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Motherwell U19s will be keen to bounce back from their 8-1 capitulation at Rangers last week when the face Hearts tomorrow (Friday).

Young’s men have hit a difficult run of form after what was a promising opening half to the 2010/11 campaign.

That was demonstrated with last week’s defeat prompting Young to describe it as his worst moment in football.

Hearts, on the other hand, are flying high near the top of the table and although they are seven points adrift of leaders Rangers, they do have games in hand.

The Steelmen will also be keen for some revenge after Hearts ran out comfortable 5-0 winners the last time the teams met back in October.

The match will take place at Bathgate’s Creamery Park with kick-off at 12 noon. Entry for anyone wishing to go along is free of charge.

Motherwell travel north to take on Terry Butcher’s Inverness Caley side this weekend keen to build on Sunday’s success against Celtic.

The Fir Parkers’ form has been up and down of late; however, the win against Celtic has given everyone a massive boost.

Former ‘Well boss Terry Butcher, and his trusted lieutenant Maurice Malpas, have worked wonders with Caley Thistle and they currently occupy sixth spot.

With two games against Dundee United either side of Saturday’s match, the three fixtures will go a long way in determining whether Caley can finish in the top half of the table for the first time in their short history.

So, all the ingredients are there for an excellent match. Tickets will be available on the gate at the Caledonian Stadium with admission prices as follows:

• Concessions are listed as over 60s, Under 16s and Full Time Students.
• Fans who require wheelchair access should contact Elaine MacDonald at the club on 01698 338009 or email tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk.

SUPPORTERS ASSOCIATION COACHES

CENTRAL BRANCH

The bus for Inverness will leave the Bentley Hotel at 10am. Phone Jim on (01698) 299650 or e-mail Christopher on christopher_hutton@btinternet.com.

BELLSHILL & DISTRICT BRANCH

The Inverness bus will pick up at the Fir Park Club, Motherwell at 8.40am then the Carousel Bar, Bellshill at 8.50pm and finally the Holytown War Monument at 9.00am. To book seats, contact Brian Worton on 07763 061821 or after 6pm on (01698) 747644

TRAVEL

BY CAR

The stadium is located in the Longman area of Inverness, next to the Kessock Bridge, and so is very easy to find.

Head towards Perth on the M9 and take the first exit at Broxden roundabaout on to the A9. Then take the second exit at Inveraimond roundabout (signposted Inverness).

Continue on the A9 towards Inverness and take the third exit at Longman roundabout. The stadium will be clearly visible on the left.

Parking is available for visiting fans behind the South Stand, priced at just £1.00 per car.

BY BUS

Several operators run buses to Inverness, departing every hour from Buchanan Station in Glasgow city centre.

Further information and timetables are available online at www.citylink.co.uk.

BY TRAIN

Inverness station is served by trains from Glasgow and is within walking distance of the ground.

Upon leaving the station, follow the signs for the car park and bus station. Cross through the car park, keeping the bus station on your left and on your right you can see a bridge crossing the railway line. Go across the bridge and then continue straight ahead along Longman Road. Eventually you will reach the stadium on your left.

Further information and timetables are available online at www.scotrail.co.uk

MAP

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Referee for Saturday’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash with Inverness at the Caledonian Stadium is the familiar face of Iain Brines.

Incredibly, Iain will be taking charge of his fifth ‘Well game of the current SPL campaign, having been the man in the middle for the games against St Johnstone in early September, St Mirren at Fir Park one month later, Rangers on Boxing Day and Dundee Utd at Tannadice in January.

A Nick Blackman wonder strike and an own-goal from Kevin Rutkiewicz was enough to earn the Steelmen all three points in Perth and late goals from Tom Hateley and Jamie Murphy gave ‘Well a 3-1 against Danny Lennon’s men.

Managerless ‘Well were thumped by Rangers despite John Sutton’s goal early in the second half. A Kenny Miller double along with goals from Vladmir Weiss and a Steven Saunders own goal gave Rangers a comfortable 4-1 win and last time out United were comfortable 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Johnny Russell and David Goodwillie

To his credit, Brines was excellent in all four matches with the game at McDiarmid Park passing off without a single caution; a rarity in modern football.

He will be a more than familiar face to ‘Well fans over the years. Last season, he looked after the games at Easter Road in December (2-0 defeat), the 1-0 home win against Kilmarnock in February and the 2-1 defeat at Celtic Park in April.

The 43-year-old, who has been a top-flight official for a decade and amongst FIFA’s elite group for five years, has had a busy campaign with Saturday being his tenth SPL fixture of the season.

His overall record in charge of the Steelmen is a bit of a mix bag. Of the 27 games he has taken charge of, Motherwell have won nine, draw four and lost fourteen.

In those games, 98 players have seen yellow, 45 of which in claret and amber, while three have been sent for an early bath.

