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U20s manager Stephen Craigan left the Excelsior Stadium tonight frustrated with a single point instead of all three as his side drew 1-1 with Ross County.

The Northerners arrived in Lanarkshire top of the Development League table but looked like they couldn’t handle the ‘Well youngsters who dominated the majority of the match.

Speaking to MFC TV after the match, Craigan believed his side were deserving of all three points.

[pullquote]It’s a frustrating result. After a poor performance last week against Hibs we’re just trying to reaffirm what we’re good at, what we do and how we play.[/pullquote]

He said: “It’s a frustrating result. After a poor performance last week against Hibs we’re just trying to reaffirm what we’re good at, what we do and how we play. Every time Dom Thomas got on the ball the full-backs didn’t know whether to stick or twist and eventually the full-back got sent off, it was only a matter of time too.

“Dom doesn’t always seem to get the reward for his good play, whether it’s his final ball being slightly off or if it’s him putting it on a plate and people not scoring. If we had won 4-0 and Dom had four assists that would probably justified.”

Chance after chance and domination in possession looked to be sending the Steelmen on their way to a sixth league victory in ten games.

Aside from the result the Northern Irishman took positives from the performance.

[pullquote]I said it during the Old Firm that it was a 1-0 doing, and I don’t like to use the word doing, but tonight I’d say that was a 1-1 doing from us.[/pullquote]

He said: “Generally we try to ask for improvement and players to show consistency and I speak about this a lot. I said it during the Old Firm that it was a 1-0 doing, and I don’t like to use the word doing, but tonight I’d say that was a 1-1 doing from us.

“But you have to take it on board and I feel they did well tonight and I think when they went down to ten men they played a bit better and they worked ever so hard.”

He added: “That’s the one thing you know you’ll get from Ross County teams under Jim McIntyre and Stuart Kettlewell, well organised, work hard and full of grit and determination.”

The Under 20s were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with top-of-the-table Ross County despite dominating for the full ninety minutes.

The Steelmen were in control from the first minute and eventually took the lead when David Brownlie turned the ball past his own goalkeeper.

The Staggies were then reduced to ten men when Tumilty was sent off for a second bookable offence, but it didn’t stop the visitors who drew level shortly after when Matthew Hall poked home from close range.

‘Well continued to make chances, but couldn’t get the second they needed as the game finished all square.

Stephen Craigan brought Dom Thomas, Kieran Kennedy and Jacob Blyth in to his starting line-up with regulars Ross MacLean, Jack McMillan, Jake Hastie and David Ferguson all left out of the squad due to their increasing involvement with the first team.

And it was a bright start, with a high tempo, end-to-end opening ten minutes at the Excelsior Stadium.

There was an early shout for a penalty for the Steelmen, after Tom Fry’s cross looked to collide with a hand in the area, but from the following loose ball, David Turnbull looked up but fired a low shot wide from the edge of the box.

And it was Turnbull who was enjoying the opportunity of finding space in between the Staggies midfield and defence, coasting through the middle of the park and slipping Blyth through on goal. The striker couldn’t get the ball out of his feet and his curling effort was blocked.

Motherwell looked firmly on top and, after a well worked free-kick, Thomas curling ball into the box was only half cleared to the waiting Allan Campbell who’s effort from outside the box flew over the crossbar.

Another good opportunity arrived for the Steelmen on the twentieth minute and Thomas was involved again. Dancing past a couple of challenges just inside the penalty area, the midfielder worked it on to his right foot, lacing a shot narrowly over the bar.

Motherwell continued to dominate the match but couldn’t make all of their possession and chances count.

Thomas, involved yet again but in a more central position, drove towards goal and had the option of slipping in Blyth or going for goal. The youngster took the shot on and forced the save from Foden in the Ross County goal.

It was becoming chance after chance for Craigan’s side. Thomas’ delivery was nearly met by the head of Blyth, but Hall did well to clear as far as Fry, who fired his shot wide on the volley.

