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A look back at a memorable fixture between the Steelmen and Dundee ahead of this weekend’s crucial encounter at Fir Park as the post-split fixtures get underway. 

Wednesday, 11th February, 2004.

Jason Dair scored twice for the Steelmen as they won a thrilling encounter with Dundee 5-3 back in February 2004.

Despite the entertaining fixture it was a tough spell for both sides who were under administration at the time.

Neil Barrett put Dundee ahead at Fir Park from Sebastian Kneissl’s pass before now skipper Keith Lasley levelled after a miss by Alex Burns, who set up Dair to make it 2-1.

Barrett headed in his second of the game from a free-kick to level, but David Clarkson fired into an empty net to restore Well’s lead before Nacho Novo equalised from six yards.

Burns put Well 4-3 up after a cross by Dair, who then went on to seal the points courtesy of a Scott McDonald pass, which he duly drove home.

The opener came in the 11^th minute, when on-loan Chelsea striker Kneissl squared for Barrett to slot home from the edge of the six-yard box.

But Terry Butcher’s men hit back just three minutes later, when Clarkson cut the ball back to Burns, who fluffed his shot only for Lasley to fire home instead.

‘Well took the lead after 17 minutes when Dair met a Burns cross before firing past Julian Speroni from 12-yards out.

Barrett was back on the scoresheet for the visotors after 28 minutes. This time, he met Garry Brady’s free-kick with a diving header that left keeper Gordon Marshall with no chance.

The Fir Parkers didn’t have to wait too long for their third goal though, after Burns threaded the ball through to Derek Adams who managed to stab it into the path of Clarkson. The young striker made no mistake as he fired into an empty net with 50 minutes on the clock.

The game was back on level terms again when Novo finished from a tight angle eight minutes later.

But in a frantic spell, the Steelmen were back in front just two minutes later.

Corrigan’s long ball was met by Dair out on the right and he supplied the cross for Burns to finish.

Butcher’s side strengthened their lead and wrapped up the points with 17 minutes remaining. Dair collected substitute Scott McDonald’s pass just inside the area before driving past Speroni.

Motherwell: Marshall, Quinn, Corrigan, Craigan, Hammell, Lasley (McDonald ’53), Dair, Adams, O’Donnell (Bollan ’66), Clarkson, Burns.

Unused subs: Corr, Kinniburgh, Wright.

Attendance: 4,247

Referee: J Rowbotham

There are countless tales of players who look back upon their time in the game and wonder if perhaps they had applied themselves a little more what they might have achieved.  That could never be said of Lee McCulloch however, who put the maximum he could into his career and was well rewarded for it. 

A product of the Motherwell youth set up, like several youngsters of the day he was farmed out to junior football, in Lee’s case at Cumbernauld juniors.

Very early in his senior career Lee almost grabbed the headlines as ‘Well faced MyPa-47 in the UEFA Cup. With seconds remaining and the tie locked at 3-3 on aggregate, Lee’s net-bound shot somehow clipped a post and rolled behind with ‘Well going out on away goals.

He netted his first Motherwell goals in a 6-2 win over Hibs in January 1998 but it was only under Billy Davies did he cement his place as a first pick. Benefiting from playing alongside quality strikers such as Owen Coyle, John Spencer and Don Goodman, McCulloch was showing immense promise and soon became a wanted man.

In March 2001 he joined Wigan for a reported £700.000, then the Latics record signing. Lee helped the Lancashire side progress from the third tier in English football to a 10^th place finish in the Premiership with a League Cup Final appearance along the way.

It was with Wigan that Lee earned the first of his 18 Scotland caps and he was involved in some famous wins, not least the 1-0 victory over France in Paris where he linked up fellow ‘Well youth graduates Stephen Pearson and match winner James McFadden.

After six seasons in England, McCulloch joined Rangers for £2.25m in 2007. By the time he returned north, Lee had moved deeper playing in midfield, and over time he would become a regular in the centre of defence. Prior to Rangers financial difficulties, he would win three top flight titles, three League Cups and two Scottish Cups with the Ibrox side.

Choosing to remain at Ibrox, ironically it was only his home-town club Motherwell who prevented him captaining Rangers from the Third Division to the top flight when ‘Well won the SPFL Premiership play-off in 2015.

Lee moved on to Kilmarnock in the summer of 2015 in a player-assistant manager capacity.  Having been number two to both Gary Locke and Lee Clark. McCulloch is now in his second spell as caretaker manager of the Ayrshire side.

