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Motherwell under 20s suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Partick Thistle tonight – losing 6-3 in the Development League.

A flurry of goals in the opening fifteen minutes and a first half hattrick from Neil McLaughlin sent the hosts in to the half time break 5-2 down.

And in a quieter second half, the Steelmen couldn’t repair the damage as the visitors saw out the game to take all three points at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie.

The game got off to a hectic start when Blyth looped a header over Conor Cullen, despite it looking like the keeper was set to gather it comfortably.

But before the Steelmen had time to settle, Partick hit back through McLaughlin who controlled a loose ball in the heart of the ‘Well box before stroking it in to the bottom corner and past the helpless Ollie Pain.

Two minutes later and Partick had the lead through McLaughlin’s second of the evening. Stealing the ball deep in their own half, Partick sprung a deadly counter attack, with the Thistle midfielder collecting the ball on the left, driving at the Fir Parkers defence and slipping a neat finish in to the far, bottom corner.

Less than three minutes later and before there was even 15 minutes on the clock, Motherwell should have drawn level when Adam Livingstone’s clever run was picked out by a lofted ball over the defence from Jack McMillan on the opposite flank, only for the left back to fluff his header wide of the mark.

Shea Gordon made no mistake with his header a minute later, nodding a Tom Fry cross in to the far corner to equalise in the 15^th minute of the match.

Blyth went close to his second of the night when his towering header flashed inches past Cullen’s far post, just before Partick hit the hosts on the break to take the lead.

Mark Lamont struck the woodwork with a right footed effort but it ricocheted perfectly for Andrew McCarthy to pass in to an empty net.

Two minutes later and Motherwell should have had a penalty. Blyth was at the heart of the action again as he tried to control the ball eight yards from goal, only to be pushed to the deck in what was a blatant foul. The referee waved play on though despite the numerous shouts.

The senior forward nearly drew the Fir Parkers level shortly after the half hour mark, but, from yet another header, he just missed the target.

Dominic Docherty managed to convert a header five minutes later though, rising to nod his header low past Pain from an in swinging McCarthy cross.

The visitors rubbed salt in the Steelmen’s wounds when McLaughlin sealed a first half hattrick. A neat cutback from the right flank fell perfectly for the Thistle man to step on to and power low in to the bottom corner from just inside the box.

The second half got off to a far quieter start than the first. In the first quarter of an hour there was just the one goal compared to the four in the same period in the first half.

Much to the disappointment of the onlooking ‘Well fans it was Partick who drew first blood in the second half, with Nisbet racing through one-on-one and passing low past Pain after he coasted beyond the ‘Well defence far too easily.

Stephen Craigan made a couple of changes in the space of five minutes, replacing Maguire with Armstrong before taking off Blyth for Dylan Mackin.

And the tall striker made his mark just seven minutes after coming on – heading home a cross from Hastie past Cullen in to the bottom corner to reduce the deficit to three.

The Northern Irish coach made his third and final substitution in the 82^nd minute, calling on forward James Scott and withdrawing Gordon.

Motherwell U20s: Pain, McMillan, Livingstone, Maguire (Armstrong ’60), Chalmers, Campbell, Fry, Turnbull, Blyth (Mackin ’65), Hastie, Gordon (Scott ’82)

Unused subs: Pettigrew, Agyeman

At just 19 years of age, Zak Jules looks destined to go on to big things in the game.

Standing at 6ft 3in and developing as a teenager under the guidance of Jaap Stam at Reading – Zak has already racked up 12 appearances for the Scottish national team at different age groups.

But for the young central defender, his spell so far in Lanarkshire has been integral to developing his experience as a player.

“I’ve settled in really well,” the teen admitted. “The players, coaching staff and everyone around the club have been really welcoming which has made it easier for me to get my head down and focus on what’s important – football matches.

[pullquote]The players, coaching staff and everyone around the club have been really welcoming which has made it easier for me to get my head down and focus on what’s important – football matches.[/pullquote]

“I feel this spell here at Motherwell is what I’ve needed to improve myself as a player.”

