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    Season Tickets: 2011/2012

  • Archive

    Cup Final Ticket Information

  • Archive

    McCall keen on ‘Kingmaker’ role

  • Archive

    Hammell hoping to halt hoodoo

  • Archive

    Carling Scottish Cup Mates Challenge

  • Archive

    Officials appointed for Rangers clash

  • Archive

    McCall delighted with Steel grit

  • Archive

    Hearts draw in pictures

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    Hearts 3 – 3 Motherwell

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    Jones keen to play his part

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    Season Tickets: 2011/2012

    Motherwell Football Club are today delighted to announce full details of the 2011/2012 Season Ticket.

    Chief Executive Leeann Dempster issued the following update:

    Dear ‘Well fans,

    Thank you for supporting Motherwell FC in the last year as a season ticket holder. Everyone at the Club would like to thank you for your personal support and ask that you keep it up next year and do everything you can to deepen your relationship with the Club and to get your family, friends and colleagues involved.

    On the field it is fair to say that we have had a terrific season: a CIS League Cup Semi, top 6 in the league, 3 wonderful summer European rounds taking us literally a kick of the ball away from qualifying to the Europa League group stages. And then the small matter of a Cup Final to look forward to at the end of May. As the banner said ‘Time for New Heroes’. Stuart McCall and his team are building a superb spirit to match on the field talent and it is a real pleasure for all of us to work around Fir Park.

    New Club Ownership and Strategy

    As you will be aware our Chairman is handing on the Club at the end of the season. The Board are working hard on the best form of structure that will achieve 3 main goals:

    • To ensure we can secure the financial future of the Club so that we can put the best possible team on the park backed by the most professional training, coaching and development talent, facilities and resource.
    • To maximise engagement with our fans in a deeper relationship with the Club; this will mean a direct say in how the Club is run, what our strategy is and the ability to get more enjoyment from the Club than just the matchday itself. We are working to tailor this to suit all budgets so that every fan can play a part.
    • To invest in the service we provide our fans, sponsors and commercial supporters and crucially to the wider community.

    We mean what we say when we target being Scotland’s best Family and Community Club but we have a lot more work to do. We also have to think carefully around the major strategic decisions on issues like our Stadium, Training Facilities and Academy. This work is being done and we want to get it right.

    In the meantime these pages contain details of the offers we have created for next season which we hope will secure your support.

    Encouraging Families and Children to the Club

    As part of our ongoing commitment to families we are continuing to offer the fabulously successful Cooper deal where an adult or senior citizen also qualifies to bring along two children 16 or under for free (season ticket books will be issued). 

    We are also now launching a new offer to the Phil O’Donnell Stand and the East Stand targeted at the under 13’s:

    Many supporters tell us that they came to their first match at Fir Park with a relative and that they were ‘lifted over the gate’.  Youngsters are the life blood of any club, the supporters of the future so with a nod to the past, we have introduced our new “WELLevate” juvenile ticket.  This is an entirely new initiative whereby if you buy and adult or senior citizen season ticket, you can bring along any kid aged 12 or under for free all season (season ticket book will be issued).  We have also reduced the prices of ALL Juvenile and Young Adult season tickets throughout the stadium.

    New Discounts for Season Ticket Holders

    Motherwell season ticket holders will now benefit from over 20 discounts and offers from a range of companies such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway and Livingwell throughout Lanarkshire and beyond.  Full details, along with terms and conditions, will appear on the official site later today. 

    Being a season ticket holder at Fir Park is more than just a right to view games, it is being part of our Club. There are various ways to pay for your season ticket and at the request of supporters we have introduced an interest free option where you can pay by monthly standing order.  

    Everyone who knows and loves Motherwell will tell you it is a special Club. You need to be part of it to get that. So all of us need to do everything we can to get others involved so we can reach our full potential on and off the pitch.

    If you have any ideas then we would certainly love to hear them – you can send us an email at mfc@motherwellfc.co.uk

    Yours


     
    Leeann Dempster
    Chief Executive

    *CLICK HERE FOR 2011/2012 SEASON TICKET PRICES

  • Archive

    Cup Final Ticket Information

    Motherwell FC are today delighted to confirm ticketing arrangements for the forthcoming Scottish Cup Final versus Celtic on May 21st.

    HOW TO BUY

    CURRENT 2010/11 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS

    Current 2010/11 Season Ticket holders will have priority for six days starting from Monday 2nd May 2011. A maximum of four tickets will be available at the Ticket Office and a unit in Brandon Parade on production of special voucher C from the back of the book.

    You can speed up the purchasing process by downloading and completing a Pre-Sale Application form, remembering to bring it with you when you are purchasing your Cup Final tickets:

      SEASON TICKET HOLDER PRE-SALE APPLICATION FORM

    NEW 2011/2012 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS

    Any fan purchasing a season ticket for the 2011/2012 season will have the same privileges as current ticket holders i.e. the ability to purchase up to four Cup Final tickets on production of the sales receipt from the Ticket Office.

    It is worth noting that an adult and two juvenile’s ticket for the Davie Cooper Stand will cost just £290 – an incredible £637 saving from what you would pay if you attended every game paying at the gate.

    And new for 2011/2012, our new “WELLevate” scheme allows any adult in either the East or Phil O’Donnell Stand to claim a free juvenile ticket with any adult ticket! It’s not quite getting lifted over the turnstile, but in 2011, it’s the closest you’re going to get!