Carl McHugh has won the Motorpoint Player of the Month award for March, decided by you, the fans.

And now you have the chance to win something yourself – the opportunity to present Carl with his award!

Before the next home league clash on April 29, you will get to meet the Motherwell number 8, go trackside ahead of kick-off against Dundee and present the midfielder with his prize in front of the fans.

You will also be able to bring a friend to Fir Park because you’ll be awarded two complimentary tickets to watch the match.

Marketing and Fan Engagement manager Ryan Murrant said: “This has been a great hit among the fans, getting to meet the player himself, walking on the park ahead of kick off in front of a busy Fir Park crowd and of course winning tickets too.

“It’s a terrific chance for any supporter, and we would all like to congratulate Carl  on winning back-to-back Player of the Month awards.”

He added: “You’ll be presenting Carl with his great award and we would like to thank our friends at Motorpoint for helping us get our fans more and more involved. It’s something for the lucky winners to look forward to!”

To enter the competition, click here and follow two simple steps.

After scoring his first goal for Motherwell in his first home start, Allan Campbell sits down with MFC TV’s Lewis Irons to discuss his memorable header. 

The youngster’s crucial, determined goal gave the Steelmen a 4-2 lead over Inverness Caley Thistle in one of the biggest clashes of the campaign.

Allan talks through his goal with Lewis in the latest edition of ‘Goal Zone’.

He said: “I’m still over the moon just now. At training all of the boys have been giving me praise which has been good and it’s not like me to score either.

“It’s great knowing that all of the boys want you to do well and it’s obviously a proud moment for me getting my first Motherwell goal.”

For more exclusive content, subscribe to MFC TV’s official YouTube channel.

The post-split fixtures have been announced, and with the Steelmen set for three more home matches, don’t miss the chance to take in the final games of the campaign in style. 

First up, the ‘Well host Dundee in just under two weeks, followed by Ross County and then Kilmarnock in some hugely important Premiership clashes.

And with some outstanding offers available, we have something for everyone:

• Experience one of our post-split matches from the comfort of a box (adult and children packages available), the Centenary Suite for a sit-down 3-course meal or the Millennium Suite for hot snacks
• Season book holders can upgrade to hospitality from as little as £35pp
• Reduced pricing in place for our home match against Kilmarnock on Tuesday 16^th May

For more information, please contact: hospitality@motherwellfc.co.uk or phone 01698 333 333.

From the juniors to journalism, Andy Walker has been a familiar figure on and off the park in Scottish football over the last four decades.

Tommy McLean made Andy one of his first signings upon taking charge at Motherwell in the summer of 1984, bringing him to Fir Park from Baillieston juniors.

Blooded by McLean in the league around six months after his arrival, the striker came to prominence at exactly the right time, scoring three goals in the final weeks of the season as Motherwell closed in on the First Division title.

Indeed it was Walker who grabbed the goal that secured promotion for Motherwell in the dying minutes of the penultimate match of the season against Brechin City in May 1985.

Gradually making one of the striking berths his own, Walker proved himself a player for the big occasion netting the winner against Rangers in February 1986 and scoring against Celtic in the League Cup Semi Final at Hampden later in the year.

It was the latter who would tempt Walker away from Fir Park in 1987 for a reported fee of £350,000. As so often happens after a move to one of the Old Firm, Andy found himself viewed in a different light and within a year he would earn the first of what would eventually be three international caps for Scotland. It wasn’t without reason though, after he enjoyed a scintillating first season at Parkhead as Celtic won a league and cup double.

After five seasons with Celtic, Walker moved south to Bolton where he was particularly prolific and scored in a number of high profile matches for the Trotters.

Seeking a return to Scotland in 1994 – had Tommy McLean had his way Walker would have served under him once more, but the emergence of Celtic in the bidding war put paid to any realistic hopes McLean had of luring him back to Lanarkshire and he signed for Celtic for a second time.

Thereafter, Andy had spells with Sheffield Utd, Hibernian, Raith Rovers, Ayr Utd, Carlisle, Partick Thistle and Alloa before calling it a day after more than 400 league appearances.

Walker would soon become involved in the media side of the game writing columns for newspapers and appearing as a summariser on television. These days he features regularly on Sky Sports covering both games in Scotland and England.

Extended Highlights from the Excelsior Stadium where the Under 20s come from behind to beat Falkirk 3-2 in the Development League.