He added: “One thing that young players don’t have is experience and luckily enough for me I’ve come up here to get that.”

Ahead of Saturday’s crucial encounter with St Johnstone, Zak looked back on what he admitted was a hard loss to take against Aberdeen on Saturday.

He said: “You’ve got to take the positives from the game – we had a game plan and we stuck to it really well, we made it very hard for Aberdeen.

“But against a good side like Aberdeen if you give them an inch they’ll punish you and unfortunately we gave them a little bit too much room in the last two minutes of the game.”

He added: “That makes it hurt a lot more than the 7-2 defeat when you’ve gone a whole 90 minutes without conceding a goal.

“But looking forward, as long as we stick to our game plan I think results will come.”

Returning to Fir Park after consecutive trips on the road, the Reading loanee touched on the significance of bouncing back to winning ways this weekend.

[pullquote]It’s very important on Saturday. We need to start getting those points on the board and climb up the table to get as far away from the bottom two as much as possible.[/pullquote]

He said: “It’s very important on Saturday. We need to start getting those points on the board and climb up the table to get as far away from the bottom two as much as possible.

“I feel our squad is strong enough to do so and I believe in the teammates that I have, as well as believe in myself, to do just that.

“We’ve got to take each game as it comes and hopefully we’ll find ourselves picking up more points than we’ll be dropping.”

Don’t miss Zak’s full interview in the 16th issue of ‘Steelmen’ – Motherwell FC’s official matchday programme – available for £3 this weekend.

Voting has opened for Motherwell’s Player of the Month for February – sponsored by Motorpoint.

Every month, ‘Well fans have the opportunity to cast their vote for who they think has put in the best performances.

February was packed full of tough encounters for the Steelmen, who took on Hearts, Aberdeen, Celtic and Dundee; who did enough to get your vote?

Thanks to club sponsors Motorpoint, the decision is up to the fans, so cast your vote now.

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The next home fixture of the campaign pits the Steelmen against St Johnstone in the Ladbrokes Premiership, and don’t miss out on the chance to experience our matchday hospitality.

There is now limited availability for the vastly popular packages, tailored to suit all budgets and needs.

Choose from our Centenary Suite, Millennium Suite and South Stand Boxes – where you can have a celebration in a box or a day out with friends with our new reduced packages.

[pullquote]It’s a fantastic way to experience a match here at Fir Park, and we look forward to what will be a big day on and off the pitch.[/pullquote]

Head of Commercial and Marketing Suzanne Reid said: “With the St Johnstone game just over a week away, now is the time to secure one of our hospitality packages, which are already selling out fast.

“It’s a fantastic way to experience a match here at Fir Park, and we look forward to what will be a big day on and off the pitch.”

There is also Match Sponsorship options available, but be quick, with all the hospitality packages selling out fast.

For more information, please contact hospitality@motherwellfc.co.uk or phone 01698 33 33 33.

A top Motherwell fan is set to attend this weekend’s Premiership clash against St Johnstone as a mascot.

And for nine year-old Zak MacFarlane, who turns ten on March 27, the upcoming match is extra-special after a tough spell over Christmas for him and his family.

Zak spent the festive period in Wishaw General Children’s Ward suffering from pneumonia.

But the spirited youngster was given a boost when he got the chance to meet a group of Motherwell stars.

Kitted in his beloved ‘Well top, Zak requested to be rushed through his x-ray’s so he didn’t miss out on meeting Chris Cadden, Louis Moult, Keith Lasley, Stevie Hammell, Richard Tait and Lionel Ainsworth.

And Zak’s proud mum Ailsa expressed just how excited her son is for the weekend.

[pullquote]He’s been asking me ‘I wonder what it’ll feel like walking out the tunnel and walking on to the pitch?’ and he’s been counting down the days.[/pullquote]

She said: “He absolutely loved it when the players visited the hospital, it was all he talked about and it was a really nice day.

“He was suffering from pneumonia but he has epilepsy as well so that means there’s spells which are not so good for his health.”

