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    Motherwell vs Dundee: A closer look

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    Heneghan: We can challenge anyone

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    McGhee: Encouraged by performances

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    TV: Highlights from Station Park

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    Craigan: As good as it’s been

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    Inverness U20s 1 – 3 Motherwell U20s

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    Craigan: Performance is key

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    TV: Highlights from Ibrox

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    Rangers loss in pictures

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    McGhee: Gutted for players & fans

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    Motherwell vs Dundee: A closer look

    Mark McGhee’s side host Dundee at Fir Park on Saturday in the Steelmen’s fourth league game of the season.

    And after leaving Ibrox last weekend feeling hard done by, Motherwell will be eager to bounce back.

    Scott McDonald gave the ‘Well a first-half lead in front of 48,00o onlookers, but in heart-breaking fashion the hosts levelled on the hour mark before snatching all three points in the dying minutes.

    But with the performances of every player in the starting eleven encouraging the manager, the players and the fans – Motherwell will look to set the record straight back in front of the home support.

    Dundee currently sit sixth in the Ladbrokes Premiership, just a point ahead of the Fir Parkers, and Saturday’s match could prove to be a huge factor on both sides push for a top-half finish later in the season.

    The Dark Blues, like Motherwell, lost narrowly to Rangers after getting their campaign off to a flying start away to Ross County, coming away with a 3-1 win.

    Frustrated by Hamilton Accies in their last fixture, Paul Hartley’s men, like McGhee’s, will be keen to improve on recent results.

    Tickets for the match are available from the Fir Park Ticket Office now priced at:

    ADULTS:    £23/£19 
    CONCESSIONS       £16/£15
    JUVENILE    £12/£9
    FAMILY    £29/24
    • Concessions are listed as 60 and over, 16-18 year olds and over and full time students with a valid matriculation card
    • Juveniles are listed as 15 & under
    • The Cheaper priced ticket is for the East Stand only
    • Fans who require ambulant or wheelchair access should contact Sharon or John McCaskie on 07745 494631/ 07711 992161 or email disabledfans@motherwellfc.co.uk
    • Away fans are located in the South Stand
    • HOSPITALITY IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR THIS FIXTURE

    6ft 4in English defender Ben Heneghan believes Motherwell can bounce back to winning ways on Saturday. 

    The summer signing admitted that the Steelmen can afford to focus on their own performances and challenge any team in the top-flight.

    Speaking to the press this morning, Heneghan said: “[The Rangers defeat] was heart-breaking in a way – the last kick of the game and especially when you play the way we played, I thought we were brilliant and to lose at the end was a kick in the stomach.”

    Despite the loss, the centre-back felt it was still a learning curve in his career so far.

    He said: “It was brilliant to play in a game like that and I’ve never played in a stadium like that where there was 48,000 fans watching on.

    “That was massive for me and my development and I thoroughly enjoyed it – but next time we go there hopefully we can get the three points.”

    [pullquote]We’ve learned from the Rangers game and each match I just try to get better and better and learn from the players like McManus.[/pullquote]

    He added: “We’ve learned from the Rangers game and each match I just try to get better and better and learn from the players like McManus to get better in my career.”

    And on Saturday’s opponents Dundee, Heneghan admits that he aims to stick to doing what he does best for the team, alongside McManus, who the Englishman has formed a solid partnership with.

    He said: “I’ll look over clips of Dundee before we face them, then from there I just have to play my way and do what I can for the team.

    “We have to go into any game believing that we can challenge anyone, do what we have worked on and see if teams can deal with us.”

    Today’s visitors Dundee arrive on the back of a 1-1 draw with Hamilton Academical and currently occupy sixth spot in the table. 

    And for manager Paul Hartley, it was a disappointing showing from his side, as he claimed post match that he “couldn’t accept” the performance from his team, despite the fact that they moved joint-top of the league, albeit just for a matter of hours.

    Darren Lyon stunned Dundee with a incredible 25-yard strike, but Mark O’Hara responded after he was left unmarked to side-foot home Danny Williams’ corner almost immediately afterwards.

    Darian MacKinnon missed a sitter on the resumption for Accies, but Rory Loy, Yordi Tejsse and Danny Williams all missed chances to win it for Dundee.

