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Max Johnston has won the 2022/23 SFWA young player of the year award. 

Up against Lyall Cameron of Dundee, Charlie Reilly of Albion Rovers and St Johnstone’s Adam Montgomery, Johnston has prevailed after scoring twice and assisting three times in 15 appearances for Motherwell this season.

The 19-year-old becomes only the third player in Motherwell FC history to win the award, with David Turnbull and James McFadden coming out on top in 2019 and 2002 respectively.

He will be presented with his award on Sunday 28 May.

“My team talk was to remind the players of the levels of performance they’ve shown so far and that they needed to continue to show that for the people who turn up in their numbers.”

A record breaking Kevin van Veen goal from the penalty spot late into added on time earned Motherwell a third consecutive win for the first time this season.

In a match full of drama it was perhaps fitting that the Dutch striker finally broke the deadlock extending his incredible scoring run to nine consecutive games.

His confidently struck penalty 10 minutes into added on time only conveys some of the controversy.

In a difficult afternoon for referee Euan Anderson, he was twice directed to the pitch side monitor by video assistant referee Willie Collum. And for once VAR favoured the Steelmen.

Firstly, the ref changed his initial decision to award County a penalty at the start of the second half. Then with County reduced to ten men and the game destined to end in a stalemate having ignored pleas for a ‘Well penalty a review judging a handball against Keith Watson ended with Anderson pointing to the penalty spot and van Veen claiming his 27th goal of the season.

Having already bagged five goals against the Staggies this season, Kevin van Veen was expected to increase that haul but along with his team-mates the Dutch striker failed to get the better of Ross Laidlaw in the County goal until the closing minutes

The ‘Well boss made one change from the side which defeated St Johnstone last week, Harry Paton replacing Callum Slattery in a three man midfield.

And the former County man set up the first opening after two minutes, slipping the ball to Paul McGinn and his low drive from 25 yards forced Ross Laidlaw to dive to his right and produce a fine save.

As has become a common feature, Blair Spittal’s long pass provided Van Veen with his first chance but from a tight angle his left foot drive was blocked by Laidlaw’s legs.

‘Well’s steady build up through Calum Butcher from the centre of defence gave the home side plenty of possession without really getting beyond County’s back three.

After 23 minutes McGinn decided to go alone and having carried the ball 40 yards towards the visitor’s box his low shot forced another diving save from Laidlaw.

Another precise pass from Spittal sent van Veen through the middle but the ‘keeper raced from his line to bravely gather the ball a before the ‘Well striker could get a touch.

It took the Fir Park men until the 32nd minute to win the first corner. When Sean Goss whipped the ball into a packed box Butcher’s flick on found Dan Casey at the back of the area but he could only watch his well struck volley blocked in the six yard box.

Two minutes later County got the first of three consecutive corners when Alex Samuel’s effort took a deflection to carry the ball wide of Liam Kelly’s right hand post.

Following that the Staggies had more of the ball without threatening the home goal.

Similarly, ‘Well found the route to goal blocked. Smart footwork from Van Veen created a bit of space 15 yards from goal only to find Laidlaw once again responding to his final shot.

Three minutes from the break Paton limped off to be replaced by Dean Cornelius.

The first half finished where it began with the County ‘keeper called into action to palm a long range drive from Casey over his crossbar.

Explosive and controversial start to the second half.

Only three minutes played when Butcher was adjudged to have tripped Connor Randall in the penalty box. Referee Euan Anderson had no hesitation pointing to the penalty spot.

But with Butcher pleading his innocence and the customary VAR check being carried by Wullie Collum, the referee was asked to review the incident on the pitch side monitor.

After which and much to the anger of the Highlanders he changed his decision and handed the ball to Liam Kelly.

The Fir Park men forced into another change just beyond the hour mark when Shane Blaney came on for James Furlong. Minutes later Casey took a tough tumble onto his shoulder and with Jon Obika waiting to replace Mikael Mandron, Jack Aitchison quickly stripped to make it a double substitution as Blaney moved into a back three.

After a stop-start period of the second half the Steelmen entered the final 20 minutes with a more attacking formation, with an immediate effect.

Van Veen turned provider whipping in a cross aimed at Obika and only Keith Watson’s touch in the six-yard box prevented the substitute from testing the ‘keeper.