Motherwell continued to push forward. Thomas was involved yet again as he cleverly dummied a ball down the line from Adam Livingstone, charging towards the line and curling an inch-perfect cross on to the foot of Dylan Falconer, who volleyed at goal from six yards. Unfortunately, Foden was well placed to catch it comfortably, but it was the best chance of the evening for Craigan’s side.

Craigan decided to make one change during the interval, withdrawing Dylan Falconer and replacing him with Dylan Mackin.

Ross County got off to a quick start as the teams kicked off for the second period, as Tumilty struck one at goal only to be headed narrowly over the bar by the committed Kennedy.

The Staggies midfielder was then involved again just seconds later, but this time down the opposite end as he dragged Thomas to the deck as he broke forward, earning himself a yellow card in the process. That would prove crucial later.

County forward MacIver could have been more generous shortly after. The number nine opted to take on a shot himself as his side broke forward and ignored the options around him.

‘Well quickly regained control. Some good hold up play by Blyth afforded Fry an opportunity to strike at goal, but the youngster, cutting in from his assumed wide right position after Falconer’s substitution, couldn’t get enough power behind it and Foden collected.

Motherwell finally grabbed the lead on the hour mark and it was an own goal from defender David Brownlie. Substitute Mackin did superbly to hold the ball up and tee up Thomas for the cross, which was turned beyond the Staggies stopper by his own defender.

It looked as though it was going to be two goals when Blyth latched on to a long ball over the top and was one-on-one with Foden, but his effort was saved by the Staggies stopper who stood up well.

County made a change three minutes later, bringing Tom MacLennan on for Tim Chow and suffered another blow shortly after their change when Reghan Tumilty was sent off for a second bookable offence. The midfielder chopped Livingstone down to be given his marching orders.

It could, and probably should, have been a second goal for the hosts after Blyth missed a good opportunity to get on the end of Thomas’ cross in the 68^th minute. The forward held it up well, rolled in the midfielder and was inches from getting his foot on the low cross in to the area.

And the Steelmen were punished three minutes later. A goal-mouth stramash following a corner wasn’t cleared, allowing Matthew Hall the opportunity to stab it past Morrison among a busy crowd filling the six yard box.

With ten minutes to go, Mackin was given a decent opportunity down the left side of the box when David Turnbull slipped a ball in to his path. The big striker did well to turn it goalward from a tight angle, forcing a save from Foden.

And, two minutes later, Mackin missed a great chance to take all three points. Blyth did well to get up and nod the ball into the path of Fry, who’s deep cross landed at the feet of Thomas. The midfielder side-foot volleyed the ball back across to Mackin, taking keeper Mark Foden completely out of the game, but the big striker couldn’t knock it home and it went just wide of the right post.

It proved costly as the visitors somehow left the Excelsior Stadium with a point on a night when Craigan’s U20s were firmly on top for the majority of the match.

Motherwell: Morrison, Watt, Livingstone, Maguire, Kennedy, Campbell, Falconer, (Mackin – 46mins) Turnbull, Blyth, Thomas, Fry

Subs Not Used: Pettigrew (GK), Scott, Watters, Armstrong, Agyeman

Motherwell host Inverness Caley Thistle tomorrow night as the two sides look to bounce back to winning ways after suffering defeats against Celtic and Rangers respectively.

For ‘Well boss Mark McGhee, it is about turning good performances in to results as his side face an important double-header against the leagues highlanders.

So far, the Fir Park gaffer feels like it has been a stop-start season due to a number of breaks for international football and the League Cup, so with a number of games over the next few weeks, McGhee is hoping his side can find their rhythm.

Speaking to the press earlier today, the manager said: “It’s been a crazy season really and we’ve got another break in a couple of weeks for the international team, but it does seem stop-start, stop-start this season and then we have the winter break to come as well.

“What we do have though is three games against teams in our region of the league where we’ll be hoping to take some points.

“Then of course we have a break after that and then it’s a case of seven games in December so these are three games we could well be doing with taking points from.”

He added: “The breaks seem to be coming around quicker and are more pronounced than they were last season, and I know that it’s not different but we just have to be careful with the players.