    The hosts dominated all afternoon but couldn’t find the winning goal as they were unable to take their chances.

    The 2016/17 season represents an opportunity to return the club to a top half finish.

    Appointed in 2014, the ex-Hearts midfielder got off to a brilliant start to his Dee managerial career – guiding the club to the Championship title followed by a sixth placed spot in the top flight in the 2014/15 season.

    ‘Well fans need no reminder that that was the season the club slumped into the Premiership play-offs and survived in stunning fashion by beating Rangers 6-1 on aggregate.

    Last season though, Dundee finished eighth as the Steelmen surged to fifth, and matches like today’s are huge for both sides who have set their sights on the top-six.

    For the Dark Blues though, it won’t be plain sailing after they lost a number of key players from their squad.

    Greg Stewart and Kane Hemmings both left for the English leagues and are the biggest losses in terms of goals.

    Two such important players will always be hard to replace, but with the captures of Faisal El Bakhtaoui from Dunfermline and Michael Duffy on loan from champions Celtic, Paul Hartley may have found a source of goals for his side. James Vincent swapped Inverness CT for the Dark Blues and could bring a creative spark in midfield.

    Both Mark McGhee and Paul Hartley will be confident in their sides chances this weekend, as in the three games last season the ‘Well won once, drew once and lost once – making this one tough to call for the neutrals.

    The last time the two sides met at Fir Park though, Dundee couldn’t deal with McGhee’s men going forward and the Steelmen dominated and won 3-1.

    With a big season ahead for Paul Hartley and his side, they will be coming in to today’s match fired up for the occasion and will prove to be a tough test for McGhee’s Motherwell

  • Archive

    Heneghan: We can challenge anyone

    ‘Well defender Ben Heneghan admitted he aims to learn from the Rangers defeat last Saturday.

    Speaking to the press this morning, the English defender thought that Motherwell were “brilliant” but the defeat was very hard to take.

    The 22-year-old said: “It was heart-breaking in a way – the last kick of the game and especially when you play the way we played, I thought we were brilliant and to lose at the end was a kick in the stomach.”

    Despite the loss, the centre-back felt it was still a learning curve in his career so far.

    [pullquote]We’ve learned from the Rangers game and each match I just try to get better and better and learn from the players like McManus.[/pullquote]

    He said: “It was brilliant to play in a game like that and I’ve never played in a stadium like that where there was 48,000 fans watching on.

    “That was massive for me and my development and I thoroughly enjoyed it – but next time we go there hopefully we can get the three points.”

    He added: “We’ve learned from the Rangers game and each match I just try to get better and better and learn from the players like McManus to get better in my career.”

    And on Saturday’s opponents Dundee, Heneghan admits that he aims to stick to doing what he does best for the team, alongside McManus, who the Englishman has formed a solid partnership with.

    He said: “I’ll look over clips of Dundee before we face them, then from there I just have to play my way and do what I can for the team.

    “We have to go into any game believing that we can challenge anyone, do what we have worked on and see if teams can deal with us.”

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    McGhee: Encouraged by performances

    ‘Well boss Mark McGhee believes his sides performance against Rangers will spur them on to put in a positive showing against Dundee this weekend.

    Speaking to the press this morning, the boss also touched on the attitude of his squad.

    He said: “Its not done us damage but it’s actually kicked us on again in terms of performance and I said last week that that was key.

    “It’s a difficult place for any team to go and get anything so to come away with the performance gives you something to build on.”

    The manager admitted that Dundee will be tough opponents tomorrow afternoon.

    He said: “I saw them the other night and to say they were creative is an understatement.

    [pullquote]The boys were hugely disappointed to not get anything from the match but they’ve all taken on what we’ve addressed this week in training.[/pullquote]

    “They’re formation was difficult to nail down, they’ve got a lot of variety in their shape and movement.”

    But with his current players mind-set, he feels the team are ready.

    He said: “I spoke to Craig Clay, even after the Celtic game, and while of course he didn’t enjoy it, he certainly took something from it.

    “And what he took from that game he took into the Rangers game and for me he was the man of the match.”

    He added: “The boys were hugely disappointed to not get anything from the match but they’ve all taken on what we’ve addressed this week in training.