She added: “We’re all ecstatic for him, he’s so excited and this is giving him something to look forward to.

“He’s been asking me ‘I wonder what it’ll feel like walking out the tunnel and walking on to the pitch?’ and he’s been counting down the days.”

Marketing and Fan Engagement manager Ryan Murrant said: “This is exactly what the club is about. We’re a community driven club that can help create magic moments like this.”

He added: “We’re all so glad to hear that Zak is doing better and we’re delighted to have him come to the club for the game.

“He rushed the doctors to speed through his x-ray so he couldn’t miss out seeing the players, and on Saturday he gets an even better experience.”

Motherwell under 20s face Partick Thistle tomorrow evening in the Development League – looking to bounce back to winning ways.

The youngsters slumped to a 1-0 loss away to Ross County last week and face the Jags at the Excelsior Stadium tomorrow, hopeful of bouncing back from the disappointment last Tuesday.

It is the third encounter between the two sides this term, after a narrow 2-1 league win and a dramatic 4-3 Scottish FA Youth Cup victory back in January.

Among the options available for Stephen Craigan are Allan Campbell and Shea Gordon – who were on the bench for the first teams trip to Pittodrie at the weekend.

The game, which kicks off at 6pm, is the under 20s 26th league game of the season.

You can follow all the action live on twitter @MotherwellFC as well as catch the match highlights and post match reaction on MFC TV’s YouTube channel.

On Tuesday, April 4th, CreditFix are going to bring a team of specialist advisors to Fir Park for a free debt advice day that’s available to all.

The purpose of this event is to provide the opportunity for the local community to speak with an advisor about debt and financial issues in a private setting.

Anyone who attends this event is automatically entered into a draw to win hospitality for the Lanarkshire Derby on April 5^th, courtesy of Creditfix.

This prize includes a 3-course meal served for you and a friend, a complimentary bar pre and post-match and half-time refreshments.

[pullquote]Our debt advice day will present people in and around the Motherwell area with the perfect opportunity to speak about their debts in a private and confidential setting.[/pullquote]

Creditfix Marketing Director Andy Taylor said: “We have chosen to host our first debt advice day in Motherwell as our stats show that in every 10,000 people living in the area, 33.4 are seeking help from Creditfix.

“An increase in the number of people seeking help shouldn’t instantly be considered a negative thing, it could reflect how many people are willing to open up and talk about their personal finance issues.

He added: “Tackling problems such as debt head on is always the best course of action, as simply ignoring them can often result in finances spiralling out of control.

“Our debt advice day will present people in and around the Motherwell area with the perfect opportunity to speak about their debts in a private and confidential setting.”

If you need some help with debts, you can arrange an appointment with Creditfix by clicking here: Subscribe

Highlights from Pittodrie as Motherwell lose 1-0 through an injury-time Niall McGinn goal.

Images from today’s 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen in the Ladbrokes Premiership at Pittodrie.

Snaps courtesy of SNSPix

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Caretaker ‘Well boss Stephen Robinson admitted that he could not question the desire of his squad “in any shape or form” as they lost 1-0 away to Aberdeen today.

A hard-fought performance from the Steelmen was undone by a 92nd minute winner from Niall McGinn, leaving the Northern Irishman deflated at full time.

Speaking to MFC TV, Robinson confirmed his disappointment with the result but made sure to praise the performance of his side.

He said: “The result is bitterly disappointing and in terms of the energy and desire the boys gave me and the football club today I can’t question that in any shape or form.

[pullquote]The result is bitterly disappointing and in terms of the energy and desire the boys gave me and the football club today I can’t question that in any shape or form.[/pullquote]

“We’ve had to make an enforced change with Hammy coming off and it leaves us a little bit short at the back and we get punished for it, but we have to deal with it, I can’t ask for any more.”

He added: “They’ve shown that they want to play for Motherwell, they’ve run themselves in to the ground and they’re in the dressing room just now shattered.

“Now we have to pick them up and that’s the standard they have to set for every single game.”

You can watch Robinson’s full post-match interview on MFC TV’s YouTube channel.