Iain will be assisted by Gordon Middleton and Gary Cheyne with Alan Muir on fourth official duties.

The SFA are giving one lucky supporter the chance to win the Scottish Cup for the day & a pair of tickets to a quarter final match of their choice.

The world’s oldest Association trophy could be making its way to your home, school, workplace or club very soon and you and a friend could be taking in a quarter final match of your choice if you are selected as the lucky winner. You’ll have to be quick though, the closing date is tomorrow, Wednesday 2 March at midday.

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, simply log onto the Scottish Cup Facebook page at www.facebook.com/scottishcup and click on the Win tab.

The SPL Board have announced that the 2011/12 Clydesdale Bank Premier League Season will start on Saturday 23 July 2011.

An earlier start date is an important part of the SPL’s strategic plan for Scottish football and should mean that SPL clubs involved in European qualifiers in July enter those games better prepared.  A July start date will also reduce the number of mid-week games in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League during the winter months.

When determining the start date for season 2011/12, the SPL Board decided on a protocol that allows clubs to participate in summer tournaments, whilst also ensuring that all clubs and fans reap the benefits of an earlier start date for the season.

SPL clubs can request that one fixture early in the season be postponed to take part in such tournaments. As an example, the SPL Board has given permission for Celtic to participate in the Dublin Super Cup over the weekend of 30 and 31 July.

Click Here to read SPL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster’s blog.

John Sutton lashed home a brace to down Celtic and then demanded consistency as ‘Well chase fourth spot in the SPL.

The 26-year old was superb playing as the lone striker, and gave Daniel Majstorovic and, in particular, Charlie Mulgrew a torrid afternoon.

His two goals were the least the former Spurs trainee deserved for an afternoon of typical energy, work-rate and top class finishing.

“It was always going to be difficult to play Celtic, with the run they have been on, but I thought we were better than them and fully deserved the points,” the striker acknowledged. “We now need to keep that level of performance up now.

“As a striker you are always reliant on what is happening around you, and the boys were absolutely fantastic.

“I thought all over the pitch we were sharper than them. We’ll hopefully keep that standard up, although every game is different.

“The pressure is off you when you play either half of the Old Firm. You are playing a team which is expected to win and will come and attack you. The game up at Inverness will be different, but we will hopefully get a similar result.”

Sutton notched his 10th and 11th goals of the season against Lennon’s men, and he hopes that the victory over top-of-the-table Celtic will put all of the talk about the defeat to St Mirren to bed.

‘Well were disappointing against Sutton’s old club in a 1-0 home defeat – but things could not have been more different yesterday afternoon.

“None of us were happy after the midweek game. You have to credit St Mirren for how they played against us – they are no mugs, but we didn’t believe we did as well as we could,” Motherwell’s in-form striker conceded.

“We made amends for that today.”

The big striker, whose contract expires in the summer, was quick to bat away any suggestion that the Fir Park pitch had any bearing on the result.

The Steelmen played some attractive football on the understandably weather-beaten turf, but questions persisted regarding the state of the grass – despite Motherwell enjoying a relatively unimpeded winter calendar, unlike many other clubs in the SPL.

“The Fir Park pitch is only an issue if other teams talk about it. We don’t really talk about – it is what it is, and it is the same for both teams,” Sutton insisted.

“We showed that you can play some really decent football on it, and if you play on it with the right mentality then the pitch doesn’t make a difference.”

This summer, twelve men will spend ten days trekking Mount Cotopaxi in Ecuador.

They will endure intense training and stamina-sapping challenges as they try to raise £100,000 for The British Heart Foundation.

Undertaking this extraordinary expedition are Phil’s friends and former teammates Simon Donnelly, Jackie McNamara, Darren Jackson, Kenny Crichton, Alan Archibald, Willie Kinniburgh, Greg Anderson, Ross Anderson, Craig Hinchcliffe, David Rowson, Jim Paterson and Bill Leckie.

To help raise this target, we need your support and hope you can join us on Sunday 13th March for a fantastic dinner/dance in the stunning Ballroom at Glasgow’s Thistle Hotel. A drinks reception will be followed by a mouth-watering three course meal. The Scottish

The Sun’s Bill Leckie, compère for the night, will introduce renowned speaker John Gahagan and the musical talents of Second Hand Elastic Band.

Phil O’Donnell tragically passed away on 29th December 2007 during a football match while playing for Motherwell FC. A post mortem examination later revealed that he died from left ventricular failure. Phil was only 35 and left behind a wife and four children. The nature of Phil’s death is the reason why the British Heart Foundation has been selected as the beneficiary charity.

Please join us for a fantastic evening, celebrating the life of the man affectionately known as ‘Uncle Phil’.

Tickets are £75 and tables of ten are £700. To book, contact Laura on 0141 533 7537 or laura@lftevents.com.

Alternatively, you can show your support by texting a £3 donation.