“It seems like they’re getting a lot more down time this season so we have to be sure we’re keeping everyone fully fit and sharp.”

While the breaks have disrupted rhythm, they’ve also allowed for players to recover from injury.

McGhee said: “In between times we’ve had injuries to Louis Moult, Stevie Hammell and Joe Chalmers, so we’ve managed to benefit from the fact that we’ve not had to play those games.

“If the Aberdeen game was on we would’ve went in to that with a few missing so we have to accentuate the positives. While it has been stuttered hopefully that means we’ll go in to these important games with our strongest team.”

Tomorrow night’s match will be an important fixture for both sides, as the Fir Parkers sit just one point behind Richie Foran’s Inverness.

The Caley Jags are now without a win in October, with their last three points at home to Dundee at the end of September.

The Steelmen find themselves in a similar position, hungry to return to winning ways since their last victory against Hamilton back in September too.

Mark McGhee knows it will be a tough match, and said: “When you look at the table and see where we are I like to think we’re a little bit better than that and I think that Inverness will think the same.

“When you look at their team, they’re a robust team with a good physical presence and they’re going to be a tough team for anyone to break down, but they’ve not quite yet fired on all cylinders, so we’ve just got to guard against that and assume that they can come here and find their form.”

Since making the switch from Grimsby Town back in June, Richard Tait has been a tremendously consistent performer in the Motherwell starting eleven.

Equally adept as an attacking full-back as well as an important cog defensively, the right-back is an important player for Mark McGhee tomorrow night as his side search for an all-important win.

An obvious team player, Tait is aware that the whole squad shares his desire to get back to action following the League Cup break at the weekend.

The Steelmen go in to tomorrow night’s match against Inverness CT looking to bounce back from the 2-0 loss away to Celtic ten days ago.

Speaking to the press this morning, the right-back said: “It’s been a bit of a wait for this one so I’m really looking forward to getting back on the pitch and playing.

“When you miss a Saturday and there’s other teams playing you feel like you’re missing out, so the boys are raring to go for tomorrow night and we’re all just looking forward to getting back on the pitch.”

With the extra days off, Motherwell boss Mark McGhee has ensured his side keep their preparations on track, something Tait feels will get their bodies in shape for a vital run of games.

He said: “We’ve done a little bit more running and then had a few days to recover and try and refresh our bodies to get ready again.

“We’ve got three important games coming up so the little break and the little rest will have done our bodies good.”

[pullquote]Every week is a tough game and there’s always a tough battle against a winger or a team in general, but looking forward I’m looking forward to the future here at Motherwell.[/pullquote]

On the Celtic loss, the 26-year-old said: “It was a disappointing result getting beat but we can’t do anything about the break that came after it.

“Yes, it would have been nice to get back in to another game and get a positive result straight away but we have a chance to put that right tomorrow night now.”

Inverness come in to the match on the back of a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock, at the weekend, meaning that Richie Foran’s side are now without a win in three matches.

And Tait knows that they will be hard opponents.

“Inverness have played one more game than us and they’re a point ahead so they’re doing ok,” the defender said, “they’re a strong, physical team so it will be a tough game tomorrow.”

He added: “Every week is a tough game and there’s always a tough battle against a winger or a team in general, but looking forward I’m looking forward to the future here at Motherwell.”

Inverness Caley Thistle currently sit level on points with the Fir Parkers and will be hungry to return to winning ways tomorrow night.

After the departure of John Hughes, Richie Foran took over in May this year, signing a four-year contract.

It will be a welcome return for the manager to Lanarkshire, after Foran spent three seasons in Claret and Amber, making 90 appearances and scoring 23 goals.

His side arrive on the back of a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock and are now without a win in three games.

Foran got off to a good start in his new role at the helm of the Caley Jags, securing some important signings over the summer.

Billy King arrived on a season-long loan deal from Hearts, Kevin McNaughton came in from Wigan, Jake Mulraney arrived from QPR and Scott Boden signed from Newport County.

