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On the day when Motherwell Football Club honoured legendary manager Tommy McLean, with the official celebration of the stand named in his honour, another story was being written which will live in the annals of history for years to come.

Kevin van Veen’s five-minute-strike made it 14 goals in 11 consecutive games for the Dutchman, a post war record, and one which broke the club milestone held by the prolific Hughie Ferguson. Ferguson scored 16 goals in season 1919-20, scoring in every one of the first 10 games. In modern times the Dutchman has overtaken Mark Viduka who scored 10 games on the trot.

Watching in the stands on Sunday, as the 103-club record was surpassed, was Hughie’s grandson, his namesake, Hugh.

A season ticket holder, the 66-year-old fan has cheered on the boys in claret and amber all his life and this season has watched as the Dutchman edged closer and closer to the family record.

“My feelings on breaking the record set by my grandfather were, to be honest, quite mixed,” said Hugh.

“As a family we are all extremely proud of Hughie’s achievements both at Motherwell and at Cardiff City FC, and it would be nice in an ideal world if all his records could have stayed intact. However, when Kevin scored I was on my feet cheering alongside every other Well fan in Fir Park!”

The Well Society arranged for Hugh, and daughter Louise (32), to catch up with the man of the moment following the victory over Dundee United. When they were pitchside Hugh handed over a Ferguson family crest, the motto of which reads: ‘Sweeter after difficulties.’

Hugh added: “I had made my mind up if he equalled or beat Hughie’s record I would like to be able to personally shake his hand and congratulate him on behalf of the family on a fantastic achievement.”

After a season of thrills and majestic moments on the pitch the big striker had one more move up his sleeve – by reciting back to Hugh his grandfather’s achievements.

“I know all about him,” Kevin told Hugh, “I read all his stats and the history and everything. Amazing!”

Hugh said he was “surprised” van Veen was fully aware of his grandfather’s many achievements.

He explained: “He said he was very impressed by all Hughie achieved in his career back in the day. He came across to me and my daughter as one of life’s good guys!

“I congratulated him on breaking the record and wished him well for the remainder of his playing career. He laughed and apologised for breaking the record. But I’m sure he was joking!”

We would like to express our sincere thanks to faithful partners, Paycare, as our front of shirt partnership deal comes to a successful end.

Our journey commenced in the 2018/19 season, when Paycare featured on the shorts of the first-team.

They progressed to back of shirt in seasons 19/20 and 20/21 and laterally, became our front of shirt for the past three seasons.

Paycare have been a fantastic support to the club and particularly during the pandemic.

“It has been a joy to work with the Paycare team over the past five years with special thanks and mention to Kevin Rogers who was a regular in our hospitality suites,” Commercial Director Suzanne Reid said.

“Kevin was with us every step of the way and it has been valuable to have the support of a company that shared our ambitions and values.

“We have enjoyed great success together since our partnership began in 2018 and I will be forever grateful for his support and contribution to the club. I am certain he won’t be a stranger.”

“As the former CEO of Paycare, I would like to express my gratitude to Motherwell Football Club for the opportunity to be part of their sponsorship family for the past five years,” Kevin Rogers added.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to be associated with such a respected club.

“We are extremely proud of the partnership we have had with Motherwell and the positive impact it has had on the team, the club, and the community.

“The progress and success achieved by the club during this time are a testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved.

“We wish Motherwell Football Club all the best for the future. Thank you for the wonderful memories and the opportunity to be part of the Motherwell family.

“On a personal note, I look forward to getting back to Fir Park for the forthcoming season, ‘Mon the Well.”

Our new front-of-shirt sponsor will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Motherwell will face Queen’s Park, Queen of the South, East Fife and Elgin City in the group stage of the 2023/24 Viaplay Cup group stage.

The Steelmen return to competitive action in July for the four cup matches in Group G.

All group stage winners will qualify for round two of the Viaplay Cup, with the three best runners-up also reaching the next stage.

Queen’s Park

A familiar opponent in this competition, Queen’s Park have faced Motherwell twice in the League Cup since 2017.

The most recent meeting between the two sides was our group stage opener at Firhill, where Steven Lawless scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win for the Steelmen.

Queen’s Park earned back-to-back promotions and only narrowly missed out on the cinch Championship title on the last day of the season.

Since that match and exiting the playoffs, manager Owen Coyle parted company with the club and the position of manager remains vacant at Queen’s.

Two familiar faces are amongst the Spiders’ squad currently, with Dom Thomas and Liam Brown signed up for the 23/24 season.

It was announced that Queen’s Park would play their home matches at Hampden Park this season.

Queen of the South

Despite the draw not being regionalised this term, there would be a second well-know group stage opponent.

Queen of the South and Motherwell have went head-to-head in the cup at the start of the 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons.

In those three meetings, Motherwell have a 100% record. It was a memorable return for the Fir Park faithful for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, as Queen of the South took a 2-0 advantage before Motherwell turned the game on it’s head to take the three points.

