departure of Craig Brown and Archie Knox to Aberdeen at the tail end of last week. The interim boss made just one change from the team that drew with St Mirren 24-days ago. Scotland International Steven Saunders was replaced by the returning Lasley with Tom Hateley filling in at full-back.

‘Well started the game on the front foot and Jamie Murphy gave notice of early intentions with a low fizzing shot that had Kello scrambling across his area.

Down the other end, the visitors were forced into long range efforts with both Ryan Stevenson and Rudi Skacel going close from distance but nothing to overly trouble Darren Randolph in the home goal.

However, the Gorgie side should’ve taken the lead just before the half-hour mark when Stephen Elliott found himself in acres of space inside the area but could only screw his effort over the bar after excellent wing play from young Templeton.

Young’s men weathered that Hearts pressure and came more and more into the game as the half drew to a close. Murphy was proving to be Motherwell’s main danger, firing a low shot wide then, minutes later, seeing a shot-cum-cross just miss the waiting Nick Blackman at the back post.

The deadlock was eventually broken two minutes before the break. Industrious wide play by Kyle was rewarded when the former Kilmarnock man turned a neat looking cross into the area. Templeton met the ball with an acrobatic overhead kick, which was stopped brilliantly by Randolph. However, the goalkeeper and Reynolds got in each other’s way as they tried to clear and the ball somehow trundled over the line.

The Hearts fans in the South Stand had barely taken their seats when ‘Well hit back with a leveller. Marius Zaliukas’ attempted clearance was collected by Alan Gow who picked out Lasley with a wonderful through ball. The veteran midfielder met finished with some aplomb, neatly tucking under the outrushing Kello from about twelve yards.

Hearts came out the traps well in the second half with winger Templeton the man causing the majority of problems for the home defence.

However, it was his team-mate Elliott who should’ve put the visitors 2-1 in front when he passed up a great chance inside the six-yard box. Darren Barr burst forward and picked out the Irishman inside the area. After a neat shimmy, he could only smash the ball off the underside of the bar before looping the rebound over with the ‘Well defence closing in.

It was a let off for Motherwell but Hearts would eventually grab a second, and ultimately, the winner, shortly after and it again it was Templeton who was involved.

The winger, cutting in from the left, appeared to have lost the ball but his advances were halted by Stephen Craigan. Referee O’Reilly was well placed and he pointed to the spot. Kevin Kyle didn’t pass up the opportunity and drilled home his seventh of the campaign, sending Darren Randolph the wrong way.

Templeton was looking for another penalty shortly after when there was a coming together with Steven Jennings. This time the official wasn’t interested despite the claim looking stronger than the somewhat soft award minutes earlier.

As the game entered the final stages, Motherwell continued to battle hard in search of the equaliser. Jamie Murphy thought he had it but his low shot was somehow blocked by the outstretched Zaliukas with Kello looking beaten all ends up.

The task of getting level was made even more difficult when Steve Jennings was shown a straight red card for dissent. The former Tranmere man was protesting a penalty claim after Gow went down in the area. Referee O’Reilly took exception, dismissing the midfielder to the surprise of most inside Fir Park.

‘Well through on John Sutton for Chris Humphrey but nothing that was thrown into the area would fall at the feet of a man wearing Claret and Amber. Hearts eventually held on for all three points with Motherwell left to contemplate Saturday’s visit to take on the former management team in their first match in charge at Pittodrie.

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90+3 – Full Time – Motherwell 1 – 2 Hearts.

90mins – Motherwell are throwing everything into the area but the ball just isn’t bouncing for the Steelmen.

87mins – Late sub – Ross Forbes is coming on for Alan Gow. Young will be hoping the youngster can pull one his trademark free-kicks with a few minutes to go.

82mins – No idea what that was for… I must be for something he said. If it’s for touching him then that is very, very harsh indeed.

82mins – Jennings is sent off! A straight red card too…

81mins – Murphy twists and turns in the box but his shot is blocked by the Hearts captain.

76mins – Humphrey off – replaced by Sutton

71mins – Kevin Kyle shanks a shot well wide of the post. Tonight has got ‘one of those nights’ written all over it

67mins – Hearts are trying to ‘slow the game down’

63mins – The match official is getting pelters from the ‘Well fans. He’s lost the plot a wee bit!

59mins – GOAL for Hearts! Kevin Kyle tucks away the penalty! TV says a stick on pen but a chorus of boos ring round Fir Park.

