Latest News

Stuart McCall is aiming to make it tough against the SPL’s form team St Johnstone when the teams meet in Perth tomorrow afternoon.

Steve Lomas’ side have being going great guns in recent weeks, drawing at Ibrox before picking up back-to-back wins over both Hibernian and Hearts.

But McCall is hoping to continue Motherwell’s excellent away run following consecutive wins at Tannadice, Easter Road, the Caledonian Stadium and Pittodrie in the last four outings.

“We know how tough it is going to be against St Johnstone but we aim to make things tough for them as well,” the former Scotland International said.

“We were both training at the same facility on Thursday (Ravenscraig) – we both had half a park. I think we were trying to watch them and they were trying to watch us but I told Steve Lomas not to bother as we don’t do tactics anyway!

“No, in all seriousness, it should be a good game. Both teams are playing well and are fairly evenly matches. We are similar in that we both have good experience in the team mixed with some talented youngsters. I am really looking forward to the game, as are the players.”

-WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV-

Jamie Murphy hopes to replicate some of the form he showed against St Johnstone last season and secure ‘Well another vital away win.

The former Scotland U21 striker scored a terrific individual strike in the Scottish Cup Semi Final at Hampden last April.

He also scored in Perth back in September of last season, admittedly with the aid of Kevin Rutkiewicz deflection, and the 22-year old is aiming to grab another tomorrow against a talented St Johnstone side.

“Games against Saints are always difficult; you only need to look at the last time we played against them to see that,” said Murphy.

“But we are going to go there tomorrow and try and perform to the best of our ability and we hope to come away with the three points.

“We won at McDiarmid Park last season and obviously did well in the Scottish Cup Semi Final so we are looking to replicate some of that form. We have been working hard all week in training, preparing and shaping for this match so we are prepared and looking forward to it.”

-WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV-

Carling, the official beer of the Scottish Cup, is offering you the chance to follow the Steelmen all the way to Hampden!

They have a pair of “golden tickets” up for grabs for each team in each round of the Scottish Cup, which gives you access to EVERY game your team play in this season’s competition, home and away.

If you’re over 18, all you need to do to enter is text CARLING followed by your team name to 81025. 

Winners for round 4 will be picked on Monday 2nd January 2012.  Texts are charged at your network’s standard rate, there is no fee to enter.

T&Cs apply, see www.carling.com/roadtothecup for more details.

Motherwell travel north to Perth on Saturday hoping to continue their good run of away form against Steve Lomas’ St Johnstone.

Stuart McCall’s men have already won on the road at St Mirren Park, Broadwood, East End Park, Tannadice, Easter Road, the Caledonian Stadium and Pittodrie this season but will face an extremely tough task against a Saints side on an incredible run of form.

Tickets for the match are available on the gate at McDiarmid Park with admission prices as follows:

• Concessions are listed as Over 65s.
• Fans who require wheelchair access should contact Sharon or John McCaskie on 07745 494631 or email disabledfans@motherwellfc.co.uk.

SUPPORTERS ASSOCIATION COACHES

WISHAW BRANCH

The Wishaw branch bus to Perth on Saturday 10th December will leave Kenilworth Ave. at 1pm. To book seats please call Anne on 01698 470601 or email andrew.sim48@btinternet.com as soon as possible.

CENTRAL BRANCH

The bus for the game v St Johnstone on Saturday 10 December will leave the Bentley Hotel at 1.15pm. To book a seat email christopher_hutton@btinternet.com or give Jim a call on 01698 299650.

BELLSHILL & DISTRICT BRANCH

The St Johnstone bus will pick up at the Fir Park Club, Motherwell at 12.15pm, then the Carousel Bar, Bellshill at 12.25pm and finally the Holytown War Monument at 12.30pm. To book your seat, contact Brian Worton on 07763 061821.

TRAVEL

BY CAR

The stadium is located close to the A9 and is relatively straightforward to get to.

Head towards Perth on the M9 and take the first exit at Broxden roundabaout (signposted Football traffic) on to the A9. Then take the fourth exit at Inveraimond roundabout so you have turned back on yourself.

Exit on to the slip road and turn left at the roundabout on to the A85 (Crieff road). The stadium will be clearly visible on the left.

Parking is available for visiting fans behind the Main Stand, priced at £2.00 per car. Street parking is also available on numerous streets around the ground.

BY BUS

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

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

BY TRAIN

Perth station is over three miles away from the ground, although frequent bus services run throughout the city.

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

MAP

[mappress]

After days of heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures, Motherwell were forced to move indoors to train this morning.

Stuart McCall’s men were put through their paces at the plush Ravenscraig Sports Facility with Dalziel Park out of commission.

And the Motherwell gaffer was thankful his side were still able to have a good session, despite the treacherous conditions engulfing the country.

“We’ve got this great facility right on our doorstep and it is one we are very grateful for,” said McCall.

“You can see from the weather that training outdoors is almost impossible.

“If you are only using the synthetic two or three times per week then it is fine. Anything more and you run the risk of aggravating injuries and negatively affecting the joints.”

-WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV-

Referee for this Saturday’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash with St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park will be Alan Muir.

It will be Muir’s third Motherwell match of the campaign after previously taking charge of Celtic’s 4-0 win in early September and the 1-0 win over Aberdeen, Bob McHugh scoring the winning goal, some fourteen days later.