Text ‘Phil’ to 70007

Text messages cost £3 plus one message at your standard network rate. From most users the British Heart Foundation will receive over £2.80 from each text donation received dependant on your network operator. **Donations from handsets registered in UK and Northern Ireland only.

Football’s a funny old game isn’t it? I hope you are enjoying your night and I hope the team and the club have made you proud. You certainly deserve it!
 
There are two main things I want to get across and they are both very important to me.
 
1 – That win today was for Motherwell FC and absolutely no-one else. I was asked at the Press Conference, after the game, about whether Walter Smith or Ally McCoist would give me a text of thanks. Whilst obviously joking about getting a little more – a beer or two perhaps (?), I made the very serious point about the value of this win to our club. I am a former Rangers player and will, inevitably, be asked questions relating to Rangers by the press. I do my best to avoid them but I suppose it’s what happens. It’s what the media in this country do. But I really want to get across to everyone now that I am the manager of Motherwell Football Club and my only focus is to this club. It wouldn’t have mattered if we were playing Rangers, Hamilton, St Mirren or Stranraer today; I wanted to see a reaction from my players after the disappointment of Wednesday night and I got it. That’s what is most pleasing! That and giving the fans at Fir Park something to shout about.
 
2 – The other thing that has come out of today is the need for consistency. What happened this afternoon was brilliant and we, along with you the fans, will all enjoy the win but I am already planning for our match with Inverness. We’ll be in first thing tomorrow morning and our total focus will be next Saturday’s game in the Highlands. We need to show a better level consistency! We’ve only lost two goals at home since I arrived at the club (to Kilmarnock and St Mirren), unfortunately, both cost us at least a point. These are the games that we need to work doubly hard to win as these are the games that will win us a place in the top six. We have Inverness and Kilmarnock away in March as well as Aberdeen and Dundee Utd at home before the split. In many ways, it’s in our hands. Take positive points from those games and we’re in with a real shout. Easier said than done, of course, but we’ll be working as hard as we possibly can all week with that game in mind.
 
I won’t go over today too much other than to say I though, to a man, we were absolutely terrific and displayed a real gutsy and determined display. I said during the week that St Mirren out-fought us and I was incredibly disappointed about that; and I let the players know it. Today, I thought we out-battled Celtic and it proved crucial.
 
Just finally, a big congratulations to Darren Randolph who I know believe has surpassed John Ruddy’s record of fifteen clean sheets by notching his sixteenth today. He was outstanding and deserves all the credit for beating an already incredible tally.
 
Forever Claret and Amber!
 
Stuart McCall
Manager

Stuart McCall described his pride after witnessing Motherwell’s best performance under his leadership, with a 2-0 victory over Celtic at Fir Park.

‘Well were the better side throughout an engaging contest, and could have actually won by more than the two-goal margin against a high-flying Celtic side.

A display of energy, desire and purpose was a million miles away from the poor display against St Mirren in midweek, and John Sutton’s brace ensured the men in claret and amber came away with all three points.

“I’ve come off the park and people are saying ‘well done’ to me. It’s nothing to do with me – it’s all the players,” McCall profusely praised.

“I thought from every one of our players it was superb. I asked them at half time to keep up the endeavour and keep up the work rate, and every single one of them did that. They were outstanding and I’m a very proud manager.

“It’s the best result I’ve had, definitely. Probably the best performance too – if you look at the side we’re up against and their record it is a great achievement.”

It is a result which takes Motherwell to within two points of fourth-placed Kilmarnock, with games against all of their nearest challengers coming up in subsequent weeks.

Therefore it is no surprise that, for the ‘Well gaffer, there’s no time for basking in the glory of today’s victory, with a place in the top six to be fought for.

“I’ve told the players to have a good night but my focus, straight away, goes to Inverness next Saturday,” the 46-year old insisted.

“Every manager looks for consistency and that is what I’m aiming for. There are still four other sides who will want to get fourth spot.

“We have Kilmarnock and Inverness coming up in a few weeks and then Dundee United and Aberdeen at home – so it’s still all to play for, but that result can give us hope and inspiration for the future.”

McCall was reluctant to single anyone out for special praise, but he did take a moment to acknowledge the performances of a trio of his star performers.

John Sutton was heroic as he ploughed a lone furrow up front, showing typical drive and determination against the Celtic backline. He was rewarded with two expertly-taken goals to take his tally for the season up to 13.

While the walking-wounded of Steve Jennings and, particularly, the superb Keith Lasley also caught the eye in a splendid all-round team performance by the home side.

“I wish someone else had taken the penalty – Sutty’s agent will be looking for an extra £50 in the contract now,” the gaffer joked.

“I’m pleased for every one of them tonight. A lot of players out there deserved ten out of ten but the captain Lasley could hardly breathe with his ribs’ injury and Jennings were both major doubts, but they played brilliantly.

“But there were lots of heroes out there.”

Pictures from the 2-0 win over Celtic 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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