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The second international break of the season has arrived, and we have five players away representing their countries over the next eight days. 

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos

Back from injury and back in the Australian squad, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos received a call-up to Tony Popovic’s first international camp.

The striker earned his first international cap back in the summer and is now looking for his second. After a slow start to their World Cup qualifying campaign, the Socceroos take on China in Adelaide before travelling to Japan in their second match.

Australia are on one point after two games.

Lennon Miller & Ewan Wilson

It’s a huge couple of games for Scotland’s Under 21 squad.

Scotland are in second place on 16 points and in their first match, face Belgium who are also on 16 points. The match will take place on Friday 11 October.

It’s then a long haul flight to Almaty on Tuesday 15 October to face Kazakhstan in their final group match.

Both Miller and Wilson impressed in the last camp, with both notching assists and Miller finding the back of the net against Malta.

Tawanda Maswanhise

Maswanhise is once again in the Zimbabwe squad.

The Warriors will continue their AFCON qualification group with a double header against Namibia in South Africa. They are on two points after the opening two matches, drawing 0-0 twice.

They play on 9 October and 14 October. Namibia were beaten in both of their September matches, against Kenya and Cameroon.

Krisztián Hegyi

With two games left to play, the Hungarians are six points off a qualification spot.

They play at home in their first match against Malta on 10 October, before travelling to Belgium on 15 October. There is only an outside chance of the Hungarians earning qualification from the group. They would need maximum points and hope results go their way.

Lennon Miller has won the September William Hill Premiership player of the month award. 

The 18-year-old was in scintillating form for the month, as he scored two goals against St Mirren at Fir Park.

A highly influential figure in Stuart Kettlewell’s side, Miller has made a fast start to his 2024/25 campaign, adding goals and assists to his already impressive CV.

“I’m extremely pleased to pick up this award,” Lennon Miller said.

“Not many Motherwell players win it, Blair Spittal won it last season and he was only the third Motherwell player in five years to do so.

“Personally, it’s great but more importantly, the team have been playing well collectively. There is a real sense of togetherness and cohesion between us all. We can’t wait to get back to the action.”

Motherwell travelled down the M8 to Edinburgh, looking to make it six wins out of seven going into the October international break. 

Taking on Hibernian at Easter Road, the Steelmen knew it wouldn’t be an easy task and they felt the full force of an attacking Hibs side in the first-half, with Aston Oxborough and Lennon Miller both called into action to prevent the hosts taking the lead.

A half-time alteration seemed to do the trick however, as Apostolos Stamatelopoulos netted his first Motherwell goal from a clever Miller free kick.

The lead didn’t last long as Junior Hoilett levelled the game minutes later. Moses Ebiye thought he had poked his team back in front, but the linesman had other ideas as he raised his flag for offside.

A red card for Hibernian’s Nectarios Triantis swung the momentum with ten minutes to go, and shortly after, Andy Halliday cushioned home the winner from a Kofi Balmer throw-in.

The win takes Stuart Kettlewell’s side fourth in table, and with a semi-final still to look forward to, things are looking good in ML1.

The women of steel fought valiantly against the SWPL leaders Rangers, but couldn’t overcome their squad depth woes, as the hosts capitalised twice in the second-half to secure the three points at Broadwood on Sunday.

Katie Wilkinson and second-half substitute Lizzie Arnot both eventually broke through the resolute Motherwell backline, as Motherwell were forced into a makeshift back-five following a head collision to Jo Addie in the latter stages of the first-half.

Head Coach Paul Brownlie named an alternative line-up, with a variety of senior players unavailable. Sienna McGoldrick, Amy Sharkey and latest addition Sophie Black were all unavailable whilst remaining on international duty, whilst Mason Blyth-Clark and striker Laura Berry unable to face their parent club.

Both sides struggled to establish a foothold in the game throughout the entirety of the first-half, with both trading possession in a frustrating opening to proceedings. The hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock after Tessel Middag struck a side-footed effort following a whipped delivery across the face of goal, but Emily Mutch reacted brilliantly to parry the midfielders attempt clear of the Motherwell goal.

The Motherwell stopper was called into action moments later, denying Rio Hardy at the near post with a late reaction save with her outstretching leg.

The hosts thought they had found the breakthrough after Mia McAulay drilled a low-strike beyond the reach of Mutch, but the strikers celebrations proved to be short-lived, as the linesman correctly spotted a Rangers player directly interfering with the line of sight of Mutch.

Wilkinson added another goalscoring opportunity to Rangers’ tally moments before the half-time break, but Mutch again denied the forward, easily gathering the strikers headed effort. Defender Jo Addie received an accidental head-knock in the final seconds of the first-half, forcing the defender out of action for the second period of the game.

Motherwell’s makeshift back-five saw midfielder Rachel Todd partnering Chelsie Watson at the centre of the defence alongside Katie Rice, Jenna Penman and skipper Gill Inglis. Unable to resist Rangers’ early attacking progress, Motherwell conceded early into the second-half. Kathy Hill’s cross-field pass was skilfully controlled by McAulay who drove past Rice before flashing an enticing delivery across the face of goal, and Wilkinson expertly escaped her marker before converting at the front-post.

The second followed shortly after, as Arnot calmly worked her way through the centre of the pitch before striking a dangerous shot off the side of Watson, which inadvertently diverted the ball past the wrong-footed Mutch in the Motherwell goal.

Motherwell continued to toil in search of a route back into the game, with academy graduates Kyla Thomson and Hannah Cairns both making an impact off the bench, as Mia Gillespie also made her senior competitive debut. However, the women of steel couldn’t overcome the two-goal deficit and left Broadwood empty-handed, but were left encouraged by a positive display against the league leaders.