He managed four matches last season too, having overseen the 1-1 draw with St Mirren in Paisley last November, January’s 2-0 home win over Hibs, February’s 6-0 capitulation at Ibrox and at Celtic Park as an unfamiliar side crashed to a 4-0 defeat with Stuart McCall resting players ahead of the Scottish Cup Final.

He’ll be a familiar face to Motherwell fans having handled three games the season before last as well.

A 4-0 defeat by Celtic in Glasgow eighteen months ago was instantly forgettable. He also took charge of the 3-2 extra-time with over Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Co-operative Insurance Cup Fourth Round and the lively 2-2 draw against Dundee United back in late November 2009.

In all those games he has produced 37 yellow cards, 18 of which were shown to a player in claret and amber, and two red cards, the first given to former defender Paul Quinn for a professional foul on David Fernandez in a 1-0 defeat to Killie and the most recent to Michael Higdon, then an opposition player, in that game with St Mirren last November.

The 36-year-old has taken charge of eight SPL games in this campaign, including Kilmarnock’s 1-1 draw with Dundee Utd, Rangers’ 2-0 win at McDiarmid Park and, most recently, Kilmarnock’s 1-0 win over both Hearts at Tynecastle and Rangers at Rugby Park.

Alan will be ably assisted on the day by Alan Mulvanny and Graham McNeillie, with Craig Charleston on fourth official duties. Referee observer is George Smith and the SPL delegate is Tommy McLean.

The club can confirm ticketing arrangements for both home and away matches over the Christmas and New Year period.

Fans should note that tickets purchased prior to the match at Tynecastle on 24th December (available now from the Fir Park Ticket Office) will be subject to a £3 discount.

The other significant point of note is that Rangers FC will no longer provide car parking facilities for away supporters visiting Ibrox and have asked the club to pass on this information prior to the match on January 2nd 2012.

>> CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE FORTHCOMING TICKETING INFORMATION

‘Well boss Stuart McCall was left frustrated by the half-time abandonment of tonight’s game but insisted it was the correct call.

The former Scotland International was forced to rip into his charges after a disappointing opening 45 minutes. Gary O’Connor had given the visitors at a deserved lead although ‘Well did finish the half much the stronger side.

McCall was ready to send his team out with fire in their bellies but was denied by the abandonment following an electrical fire in the South Stand.

He told MFC TV: “We thought we were going straight back out, the boys had had such a bollocking at half time, we were going out ten minutes in to the half time break.

“We’d been told they were just going to switch something off and we’d be back out in five or ten minutes late. The boys were desperate to get back out there and they are a little bit disappointed, but it could have been worse, we could have been winning 1-0.

“I feel bad for Hibs in a situation like that but 1 million per cent, safety comes first. Having been involved in the Bradford fire and when they start talking about wires burning and if they take something down then it can flare up.

“It’s a nightmare obviously, but there’s not a lot that I can say about electricity and what not, but we’re disappointed.”

-WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ON MFC TV-

Chief Inspector Brian Connel told MFC TV that he was left with no option but to abandon tonight’s match with Hibs amidst safety concerns.

An electrical fire broke out in the South Stand as the first half drew to a close and although quickly isolated by the Fire Service, guarantees surrounding the immediate safety were not forthcoming.

With safety the primary concern for everyone at Fir Park, the match had to be brought to an end with just 45mins gone.

Chief Inspector Connell said, “Shortly before the half-time interval, we picked up on the CCTV cameras what appeared to be smoke coming from the south east corner of the South Stand. In addition to the smoke, the persons who attended the scene confirmed there was a smell of burning.

“I went down to inspect the scene and it was then we called the Fire and Rescue services. When they arrived and identified the seat of the fire; it had been an electrical fire emanating from the lighting column linked to the floodlight.

“We initially managed to isolate the fire and were in the process of cutting away the damaged capacitors when it once again started to spark. Unfortunately, at that point, there could be no assurances that there wasn’t further danger of the fire reoccurring.

“By then, we had already delayed the re-starting of the match by seven minutes. At that point, it wasn’t safe to continue with the match and I gave the order to abandon the match.”

-WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ON MFC TV-

Tonight’s match with Hibernian was abandoned after an electrical fire linked to the floodlights made it unsafe to continue the match.

Chief Inspector Brian Connel of Strathclyde Police said, “Shortly before the half-time interval, we picked up on the CCTV cameras what appeared to be smoke coming from the south east corner of the South Stand. In addition to the smoke, the persons who attended the scene confirmed there was a smell of burning.

“I went down to inspect the scene and it was then we called the Fire and Rescue services. When they arrived and identified the seat of the fire; it had been an electrical fire emanating from the lighting column linked to the floodlight.

“We initially managed to isolate the fire and were in the process of cutting away the damaged capacitors when it once again started to spark. Unfortunately, at that point, there could be no assurances that there wasn’t further danger of the fire reoccurring.

“By then, we had already delayed the re-starting of the match by seven minutes. At that point, it wasn’t safe to continue with the match and I gave the order to abandon the match.”

Motherwell Chief Executive Leeann Dempster added, “It was an unfortunate turn of events, however, the safety of everyone inside Fir Park is paramount.

“That made the decision to abandon the game an easy one and I must thank everyone involved for their swift action which resulted in everyone within the stadium being evacuated safely.”