Marvin Bartley was appointed manager of Queen of the South during last season, which saw an upturn of fortunes. The Doonhamers only finished three points off of the League One playoffs last season.

Queen of the South have already been active in the summer window, with Jordan Houston joining from Ayr United and Murray Johnson arriving on loan from Hibernian earlier this month.

Former Motherwell man Stephen Hendrie was amongst the ranks last season and it would appear he will be a part of Bartley’s plans for next season.

East Fife

East Fife made the playoffs last term, however were beaten by Clyde over two legs.

Motherwell made the trip to Bayview back in 2015, when it turned out to be a long night for the travelling ‘Well fans.

Nathan Austin, who re-joined the club last month, gave the hosts the lead on the night. The Fifers looked on track for a famous victory had it not been for Louis Moult’s equaliser on 80 minutes to take the match to extra time.

Subsequent goals from Scott McDonald and Lionel Ainsworth seen Motherwell eventual 3-1 winners.

Former Motherwell man and scorer in our Europa League third qualifying round second-leg match against Aalesunds, Jonathan Page, is under contract at East Fife.

Elgin City

Two wins and a draw in their last five matches of the 22/23 season, ensured Elgin City avoided the relegation playoff in League Two.

Kane Hester proved to be their main man last season, scoring 18 goals however he has since made the switch to Montrose.

Following the conclusion of the season, Ross Draper was announced as Elgin City manager on a three-year deal.

Fixture dates for the competition will be confirmed shortly.

The 2022/23 season may have only just finished but the next campaign is just around the corner. 

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the new season.

The first date for the diary is on Thursday 8 June, when the Viaplay Cup group stage draw takes place at 1pm. The draw will be broadcast live on Viaplay.

The draw will also be shown live on the SPFL Youtube channel.

Motherwell will be in pot one for the draw. A reminder also, this is the first season where the group stage draw isn’t regionalised.

Following on from that, the first-team will return from their summer break to Fir Park for the first day of pre-season on Monday 19 June. After five days of training, they will travel to Delden, Holland on Saturday 24 June for a seven-day training camp.

During their time in Holland, they will take part in friendly matches, which will be announced just shortly.

Next on the schedule, is the announcement of the 2023/24 cinch Premiership fixtures, which will take place on Friday 30 June at 9am.

The 2023/24 SWPL fixtures will be announced on Monday 3 July.

Matchday one of the group stage of the Viaplay Cup will take place on July 15/16, officially kicking off our competitive season.

The groups will conclude on the weekend of the 29/30 July.

Matchday one of the 23/24 cinch Premiership season will be on the weekend of 5/6 August 2023.

The winter break returns in it’s more familiar format, where there will be no games taking place on the two weekends following January 2 2024.

Matchday 38 of the Premiership season will take place on the weekend of 18/19 May 2024.

Alan Archibald has left the club to take up the first-team coach position at Kilmarnock. 

Archibald was appointed lead development coach at Motherwell at the end of the March this year, after departing Partick Thistle.

The 45-year-old now joins Derek McInnes’ backroom staff ahead of the 2023/24 season.

We would like to thank Alan for his efforts since March and wish him well for the future.

Net World Sports are the UK’s number one football goal and equipment supplier, housing more than 10,000 products.  They are the world’s number one football goal supplier.

Net World Sports are the UK’s number one football goal and equipment supplier, housing more than 10,000 products, 95 per cent of which are their own brand. Offering their products to customers in more than 180 countries across the globe and manufacturing more than 100,000 of their FORZA branded football goals every year, earning them the moniker as the world’s number one football goal supplier.

As part of the relationship, Net World Sports have provided the club with a variety of their FORZA training equipment, including mannequins, POD goals, slalom poles and coaching boards.

“Its fantastic news for the club, especially the Women’s first team and I’m really excited about the partnership,” head of women’s Paul Brownlie said.

“Net World Sports provided high quality equipment and this only helps enhance the quality within our training sessions. Staff and players love using the equipment. Using the equipment has helps the players to develop technically and helps aid with tactical development.”

“We’re really excited to have formed this great partnership with Motherwell FC, which will see Net World Sports supplying our training equipment throughout the whole club,” Becky Brown Marketing Executive at Net World Sports added.

“We are certain that our high-quality FORZA equipment will assist all teams in their training, and preparing them for those important game days. I look forward to working with the team over the next year and strengthening the partnership.”

To learn more about Net World Sports, click here.

We officially celebrated the naming of the Tommy McLean Stand during the final cinch Premiership match of the season against Dundee United on Sunday.

New signage was unveiled as players and staff who worked closely with McLean gathered to mark the significant contribution the former manager made to the Lanarkshire outfit.

Chris McCart and Iain Ferguson of the 1991 Scottish Cup winning side, and Brian Martin, Alex Burns and Bobby Russell, joined former coach Cammy Murray on the pitch to mark the occasion.