And it all looked good for Caley Thistle, as Foran managed to get off to a winning start at the helm with a 2-1 away win to Cowdenbeath in the League Cup. In their group, Inverness drew with Dundee United at home and lost the bonus point penalty shoot-out, but things turned around as they won 5-1 away against Dunfermline and then registered a 7-0 thrashing of Arbroath to end July on a positive note.

In August, the Inverness boss lost his first league game in charge in the shape of a 2-0 away loss to Partick Thistle.

Things didn’t get better for the club as that result was followed by a shock 1-0 away loss to Alloa, knocking Caley out of the League Cup.

Foran then lost his first Highland derby as a manager when his side slumped to a  a 3-2 home defeat to Ross County.

Things went from bad to worse when a trip to Tynecastle ended in a 5-1 defeat to Hearts.

During the International break, Foran signed Lonsana Doumbouya who had just ended his contract with Cercle Brugge in Belgium. He then signed two players on transfer deadline day in the shape of Brad McKay who had just been released by St Johnstone and Larnell Cole on a loan deal from Fulham until January.

And the break sparked Foran’s side into life as they managed their first win of the season in early September with a hard-fought 2-1 home win against St Johnstone thanks to a late goal from Josh Meekings who scrambled the ball over the line from a corner to seal the three points.

The next weekend the North derby away at Aberdeen ended in a 1-1 draw. Ex-Well midfielder Iain Vigurs scored a great strike from 25-yards to level the score-line.

Foran also managed to record another impressive result, a 2-2 draw with Scottish Champions Celtic, being the first team to take points away from Brendan Rodgers side in the league this season.

But as the season surges on, the northerners will be hoping to become more resolute defensively, having already shipped 17 goals in the league this term.

Midfielder Ross Draper has been the Caley Jags biggest outlet of goals so far, with three goals and two assists in nine starts.

Over the course of the last few seasons, matches have been tough to call between tomorrow’s visitors and the Steelmen, making for an intriguing fixture under the Fir Park floodlights tomorrow night.

Mark McGhee feels the season has been a bit “stop-start” so far, but is hopeful of a good run over the next few weeks.

First up for the Steelmen is an important clash with Inverness CT, followed by fellow Northerners Ross County on Saturday.

Speaking to the press ahead of his sides game against the Caley Jags tomorrow night, McGhee admitted that the frequent breaks in recent weeks have come as both a hindrance and a blessing.

The manager said: “It’s been a crazy season really and we’ve got another break in a couple of weeks for the international team, but it does seem stop-start, stop-start this season and then we have the winter break to come as well.

“What we do have though is three games against teams in our region of the league where we’ll be hoping to take some points.

[pullquote]What we do have though is three games against teams in our region of the league where we’ll be hoping to take some points.[/pullquote]

“Then of course we have a break after that and then it’s a case of seven games in December so these are three games we could well be doing with taking points from.”

He added: “The breaks seem to be coming around quicker and are more pronounced than they were last season, and I know that it’s not different but we just have to be careful with the players.

“It seems like they’re getting a lot more down time this season so we have to be sure we’re keeping everyone fully fit and sharp.”

While the breaks have disrupted rhythm, they’ve also allowed for players to recover from injury.

McGhee said: “In between times we’ve had injuries to Louis Moult, Stevie Hammell and Joe Chalmers, so we’ve managed to benefit from the fact that we’ve not had to play those games.

“If the Aberdeen game was on we would’ve went in to that with a few missing so we have to accentuate the positives. While it has been stuttered hopefully that means we’ll go in to these important games with our strongest team.”

Tomorrow night’s match will be an important fixture for both sides, as the Fir Parkers sit just one point behind Richie Foran’s Inverness.

[pullquote]My mission here is to develop players and keep us in the league. Last year we finished fifth which was a fantastic achievement and if we finish fifth this year it may be a more fantastic achievement.[/pullquote]

The ‘Well boss said: “When you look at the table and see where we are I like to think we’re a little bit better than that and I think that Inverness will think the same.