Stephen Craigan was pleased with the way his team managed to overcome Falkirk tonight as they secured a 3-2 victory at the Excelsior Stadium.

And a tough Falkirk side, who looked content to sit in and frustrate the Fir Parkers, nearly sparked a late comeback, but the ‘Well held on to take their points tally to their highest ever of 54.

Speaking to MFC TV at full time, the Northern Irishman praised his youngsters.

He said: “We did well because Falkirk sat in a little and went with a 5-4-1 initially, so they smothered our space.

[pullquote]We had a lot of the ball without really hurting them and when you play against a system like that and then you concede it becomes even more frustrating.[/pullquote]

“We had a lot of the ball without really hurting them and when you play against a system like that and then you concede it becomes even more frustrating.”

He added: “So I’m pleased that we were able to play against a team who were quite negative in their set-up, which is fine because there’s no right or wrong way to play, it just made it harder for us to crack and I’m pleased we did.”

Motherwell under-20s secured their highest Development League points tally with a 3-2 win over Falkirk tonight.

A Dylan Mackin brace and Jack McMillan’s second goal in two games was enough for the Fir Parkers to break down a resolute Bairns side.

Stephen Craigan included senior players Jacob Blyth, Joe Chalmers, David Ferguson and Russell Griffiths in his side as the youngsters looked to extend their run of form following last weeks 4-0 victory over St Mirren.

But they endured a difficult opening ten minutes to give themselves an uphill task.

Blyth went down injured after just six minutes and had to eventually make his way off the park and then down the tunnel in crutches. That forced the Fir Parkers in to a hasty change as Jake Hastie came on.

Just a few minutes later though and matters got worse when Reis Peggie fired a thunderous effort past Griffiths from just inside the area.

From that point onwards, Craigan’s side grew in to the game and enjoyed long periods with the ball but couldn’t break down a resolute Bairns backline.

Hastie summed up the Steelmen’s frustrations with an ambitious effort from distance, but McMinn could only push it wide.

From the resulting corner, Falkirk again turned it away from danger but at the expense of yet another set piece.

Adam Livingstone swung a terrific ball in to the area for the head of Mackin, who leaped highest to head beyond McMinn.

On the stroke of half time, Hastie could have nodded the Fir Parkers in front but, on the stretch, couldn’t get over it and it sailed over the bar.

The half time whistle came at a time when Motherwell seemed to be growing in to the game, but the break didn’t halt the youngsters – who came flying out the traps at the start of the second period.

Mackin nodded his second of the game beyond McMinn in the 48th minute but took a hefty knock in the process – showing terrific bravery to head the Fir Parkers in front.

Five minutes later and the youngsters made it three when Hastie’s low effort was palmed in to the path of a grateful Jack McMillan, who made no mistake as he slotted home his second goal in his last two games.

With just over ten minutes remaining, Craigan gave Mackin a rest and brought on Alfredo Agyeman as his side looked to see the game out.

But with just a few minutes to go, Falkirk drew one back and made the final moments a little more nervy for the Steelmen.

From a freekick just outside the box on the right corner of the area, Kyle Johnson struck an unstoppable effort across goal in to the far top corner, right in the postage stamp.

It was too little, too late as far as the visitors were concerned, but for Craigan and the Motherwell under-20s, it was a good win, made sweeter by the fact it secured the club’s highest ever Development League finish.

Motherwell U20s: Griffiths, McMillan, Livingstone, Ferguson, Chalmers, Armstrong, Fry, Turnbull, Mackin (Agyeman ’78), Blyth (Hastie ‘6), Gordon

Unused subs: Pettigrew

U20s boss Stephen Craigan believes it is hugely important for his side to maintain momentum as they head in to the final few games of the season.

And with Falkirk up next for the under-20s, the manager looked ahead to another interesting encounter, with Falkirk just one spot behind the Steelmen in the Development League table.

Speaking to MFC TV, the Northern Irishman said: “Players want to be involved with the first team and they want to step up but that’s a challenge for the players individually.

[pullquote]The challenge for us is to keep them going, but I haven’t really had a problem with them in that sense in the past, so I don’t expect that will come in now.[/pullquote]

“Some of the boys are still fighting for contracts and and some of them are fighting to stay in the game, and some of them are fighting to potentially get on the bench for the first team.”

He added: “The challenge for us is to keep them going, but I haven’t really had a problem with them in that sense in the past, so I don’t expect that will come in now.”

You can watch the full interview with the U20s boss on MFC TV’s official YouTube channel.