58mins – Penalty for Hearts! Craigan catches Templeton in the box and the ref points to the spot. ‘Well players are chasing Stevie O’Reilly and the punters are far from happy.

57mins – Hearts should equalise. Barr creates, pass into Elliott. Should burst the net – hits the bar then heads the rebound over.

54mins – Hearts register the first chance of the second half. Barr’s cross to the back post met Templeton but he could only head over

46mins – Second half kicks off – Hearts get us underway!

Half Time – Motherwell 1 – 1 Hearts

44mins – GOOALLLLLLL Keith Lasley! Great ball from Gow and the midfielder slots home! 1-1

44mins – Goal Hearts – Reynolds OG (I think). Cross from the right finds Templeton in the box. His overhead kick is brilliantly saved by Randolph only for the rebound to hit the defender and trickle, somehow, into the net.

42mins – Kyle flashes a shot wide again. Surely a push in the build up though? No idea how the ref missed that?!

37mins – Ooooffttt, Motherwell almost take the lead. Murphy’s shot-cum-cross almost found Blackman at the back post but it goes wide.

35mins – Motherwell’s first real change at goal. A mix up in the Hearts backline allowed Murphy in. Snatched at it a wee bit and wide

30mins – Another shot from Stevenson but again, miles over. Terrible for half hour here at Fir Park. Hopefully a better 2/3 to come

29mins – Game bursts to life – Templeton burst down the left, his near post ball is met by Elliott but he somehow screws over.

24mins – I have to say – in all honesty – this game has been absolutely dreadful… Horrible stuff!

20mins – Ref O’Reilly is upsetting the home fans with a number of calls. Good ol’ SPL football is back!

17mins – Another long range effort, this time from Skacel flys just wide of Randolph’s right hand post! That one was closer…

13mins – A long range shot from Stevenson fizzes over the bar. Randolph looked comfortable enough…

7mins – Jennings booked for a trip in the middle of the park…. I think that is him now suspended.

4mins – Craigan foul on Kyle gives Hearts a free-kick at the edge of the box…

1min – Motherwell kick-off!

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Motherwell interim manager Gordon Young:

“We suffered for not playing in the last three weeks. It was ideal getting back in the game just before half-time. The feeling in the dressing room was we could build on that, but I don’t think we kicked on.”

“Steve Jennings apologised to me after the game (for his rec card). He’s a competitor and he wanted to win the match.

“He felt strongly and maybe on another day the referee would have been more lenient. But if he’s spoken out of turn then the referee is quite entitled to put him off.”

Hearts manager Jim Jefferies:

“It was a fantastic win for us, a great result. Sometimes when you are on runs like this you have to grind it out and we showed that we have those qualities because Motherwell made it hard for us.

“Who would have thought at this stage, after the start Rangers and Celtic got, anybody could get anywhere near.

“They are big clubs, with good resources and good players but that’s eight wins out of nine for us and they’ve been slipping up,” added Jefferies, when quizzed about competing with Rangers and Celtic.

“We’ll give it a go and we’ve certainly put ourselves in a position from where we can challenge.”

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Gordon Young has backed Motherwell to bounce back after a traumatic few days which saw Craig Brown and Archie Knox leave for Aberdeen.

Young, the head of ‘Well’s highly respected Youth Development system, will take charge of the side for Tuesday evening’s televised tie against Hearts and he thinks his players have the mental toughness to get a win against in-form Hearts.

“I’ve worked very closely with the previous management regime, and of course I am disappointed that they have left to go to pastures new,” the temporary gaffer admitted.

“But the players are a tight-knit, confident bunch and I think they are prepared to handle this situation.

“It’s credit to the players’ professionalism that they have managed to pick themselves up this week. After the initial disappointment we got on with training and have kicked on since then.

“The players are the most important thing. We have a lot of keen players who are either under contract or whose contracts are near expiry – and they will provide an excellent platform for the new manager.”

The departure of former Scotland boss Brown to the Granite City has left something of an unpleasant taste in the mouth for many Motherwell fans.

Yet Young has nothing but praise for the previous management team, although he does share the fans’ frustration at the frequency will which gaffers seem to jump ship after reasonable success with the Fir Park club.

“We have had young, hungry managers who have cut their teeth here and we have had more experienced coaches that we thought were finishing their career here. I don’t know where the happy balance is – or if there is one,” he mused.

“What I do know is that Motherwell is a base for positive people to come and work; they will inherit a good staff, they will inherit good players and they will work with good people from top to bottom.