The sunshine shone on Leith, as Motherwell emerged from an action-packed afternoon of football with a comfortable 2-1 victory over 10-man Hibernian to extend their foothold on fourth-place in the Premiership table.

Apostolous Stamatelopoulous drilled home his maiden Motherwell goal to force the steelmen into the ascendency before a quickfire equaliser brought the hosts level. Hibs were soon reduced to 10-men, as Nectarios Triantis received a second yellow card following a rash challenge, and Motherwell immediately took advantage. Andy Halliday proved to be the hero in the latter stages of the game, forcing home Kofi Balmer’s sensational long-throw from close-range to seal the three points in the Scottish capital.

Stuart Kettlewell made two changes from last weekend’s victory over St. Mirren at Fir Park, with Stamatelopoulous making his first-start since returning from injury, as Balmer also came into the starting XI following Dan Casey’s red card last week. Australian International defender, Johnny Koutroumbis also made his first appearance in the matchday squad following a substantial period of time on the sidelines with a pre-season injury.

The hosts looked likelier to break the deadlock following the early exchanges in the first-half. Aston Oxborough again came to the Steelmen’s rescue, brilliantly parrying a series of goal bound efforts from Ukrainian striker Mykola Kukharevych, with Lennon Miller also showing his defensive capabilities, heading clear Kukharevych’s chance on the goalline.

Heading into the break on level-terms, Motherwell opened the second-half with their most productive spell of the 90-minutes. Miller’s quick free-kick caught the static Hibs backline off-guard, and Stamatelopoulous rifled a magnificent finish high into the roof of the net, sending the travelling support into raptures.

The visitors lead only lasted for around three-minutes, as Junior Hoilett capitalised on a defensive mix-up, curling a precise finish into the bottom-right corner; beyond the reach of Oxborough.

Second-half substitute Moses Ebiye thought he had restored Motherwell’s advantage after converting from close-range, but following a VAR check, the goal was ruled out after the striker had strayed offside.

Hibs were reduced to 10-men in the latter stages of the game after Triantis caught Miller with a rash challenge, leaving referee Matthew MacDermid no alternative but to brandish a second yellow-card.

The steelmen took full advantage, and with less than 10-minutes left to play, former Hearts midfielder Halliday responded to his familiar Easter Road reception, latching onto Balmer’s long-throw in before placing a composed finish into the bottom-left corner in-front of a jubilant away support.

Motherwell held on in the final few minutes to earn their third successive victory and their second victory on the road in the Premiership this season. Stuart Kettlewell’s side now sit one-point clear of Dundee United in fourth-place, level on points with Rangers in third.

Stuart Kettlewell gives his reaction to his side defeating Hibernian 2-1 at Easter Road.

Goals from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Andy Halliday sends the Steelmen into the international break having won six of their last seven games.

The women of steel refocus their attention to league action this weekend motivated by their penalty shootout victory over local rivals Hamilton in the first Lanarkshire derby of the 2024/25 campaign which saw Motherwell progress to the Quarter-Finals of the Sky Sports Cup.

The women of steel conceded moments before half-time, and looked set to exit the Sky Sports League Cup to their closest Lanarkshire rivals, but within the final few seconds of additional time, Rangers-loanee Laura Berry rifled home a magnificent volley from Louisa Boyes’ skilfully chipped through ball to send the tie into extra-time.

Neither side could be separated over the additional half-hour, with the derby to be settled over a penalty shootout. Goalscorer Berry sent her opening effort over the crossbar, giving the Accies the early advantage, but two exceptional reaction saves from Motherwell stopper Rebecca Cameron sealed the women of steel’s place in the next round.

The Tale of the Tape 

Motherwell 

Motherwell’s late cup heroics tees up a meeting with Sunday’s opponents in the Quarter-Final’s next month, providing both sides  with the opportunity to face a cup preview when they face in the SWPL this Sunday at Broadwood. The women of steel head into Sunday’s encounter with back-to-back victories following a comfortable six-goal victory over Queens Park at Ochilview.

Motherwell will face a variety of squad selection limitations this weekend, as Amy Sharkey, Sienna McGoldrick and latest addition Sophie Black all continue to represent Scotland U17s, whilst Laura Berry and Mason Blyth-Clark are ineligible against their parent club.

Limitations on squad selection may provide the opportunity for several academy graduates, who featured in the squad against Hamilton last weekend. Striker Kyla Thomson came off the bench and impressed in a late second-half cameo, whilst Hannah Cairns and Mia Gillespie were also named amongst the substitutes.

Rangers

Rangers are unbeaten in their opening nine SWPL fixtures so far this season, picking up eight straight victories before a 2-2 stalemate with bitter rivals Celtic in the first derby of the 2024/25 campaign. Rangers’ only defeats so far came in the Champions League against Arsenal and Atletico De Madrid.

Ticket information 

Cash & card payments are also available for this fixture.

• Adult – £7.
• Concession – £4.
• Juvenile – £4.

How to follow the action 

Supporters can follow Sunday’s encounter on Twitter @motherwellwomen, with a full report of the action available post-match. Kick-off from Broadwood at 2PM.

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos is in the Australia squad for their October fixtures. 

Having missed out in September due to injury, the striker returns to the Socceroos squad having earned his first cap in the summer.

It was Graham Arnold who gave him his first cap, however Arnold left the post in September and has since been replaced with Tony Popovic.

Australia will continue their World Cup qualifying campaign. In the opening two games, they drew with Indonesia and suffered defeat against Bahrain.

They will look to bounce back in Popovic’s first game at the helm against China on 10 October, before travelling to Japan on Tuesday 15 October.

• Australia v China 
• Thursday 10 October 
• 10.10am Kick Off 
• Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

• Japan v Australia 
• Tuesday 15 October 
• 11.35am Kick Off 
• Saitama Stadium, Japan