    “We’ve looked at the stats and the performances and we were poorer against St Johnstone than we were against Rangers, so we hope we can keep that level of performance from the Rangers game into Saturday and that way we can hopefully get something against Dundee.”

     

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    TV: Highlights from Station Park

    Goals from Lee Lucas, James McFadden and Allan Campbell earn a 1-3 win for Motherwell’s Under 20s.

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    Craigan: As good as it’s been

    U20s manager Stephen Craigan felt his side’s performance was as good as it’s been at points tonight.

    The Northern-Irishman made the long trip north to Nairn with his side as they dominated Inverness and won 3-1 in the opening league game of the season.

    Speaking to MFC TV after the game, the manager praised all of his sides’ performances.

    He said: “We have a way that we want to try and play – we want people to get on the ball, we want people to be comfortable in possession of the ball.

    “I think first half is probably as good as it’s been – James McFadden came up to me at half-time and said he’s never enjoyed a first-half as much as that one in a long-time – credit has to go to all of the boys.”

    Leading 2-0 at half-time led Craigan to warn his players away from any complacency.

    He said: “I think the warning at half-time was not to give Inverness any in-roads or time on the ball – and I think they got a little bit lucky with their goal.

    [pullquote]I think first half is probably as good as it’s been – James McFadden came up to me at half-time and said he’s never enjoyed a first-half as much as that one in a long-time.[/pullquote]

    “But we showed good maturity when it went to 2-1. We managed to wrestle the game back in to our grasp and get control again.”

    He added: “The third goal was the icing on the cake but to be honest I think it could have been more.”

    The manager highlighted that not one of his players had an off night.

    He said: “Some of the boys had their best performances of the season tonight, Allan Campbell had a tough night against Airdrie last week but had probably his best performance of the season – as did Tom Fry.”

    He added: “Lee Lucas looked like a player full of composure and calmness and settled us at the right times.

    “I think the boys will learn from these experienced players – and of course there was that guy James McFadden playing out there tonight too.”

  • Archive

    Inverness U20s 1 – 3 Motherwell U20s

    Motherwell Under 20s got off to a brilliant start in the Development League with a dominant win away to Inverness CT U20s.

    Played in Nairn at Station Park, Craigan’s side were outstanding and never looked in doubt from the first whistle.

    It was a solid start from the youngsters, who took just five minutes to make the breakthrough.

    James McFadden worked the ball brilliantly down the left-flank before cutting it back to the edge of the box where Ross MacLean touched it in to Lee Lucas’ path, who slotted the ball neatly beyond Caley keeper Essan in to the bottom left corner.

    And it was a comfortable half from the Steelmen from that point onwards, as Stephen Craigan’s boys enjoyed some neat moments of play – combining one-touch passing with fluid movement that proved too much for the hosts.

    The presence of first-team players James McFadden and Lee Lucas was telling, as the latter looked relaxed in the middle of the park while McFadden dazzled on the ball.

    And ten minutes after the first goal went in, McFadden picked up the ball, spun and drove towards the Caley box before being hacked to the deck by Doran.

    From the resulting free-kick, the ex-Everton man curled an attempt on goal which nicked off the top of the wall and flew past Essan to double the ‘Well’s lead.

    And if the visitors didn’t look settled before, the second goal certainly settled them even more, as PJ Morrison was barely tested in a half of dominant and flamboyant football from the visitors.

    The second half got off on a similar note with the Fir Parkers dominating from the start, but against the run of play, Inverness pulled one back when Sam Robertson whipped a dangerous ball in to the box.

    Tumbling towards Morrison in the Motherwell goal, Caley’s trialist striker got the faintest of touches to nick the ball beyond the onrushing Morrison and into the back of the net.

    But that didn’t affect the Motherwell youngsters, who came in to their own and dominated the remainder of the game – adding a third in the dying minutes to wrap up the points.

    Allan Campbell worked the ball brilliantly in a packed Caley box, playing a neat one-two before striking low and hard past Esson.

    James McFadden and Lee Lucas played with the youngsters and demonstrated just what they can bring to the first-team too.

    McFadden, who was involved in both first-half goals, looked relaxed and threatening going forward which was no surprise to the crowd in Nairn.