Well Society chairman Douglas Dickie handed over a framed photograph of the Tommy McLean Stand to Murray, who worked alongside McLean as part of his coaching staff, and who represented him on Sunday at Fir Park.

“Tommy made a tremendous contribution to the history of Motherwell Football Club,” Cammy Murray said.

“He deserves to have his name in the fabric of Fir Park, alongside other great figures in the club’s history. He couldn’t be here in person, but I know he is humbled at this gesture.

“Tommy really is one of a kind. As a coach and being involved with him, I never came across anyone with the knowledge he had. He had this great ability to change things in the game and he gave the fans a decade they’ll never forget.”

Steve Kirk hailed McLean as the “best coach and manager” he’d ever worked under.

Well Society members voted to rename the South Stand after McLean in 2021, the same year he was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame.

It wasn’t just his tactical genius and man-management that was top notch. He was financially astute as well, acting as a club director alongside his managerial role, and bringing outstanding players like Davie Cooper to Fir Park.

“Tommy brokered the record deal for Phil O’Donnell which allowed the club, at that time, to go forward with the stadium’s South Stand – and it’s absolutely apt that now it’s named in tribute to him,” Douglas Dickie said.

“I am delighted that the club, and the fans, were able to celebrate his impact together at the weekend. We will share pictures and footage from the day with Tommy, to remind him how much he means to the club.

“Tommy is one of the most important figures in the club’s 137-year existence and certainly the most influential in our recent history.”

McLean’s first feat as manager was to steer the Steelman safely back to top-flight football in 1985.

He helped steady the club financially and, over his 10-year tenure, brought in a mix of youth and experience which delivered the Scottish Cup in 1991 and the club’s first venture in European football.

Formers players, fans and club representatives pay tribute to Tommy in this short video.

With the 2022/23 season at an end, we can provide the following update on players’ contracts.

Under Contract for 2023/24 season

• Liam Kelly
• Aston Oxborough
• Kyle Aitken
• Josh Bogan
• Stephen O’Donnell
• Nathan McGinley
• Paul McGinn
• Ricki Lamie
• Bevis Mugabi
• Shane Blaney
• Calum Butcher
• Callum Slattery
• Lennon Miller
• Riku Danzaki
• Blair Spittal
• Ross Tierney
• Kevin Van Veen
• Joe Efford
• Mark Ferrie
• Luca Ross
• Dylan Wells

Players returning to club following loan and under contract for next season

• Barry Maguire
• Connor Shields
• Robbie Mahon

Players returning to parent club following loan expiry

• James Furlong
• Stuart McKinstry
• Jon Obika
• Olly Crankshaw

Players out of contract- Negotiations with a number of players are still taking place

• Jake Carroll
• Logan Dunachie
• Daniel Hunter
• Kian Speirs
• Jack Aitchison
• Matty Connelly
• Max Johnston
• Ewan Wilson
• Dan Casey
• Dean Cornelius
• Sean Goss
• Mikael Mandron
• David Devine
• Corey O’Donnell
• Harry Paton

Released

• Josh Morris

“I want to personally thank each individual player for their efforts since I arrived at the club,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

“Everyone has made an impact at this club in their tenure and helped steer the club to not only another season in the Premiership, but to a strong finish that will only benefit this club at the start of next season.

“We are still speaking with a number of players at this very early stage of the summer and hope to get clarity on each situation very soon.

“For the players departing the club, I wish them all the very best in the future.”

With the fight for seventh place going down the final day, Dundee United were the final opponents for Motherwell in the 2022/23 season. 

In a season where the ‘Well were written off by many, Stuart Kettlewell’s ethos of fighting until the very end came the forefront at Fir Park.

Completing the remarkable story, Kevin van Veen scored for the 11th consecutive game, beating Hughie Ferguson’s club record. The Dutchman has written himself into Motherwell history forever.

Dundee United weren’t going down without a fight and despite going one down, fought back to make it 2-1 with Jamie McGrath converting a controversial penalty and Steven Fletcher finishing early in the second half.

With an array of chances, Blair Spittal would eventually find the back of the net to draw his side level.

Max Johnston came off the bench and made an immediate impact, knocking in at the far post however the linesman flagged Spittal offside in the build up.

The young Scottish full-back wasn’t to be denied his goal on 82 minutes, when he headed home at the back post from a James Furlong cross to secure a win in the final game of the season.

With Motherwell ending the season on 50 points, with 30 points gained under Kettlewell’s reign, the result completed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes and kept confidence high going into next season.

Liam Kelly is off on international duty once again, with the Motherwell stopper named in the latest Scotland squad. 

Scotland continue their EURO 2024 qualification campaign, when they take on Georgia and Norway.

The dark blues will be on their travels first, with an away fixture against Norway on 17 June.

Their second fixture is back at Hampden when Georgia come to town on 20 June.

• Norway v Scotland 
• Venue TBC, 17 June
• 17:00 Kick off

• Scotland v Georgia 
• Hampden Park, 20 June 
• 19:45 Kick off