“Motherwell is better off as a club due to the work done by Craig and Archie. The staff are further forward, the players are a better group and the fans got to enjoy some great success in the last year.

“We’re sad their not here anymore but they have been very positive for the club.”

Ironically Craig and Archie spent Saturday afternoon at Tynecastle watching their new club drop to rock bottom of the SPL at the hands of ‘Well’s opponents on Tuesday.

The Dons’ capitulation against the Gorgie side allowed the Jambo’s to make it five wins on the bounce, with a truly remarkable aggregate of 13-nil.

There is little doubt Young has been handed arguably the toughest opponent in the SPL at the moment to face.

He said: “Nothing that we have done, or are going to do in the next few days, will change our methods under Craig and Archie. We will replicate the regime that we normally do and hopefully we will get success with that formula.

“I saw the game on Saturday and I thought Hearts were excellent. They went about their business well and they have clearly got a settled shape and a good team pattern, but we will look forward to the challenge.”

Young also confirmed, in keeping with a very positive media conference, that the club is looking to tie down some of the stars who are only under contract until this summer.

John Sutton, Mark Reynolds, Steve Jennings and captain Stephen Craigan are all on deals which will expire in the summer, and in-form striker Nick Blackman is on a loan deal from Blackburn which will expire next month – meaning there is much work to be done behind the scenes.

“As far as I’m aware the club is working hard to address people running out of contract. The club is being proactive and has engaged in talks as recently as Friday and hopefully that is something which can appease the fans.

The Motherwell Supporters Trust will be hosting an exclusive Fans Forum at Fir Park on Thursday 16th December. 

There has been an understandable change to the initial line up but the four guests will give the audience a fascinating insight into the current football scene in Scotland and in Motherwell.

Craig Paterson, now working as a BBC pundit, is best known to Motherwell fans for the huge contribution he made to our successful Scottish Cup run in 1991.  After spells at Hibs and Rangers he joined us in 1986 and in his five year stint he played more games for Motherwell than for any other team in his career (158).  His thoughtful insights have helped him to become one of the mainstays of BBC Scotland’s football team.

Neil Doncaster took over the hot seat at the SPL in July 2009 following eight years as chief executive at Norwich City.  He has been polling clubs and other interested bodies with a view to delivering a set of proposals for reforming the top division.  Will we get a glimpse of the way ahead.  His views of the disciplinary system and on the McLeish proposals are bound to be probed by the audience.

Bill Leckie is a well known journalist, author and broadcaster.  Although he is a St Mirren fan we’ll still welcome him to Fir Park and look forward to his thoughts on the beautiful game.

Leeann Dempster is Chief Executive of Motherwell FC.  She joined the club in September 2008 after a year with the ill fated Zoom Airlines.  Before that she had worked in the marketing and advertising industry.  She has been the driver behind much of the effort to make Motherwell the best community club in Scotland.

The panel will discuss a mixture of pre-selected questions (email them to fansforum@mstonline.net) on the burning football topics of the day, followed by an open forum where the audience will be able to pose their own questions directly. The evening will be ably chaired by Scottish Sun sports journalist and lifelong Motherwell fan Andy Devlin.

The doors open at 7pm for what promises to be a lively and engaging night of football discussion.  Proceedings start at 7.30pm in the Centenary Suite, Fir Park, Motherwell on Thursday 16th December. Entry will be on a first come, first served basis, the bar will be open and a good night in the company of ‘Well fans is guaranteed.  Entry is free for Trust members and £3 for others.  Non members can join on the night for a fiver and make a saving.

Motherwell have managed to secure an additional one hundred £5 tickets for this Saturday’s clash at Pittodrie.

Tickets are extremely limited and are available now, from the Fir Park Ticket Office, on a first-come-first-served up until Friday 17th December.

If you don’t purchase on or before that day (17/12/2010), or the tickets sell out, then standard admission prices* will apply on the turnstile at Pittodrie.

*STANDARD ADMISSION PRICES:

• Adult: £22
• Concession: £16
• Under 12: £9

* Concessions are listed as Under-18s, 60s and over as well as full time students with valid matriculation card.

* Fans requiring Wheelchair Accessible Area tickets should contact the club at tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk or telephone 01698 338068.

If you’re still looking for last minute Christmas gift ideas for the ‘Well fans in your life, look no further than Fir Park.

GIFT VOUCHERS

If you are unsure as to what the ‘Well fans in your life would like from Fir Park, why not take out the worry with our new fantastic personalised gift vouchers?