A minute later Cornelius laid the ball in front of Goss and from 25 yards his left foot drive whizzed past the post.

Van Veen’s attempt to break the deadlock ended with two left foot efforts slashed wide of the target.

There was more drama when just as the fourth official indicated that there would be 12 minutes additional time, County were reduced to ten men when substitute Owura Edwards picked up his second yellow card.

That handed the advantage to the home side but it seemed County would survive a lengthy period of added on time on for a precious point.

Until Stephen O’Donnell floated the ball into a packed box and as it bounced towards the six yard box with Obika in pursuit the ‘Well striker strongly claimed for a handball.

After initially waving play on, via Collum in his earpiece, the referee was instructed to check the monitor and for a second time he faced the wrath of County as he pointed to the penalty spot.

Van Veen didn’t need a second attempt this week , hammering the ball low to Laidlaw’s right to take his league tally to 23 goals.

A week is a long time in politics. By the same measure, a season at Fir Park can seem even longer as the current campaign comes to a close.

So much, both good and bad, has been crammed into this term for the Steelmen. Memories of a disappointing European jaunt against Sligo Rovers have long since faded in the rearview mirror. With it too has gone Graham Alexander and then club legend Stevie Hammell, as Well struggled for consistency as the season lurched out of its dormant state post World Cup.

But after the darkness comes the dawn, and the future on the horizon seems positive with Stuart Kettlewell steering the Steelmen to safety last weekend against St Johnstone.

It is a remarkable feat when you ponder where the club were sitting as he took charge of his first game against St Mirren, but since then only two defeats have been inflicted en route to a push to claim seventh in the table.

For captain Liam Kelly, he can sympathise with the notion that this season has been long, given the rollercoaster of emotions he and his team-mates have endured along with supporters. But the skipper remains grateful for the steep learning curve it has brought.

“If you think back to where we were, I don’t think anyone would have imagined us being safe with these games still to go,” he said.

“It’s a great achievement, and the credit has to go to the boys and the staff that we’ve managed to achieve that from the position we were in.

“I was delighted to get safe, and now I want us to carry that forward for the rest of the campaign and into next season to give us a better chance and platform to kick on compared to the start we gave ourselves this season.

“The first six months of the season had a lot of lows.

“When the previous manager came in after Graham Alexander left, he got a good reaction and we managed to accumulate a good amount of points early on, and that has contributed to getting us to where we are now. He’s played his part in keeping us up.

“It’s a season that feels as if we played that European game three seasons ago, but it’s definitely a campaign we will be better for.

“I don’t think anyone wants to go feeling those emotions again; the lows of letting the club or the fans down. We’ve got that there as a warning not to have that again, and it will serve us well.”

As club captain, Kelly has shouldered that extra weight of responsibility of trying to haul the club back to safety.

In a long run without a league win, it would have proven a testing time for the former Livingston man, who started off the campaign leading his team out at Fir Park on a summer’s European night.

“Personally, it was really difficult,” said Kelly.

“I had a really good relationship with the previous manager as well and nobody wanted it to go the way it did. It’s horrible, it’s not enjoyable for anybody.

“I can only speak positively about the manager now and how well he’s done. Everything that he’s managed to swing in our favour has been great, but that’s not a negative reflection on the previous manager. He had great qualities as well, we just didn’t seem to click or perform well enough for him. I think the players have been honest about that and have taken ownership of that.

“We’re just grateful the manager now got the job and has been able to turn us around. I’m really pleased with where we are as a group, but it’s still early on in the manager’s tenure. There’s loads of ways we can get better, and he’s on us all the time to keep on improving.”

Despite turbulent results providing some testing times for the Fir Park club throughout the campaign, there have been plenty of positives as well.

Most of them will be plucked from the last three months, where a tremendous run of form has turned the season around. But for Kelly, there have been performances dotted through the entire season which have brought satisfaction and hope in equal measure.

“In the first game of the season I felt as though I made a positive contribution and helped us get a good victory away at St Mirren. It helped the previous manager, who I knew wanted to go for the job, and I felt I helped him. That was a really good feeling,” he said.

“The 5-0 win away to County was great, we played some really good stuff. And the draw away at Parkhead under the gaffer was a real good game to be a part of. The players followed the plan that the manager and Stevie Frail gave us. We saw if we stick to a plan and stay disciplined, then we can get results against the best teams in the league.