    Lee Lucas showed a level of composure in the middle of the park that had an impact on the entire team, steadying the youngsters at important moments and keeping the ball well.

    But it wasn’t just the experienced players who shone, with every player in the starting line-up showing what they can bring to Craigan’s team going forward this season.

    Next up for the 20s is a clash with Aberdeen, where the side will be looking to continue their fine start in the league.

    Motherwell: Morrison, Watt, McMillan, Maguire, Ferguson, Campbell, MacLean, Lucas, Scott (Falconer – 45mins), McFadden (Turnbull – 69mins), Fry

    Subs Not Used: Stevenson, Hastie, Armstrong

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    Craigan: Performance is key

    U20s manager Stephen Craigan is looking forward to his sides opening fixture in the Development League tomorrow night.

    The youngsters travel far north to Nairn to play against Inverness, and the manager beieves it’s a good opportunity for the team to gel.

    Speaking to MFC TV at training this morning, Craigan said: “We’re looking forward to it on the back of our Irn-Bru cup games against Edinburgh City and Airdrie.

    “We sense that the competitive season is just around the corner with regards to the league.”

    He added: “We don’t mind travelling north, we only have to do it once to Inverness, once to Ross County and once to Aberdeen so it’s an opportunity for the boys to gel on the bus – we’re playing in Nairn which is just outside of Inverness and I believe the pitch is good.”

    [pullquote]We’re looking forward to it on the back of our Irn-Bru cup games against Edinburgh City and Airdrie.[/pullquote]

    The Northern-Irishman believes that the emphasis will be on the performance levels as opposed to the result alone.

    He said: “Most importantly we go up there and try and maintain the level of performance that we’ve set against Airdrie and Edinburgh and if we can build on that – great.

    “We’ve got a few first-team boys making the trip with us, we’re not sure who yet, but they can come in and add something to the team.”

    He added: “Every game we play we want to win naturally, I don’t put all the emphasis on it because most importantly if we can get players consistency levels high and we can get them doing the good stuff like they did against Airdrie in particular, I think the wins will come.

    “It would be nice to start off with a win, of course it would, but if I can improve these players, make them better and improve their performance level so they can push into the first team then that’s the most important bit.”

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    TV: Highlights from Ibrox

    Highlights from Ibrox Motherwell concede a last minute goal to narrowly lose 2-1 to Rangers.

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    Rangers loss in pictures

    Images from today’s 2-1 loss to Rangers at Ibrox in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

    Snaps courtesy of SNSPix

    [svgallery name=”rangers200816″]

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    McGhee: Gutted for players & fans

    ‘Well boss Mark McGhee was “gutted” as his side conceded a last-minute goal to lose 2-1 away to Rangers.

    For more than an hour, Motherwell held a one-goal lead at Ibrox and, as the game was coming to a close, it looked like McGhee’s side had secured a point.

    But after the eventual defeat, McGhee spoke to MFC TV and expressed his emotions after an impressive performance from his players.

    He said: “I’m gutted for the boys and I’m gutted for that small group of supporters that came over here and for a long, long time thought they were going to see their team get a result, really gutted.

    [pullquote]I’m gutted for the boys and I’m gutted for that small group of supporters that came over here.[/pullquote]

    “But most of all it was about the performance and the performance was back to what we expect, we ran out of energy a little bit and then conceded a second goal.”

    The boss highlighted a few key injuries leading to a young and rather inexperienced bench, leaving him with few options.

    McGhee said: “We didn’t have the strength on the bench with injuries to Hammell and Moult and all these players that are on the side at the moment.

    “We didn’t have the strength in depth on the bench to look at it and say that if someone was struggling we could put somebody in – I looked at the bench and it was all young boys and I just thought it was too much for them today.”

    [pullquote]It’s much, much more positive than the last few performances so we can now look forward to the Dundee game with relish.[/pullquote]

    It was a positive afternoon in some aspects though, despite the pain in the manner the defeat came about.

    The manager said: “That’s the level of performance, that’s the Motherwell team we’ve been developing over the last month or so.

    “It’s much, much more positive than the last few performances so we can now look forward to the Dundee game with relish because we know what we’ve got to do, we know we can do it and we’ve got to take that out in the home game.”