Available to redeem against anything at Fir Park (including tickets, hospitality, buy a brick, claret and amber club, venue hire etc) and at any value, our new vouchers are the fantastic gift alternative.

Visit the Ticket Office or phone 01698 333333 to arrange ahead of this Friday.

BUY A BRICK

The club is at the heart of the Lanarkshire community and our fans connection with the club is a source of huge pride. Now you have a fantastic opportunity to make permanent your love of your club by leaving a lasting impression or message on The Davie Cooper Wall.

Although the deadline for having the actual brick on the wall has now passed, you can still have the certificate for the big day by calling the club and speaking to Wendy McFarlane on 01698 333333 or emailing buyabrick@motherwellfc.co.uk.

HALF SEASON TICKETS

Half Season Tickets are the ideal opportunity to follow the Steelmen for the remainder of the 2010/11 campaign. You or the ‘Well fans in your life  could be in attendance for the Steelmen’s home clashes against Rangers on Boxing Day and the Lanarkshire Derby with Hamilton Accies in February, plus the business end of the season when trophies are won and lost.

Purchasing your Half Season Ticket is easy and seats are available from as little as £140 for Adults and £45 for Juveniles.

For a full price breakdown along with our terms and conditions, please click the link below.

2010/11 HALF SEASON TICKET PRICE BREAKDOWN

Caretaker boss Gordon Young put the players through their paces at Toryglen this morning as ‘Well prepare for life after Craig Brown. As always, our friends at SNS were there to capture the best of the action.

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Motherwell Football Club tonight (Thursday) released the following statement on the resignation of both Craig Brown and Archie Knox.

“We are surprised and disappointed by the decision of our management team to leave the club at this time and in this way. But it is not in our ethos as a club to stand in anyone’s way that wanted to be somewhere else. We also have far too much respect for Craig and Archie and what they have achieved in the game to do anything other than wish them happiness in what they are setting out to do and to thank them for their efforts in the last year. It is very difficult to understand their decision but we must respect it.

“We have done absolutely everything we could to keep them and to support their personal ambitions and demands for a bigger player budget. We now turn our focus to the future and to securing a management team that can build on the platform we have with a talented squad, strong league challenge and the potential for Cup success.

“Separately we do wish to make clear that as a board we believe that the conduct of the board of Aberdeen in this matter has been wholly inappropriate and in clear breach of SPL rules as well as basic courtesy. At no point did they inform us or seek our permission to speak to critical employees of our club and to seek to entice them to leave our employment.

“We realise the desperation they are feeling and the pressure they are under from their fans for their own performance as a board but to go about their business in this way is a matter of gross discourtesy. It is also conduct which is beneath the integrity we would expect of a club of Aberdeen’s stature. We hope Aberdeen’s fans will reflect on that and understand our need to do something about it. We have raised this matter with the SPL and will pursue the matter vigorously and by all means.

“To all Motherwell fans everywhere we ask for you to rally round the club as you always do and we will work together to keep punching above our weight and obtaining the success we all seek. This club is bigger than any manager and for that matter any board. As fans we will always be the people who care most about this club for the long term. Loyalty is clearly all too rare in football but we know we have it in ourselves for the club we love. Motherwell is a special club from a special place as anyone touched by us knows well.”

Motherwell’s game with Dundee United, scheduled for this Saturday at Tannadice, has been postponed on the advice of local Police.

Heavy snow and ice have made conditions all over Scotland hazardous and, after a Health and Safety inspection at Tannadice, it was deemed unsafe.

Celtic’s game with Kilmarnock at Celtic Park has also fallen victim to the weather with a call to be made on Hamilton’s New Douglas Park tomorrow.

On the announcement, Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive of the SPL, said: “I am slightly surprised that the Police have issued advice so early, especially when a substantial thaw is forecast over the next two days. However, when Police advice is on the grounds of safety, we have no choice but to postpone the games.”

New dates for the fixtures will be announced in due course.

Motherwell Football Club today (Wednesday) released the following statement in relation to speculation surrounding Craig Brown and Archie Knox.

Commenting, Chief Executive Leeann Dempster said, “Given the fantastic on-field success in 2010, it is not surprising that other clubs are taking an interest in our management team.

“With that in mind, we can confirm that representatives from Aberdeen Football Club met briefly with both Craig Brown and Archie Knox yesterday afternoon.

“However, both have decided to reject any approach and reiterated their commitment to Motherwell Football Club. We look forward to continued success under both men in the future.”