“When you look at their team, they’re a robust team with a good physical presence and they’re going to be a tough team for anyone to break down, but they’ve not quite yet fired on all cylinders, so we’ve just got to guard against that and assume that they can come here and find their form.”

Looking at the season ahead, the boss looked at the inclusion of youngsters at Parkhead as an example of his aims here with Motherwell.

He said: “My mission here is to develop players and keep us in the league. Last year we finished fifth which was a fantastic achievement and if we finish fifth this year it may be a more fantastic achievement.

“At Parkhead I got Ross MacLean in the team, I got Jack McMillan in the team, I had Jake Hastie on before the end and I had David Ferguson on at left-back to cover for Jack when he was feeling the pace. That is what our mission here is, to get these young players in the team.”

‘Well defender Richard Tait admits that the whole squad is hungry to get back to action after a short break.

The Steelmen go in to tomorrow night’s match against Inverness CT looking to bounce back from the 2-0 loss away to Celtic ten days ago.

Speaking to the press this morning, the right-back said: “It’s been a bit of a wait for this one so I’m really looking forward to getting back on the pitch and playing.

“When you miss a Saturday and there’s other teams playing you feel like you’re missing out, so the boys are raring to go for tomorrow night and we’re all just looking forward to getting back on the pitch.”

[pullquote]When you miss a Saturday and there’s other teams playing you feel like you’re missing out, so the boys are raring to go.[/pullquote]

With the extra days off, Motherwell boss Mark McGhee has ensured his side keep their preparations on track, something Tait feels will get their bodies in shape for a vital run of games.

He said: “We’ve done a little bit more running and then had a few days to recover and try and refresh our bodies to get ready again.

“We’ve got three important games coming up so the little break and the little rest will have done our bodies good.”

On the Celtic loss, the 26-year-old said: “It was a disappointing result getting beat but we can’t do anything about the break that came after it.

[pullquote]Inverness have played one more game than us and they’re a point ahead so they’re doing ok. They’re a strong, physical team.[/pullquote]

“Yes, it would have been nice to get back in to another game and get a positive result straight away but we have a chance to put that right tomorrow night now.”

Inverness come in to the match on the back of a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock, at the weekend, meaning that Richie Foran’s side are now without a win in three matches.

Tait knows that they will be hard opponents, saying to the press: “Inverness have played one more game than us and they’re a point ahead so they’re doing ok. They’re a strong, physical team so it will be a tough game tomorrow.”

He added: “Every week is a tough game and there’s always a tough battle against a winger or a team in general, but I’m looking forward to the future here at Motherwell.”

Referee for Wednesday night’s Ladbrokes Premiership match against Inverness Caley Thistle at Fir Park is Don Robertson.

It will be Don’s second ‘Well appointment of the 2016/17 season and only his sixth ever Motherwell fixture during his six seasons as a senior official.

His first appointment this season was the Steelmen’s 3-0 victory over Stranraer in the Betfred League Cup back in July.

Goals from Chris Cadden, Scott McDonald and Marvin Johnson secured the three points in the group stage.

But before this season, most of Don’s Motherwell appointments came last season – the first being a 1-1 draw with Ross County at Fir Park back in early September when a last-minute Louis Moult leveler earned the Steelmen a point.

Then, just three weeks late, he was the man in the middle for the 2-1 defeat at Dens Park when Stephen Pearson’s goal was not enough to earn his side anything during Stephen Craigan’s temporary tenure.

The most recent was the memorable 2-1 win over Aberdeen at Fir Park last March when a Scott McDonald header and an opportunistic Moult goal gave Mark McGhee’s side all three points.

The only game other came in February of the 2014/15 season when Dundee were again the opponents, and they won 0-1 in North Lanarkshire courtesy of a Paul McGinn goal after twelve minutes.

Don will be ably assisted by Stuart Stevenson and Gordon Crawford, with John Beaton on fourth official duties.

Marketing and Fan Engagement manager Ryan Murrant believes that there is a lot of work to be done to improve the supporters match day experiences.

Having been at the club for a few weeks now, Ryan caught up with MFC TV to talk about what he plans for the future at Motherwell FC.