“I’d also look at the St Mirren and Hearts games in the first two matches under the manager. It helped act as a springboard for us, because it was so hard at that point to turn the ship around. Things were so negative at that point with the way things were going, but we took it a game at a time and followed a clear plan really well. It got us two great results and two really good performances.”

Ross County come to Fir Park today with a different objective to their hosts. The Staggies are still fighting for Premiership survival, and Kelly knows only too well the tough task he and his team-mates face.

However, echoing the sentiment of his manager, the captain insists there will be no drop off.

Motherwell are currently seventh in the table, and incredibly are just three points off the tally which was enough to earn fifth and a European spot last season. With three wins from three remaining the target, being successful would smash that barrier set a year ago and provide the perfect springboard for the new campaign.

“The manager has only been here 11 games, we’re still really eager to impress to do well, keep our places in the team and carry it on into next season,” said Kelly.

“We didn’t finish the end of last season too well, and we carried that into the European campaign. We’re well aware of the importance of finishing strongly to give us the
best chance for next season. We want a clear identity, and we’re still looking to improve, and that starts with trying to get maximum points in our last three games.”

Like so many in Scottish football, Kelly has been blown away by the performances and goals from Motherwell’s talisman, Kevin Van Veen.

The big Dutch striker has been unplayable under Kettlewell and blasted his way into the shortlist for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award.

While losing out to Kyogo Furuhashi of Celtic, it has done nothing to diminish the achievements of Motherwell’s prolific forward.

With a year left to go on his contract, Well fans will be eager to see the 31-year-old remain at Fir Park next season for what supporters will hope is a more prosperous campaign. And Kelly is no different.

“Interest is going to come, that’s only natural when someone has scored that many goals.

“Listen, we love playing in the same team as him. We’d love to keep him at Motherwell, he’s probably one of the best players in recent times, but ultimately both parties need to do what’s best for them.

“Whatever happens we’ll support, but we’d love to have him. He’s one of, if not the, best player in the league at the moment.”

Motherwell end their season against Aberdeen at K-Park on Sunday.

Kick-off is 2pm.

How to follow the game

Tickets for the match cost £8 for adults, with concessions and kids costing £3.

Cash and card are accepted at the turnstiles. There is no facility to buy tickets online before the match.

Story of the match

Motherwell will finish in 8th place in the table, no matter the result on Sunday.

Aberdeen will avoid the relegation play-off spot, regardless of results this weekend.

Motherwell have came out on top in the last four meetings with Aberdeen.

The women of steel were beaten in their last outing against Spartans 3-2, with Aberdeen also coming away with a loss in their last match against Hamilton Accies.

We are extending our Early Bird season ticket discount until Friday 2 June. 

The discount was originally scheduled to end on Monday 22 May however, having spoke with a number of supporters, we have taken the decision to extend by 11 days to allow supporters to receive their May wage and still take advantage of the Early Bird offer.

Season ticket sales are currently up compared to the first three weeks of sales last year.

You are able to renew or purchase your season ticket for the upcoming campaign here.

If renewing, login to your ticketing account.

You should then have a notification to ‘renew now’ on your profile.

Then select ‘add to basket’ and follow the on screen instructions to complete the transaction.

It’s easy to buy new. Head here to our online ticketing platform and then press ‘season tickets’.

You’ll then be given the option to choose where in the stadium you would like to sit. From there, you can create yourself an account and then buy your season ticket for the 2023/24 campaign.

Alternatively, call us on 01698 333333 or email tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk.

If you need assistance with using our online ticketing website, a guide can be found here.

Liam Kelly has been captain this season and has endured all the highs and the lows that 2022/23 has had to offer.

The Scotland stopper says the players have learned a lot about themselves and football this season but is pleased that the upturn in form has meant everyone connected with the club is on a high.

Kelly says manager Kettlewell is still pushing the players every day in training and putting demands on individuals so they can finish ‘best of the rest’ in the table.

Our 2022/23 Player of the Year event is sold out, but there’s still time to get on our waiting list if extra tickets become available.

Held at the Alona Hotel on Sunday 28th May and hosted by Tam Cowan, our event will see the top performers from across the campaign recognised.

To be added to the waiting list, please email events@motherwellfc.co.uk with your ticket requirements and we will be in touch if any tickets become available.