Working closely with COO Alan Burrows and the various departments at the club, Ryan is looking forward to seeing his work improve fan experiences.

Ryan said: “It’s a great place to be and there’s a lot to be done. The first few weeks are about understanding what the club wants to do and in working with Alan Burrows and the other team managers in areas that we need to improve.

[pullquote]The first few weeks are about understanding what the club wants to do and in working with Alan Burrows and the other team managers in areas that we need to improve.[/pullquote]

“I previously worked at Doncaster Rovers and they’ve been working hard over the past few years to improve the supporters experience and they’re a shining light within English football, especially in the lower leagues.”

He added: “We did quite a lot there with their supports, both older and younger as well because they are the next generation which is important to any club and that’s the case up here as well.

“We won Family Club of the Year in League One and that’s something we hope we can bring here as well in improving the family experience and capture the imaginations of the youngsters.”

[pullquote]Our short-term aim is to do in-depth surveys of the different supporter groups, starting with the family stand, just to understand what the fans want and need and to make their match-day experience better.[/pullquote]

Having spent his time gaining an understanding of the direction the club wants to go, Ryan explained what the fans can expect in both the near and distant future.

He said: “We have short, mid and long-term strategies in place and first of all, our short-term aim is to do in-depth surveys of the different supporter groups, starting with the family stand, just to understand what the fans want and need and to make their match-day experience better.

“We’re looking at a recruitment process to bring in Supporter Liaison Officers (SLOs). A lot of clubs have in-house SLO’s and there are some very good ones but my view and Alan’s view is that SLO’s should be independent of the club, not paid by the club and should represent the supporters.”

Watch Ryan’s full first interview at MFC TV and subscribe for more exclusive content.

Motherwell starlet Jamie Semple has been included in the 2016 Scotland Victory Shield squad.

15-year old Semple, who was a second half substitute for the Under 20s against Hibernian yesterday, is a pupil at Braidhurst High School and will form part of the 21-man group for games against Northern Ireland (30th Oct), Wales (1st Nov) and Republic of Ireland (4th Nov).

Jamie currently plays with the Motherwell Under 17s squad, led by current ‘Well players Keith Lasley and Stephen McManus, and was recently involved in the Scotland Under 16s squad’s double header with France at the Oriam in Edinburgh last month.

[pullquote]The onus is on Jamie, and the other young lads, to keep working hard, keep doing the right things and pushing themselves as much as they can to be the best people and footballers they can be.[/pullquote]

Academy Director Scott Leitch said: “We’re delighted Jamie has been included in the squad, he deserves it.

“We believe we have a host of talented players at that level and indeed, during the summer we had Jamie Stevenson, Sam Duncan and Kyle Connell in the large Scotland squad get togethers, so the direction of travel for the Academy is good.

“The onus is on Jamie, and the other young lads, to keep working hard, keep doing the right things and pushing themselves as much as they can to be the best people and footballers they can be.”

Pictures: Youth Football Scotland

Motherwell FC can today confirm the signing of a very special new player.

Robbie Boyd put pen to paper on a one-year deal after he won the opportunity to officially sign for Mark McGhee’s side as a prize at a sponsors dinner.

And it was a huge moment for the youngster, who admitted this is one of the biggest moments of his life.

Robbie said: “This is just something I’ve dreamt of since the age of six when I played football in my back garden and still do today.

“It’s great to be sitting here finalising this and this interview is something I used to practice as a wee boy after I imagined scoring a hat-trick against Accies.”

Boyd will wear the number 48 jersey this season, and admitted that signing for his boyhood club is a dream come true for him and his family too.

He said: “I’m over the moon to be honest and it’s hard to properly put it in to words.”

He added: “Me and my family have been season ticket holders for the last three years and now to be a player is something I never thought would happen. They say never meet your heroes but they don’t say anything about playing against them and competing for a place in the starting eleven!”

Extended highlights from Excelsior Stadium as the Under 20s lose 0-3 to Hibernian in the Development League.