    And that’s not all… In an exciting new scheme, Motherwell Season Ticket holders will benefit from a range of discounts and offers from a range of companies such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway and Livingwell, throughout Lanarkshire and beyond.

    SUPPORTER BALLOT

    Any remaining tickets after Saturday 7th May will go into a Supporter Ballot/General Sale. This is where Motherwell fans can register for any additional tickets that are left after the initial season ticket holder priority period.

    Fans should CLICK HERE to register and the club will contact successful applications from Monday 9th May onwards.

    WHERE YOU CAN BUY TICKETS

    You can buy your tickets from three different locations:

    The Main Office @ The Chapman Building:

    You can purchase your Cup Final Tickets and 2011/2012 Season Tickets (ALL).

    The Ticket Office @ The Chapman Building:

    You can purchase your Cup Final Tickets and 2011/2012 Season Tickets (ALL).

    Unit 40 @ Brandon Parade (Motherwell Town Centre):

    The new unit is on the site of the old Birthdays / Thorntons (most recently an art store) – You can purchase your Cup Final Tickets and 2011/2012 Season Tickets (First Time / Lapsed ONLY).

    PRICES

    SOUTH STAND (SECTIONS P1 – P6) £35
    WEST STAND (SECTIONS B1 – B8) £28
    WEST STAND  – FAMILY (SECTIONS A1 – A5) £25 / 10
    • The Family Section will be located in the West Stand – Sections A1 to A5.
    • A Juvenile ticket in the Family Section is considered to be children aged fifteen and under. Any adult attempting to enter the Family Section without a child/children aged fifteen and under will be refused entry to that section.
    • At the request of a number of supporters, and similar to the Semi Final, Sections B1 to B5 in the West Stand has been designated as a “Singing Section” for like-minded fans wishing to back the team in their own unique and vocal style. Please ask for this Section when purchasing tickets if you wish to sit there.
    • No telephone orders can be taken and no refunds or exchanges can be given after purchase.
    • Fans requiring disabled tickets should contact Elaine MacDonald at the club on 01698 338068 or email tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk.


    Click Stadium Plan to enlarge

  • Archive

    McCall keen on ‘Kingmaker’ role

    Stuart McCall has expressed his delight that Motherwell are in such a prominent position in the forthcoming race for the SPL title.

    Rangers visit Fir Park on Saturday afternoon knowing that a defeat to the in-form Steelmen could represent the end of their realistic title hopes, while ‘Well also travel to Celtic Park on the final day of the season.

    Among the intrigue is the fact that a title win for Celtic would actually guarantee Motherwell European football next season.

    And while McCall laughs off any conspiracy theories which suggest the Hoops could receive preferential treatment from the men in Claret and Amber, he does confess that the club is basking in being among the crème de la crème of the SPL.

    “It’s brilliant,” the Motherwell boss enthused. “I’m not going to lie about that. If we hadn’t finished in the top-six then we wouldn’t have had much to play for, with all respect to the sides involved down there. There are a lot of meaningless games, so we are just delighted to be involved in the title shake up.

    “And we still have plenty to play for in the SPL. We are still looking to catch Kilmarnock and we have a massive game against them as the second-last game of the season at Fir Park.

    “These are the games that everyone; the players, the fans and the staff all want to be involved in, and the players deserve it for the work they have done in recent weeks.”

    If the Steelmen are to damage the Gers’ title hopes then they will have to negate a winless run stretching nine years, all the way back to 2002, when James McFadden downed a Rangers side which included Ronald de Boer.

    Since then, it has been tale after tale of woe against the Ibrox side, but McCall is determined that every run has to come to an end – and he reckons his side are in the form to do it.

    Indeed, on the back of six matches unbeaten and four consecutive home wins, including a 2-0 win over Celtic, it is hard to argue against the boss.

    The 46-year old continues: “The disappointing thing about the three SPL matches against Rangers is that we have probably been at our poorest this season. We had been heavily beaten before I arrived here and then we went to Ibrox and were hammered.”

    “Having said that, the Co-operative Insurance Cup match gave us a lot of confidence and Rangers will know that they are in for a tough game here tomorrow. All the pressure is on them, and I expect an interesting afternoon.

    “It’s been a long, long time since we last beat Rangers, and it’s about time we redressed the balance.
     
    “We’re on a great run, especially at home as we’ve won our last four matches at Fir Park, and we go into the match with a fully fit squad, bar Stevie Saunders. So we will go into the match in high spirits and we have the added carrot of the cup final, which has kept everyone sharp and playing at the top of their game – so it’s a great situation.”

    McCall also addressed one of the main issues making the ‘Well faithful a tad pensive; contract negotiations. The club confirmed last week that John Sutton has been offered a new deal, intended to ward off interest in the 17-goal hit-man and keep him at Fir Park.

    And with players like Jennings, Craigan and Jeffers also expiring this Summer, the gaffer has confirmed he has started discussions with several other key players, with a view to keeping them in North Lanarkshire – and he expects a busy couple of weeks.

    “I’ve spoken to a couple of agents and I expect to carry on the discussions into next week. But sometimes the player is in the position of power when it comes to negotiations, especially when they are coming off the back of such a good season.

    “There’s a lot of work to be done between now and the end of the season, but we just have to hope that we get to where we want to be in terms of contracts. It will be a busy time, that’s for sure.”

  • Archive

    Hammell hoping to halt hoodoo

    “It’s been too long,” proclaims Stevie Hammell when told of the nine-year barren run against Rangers – and the ‘Well stalwart is desperate to lay the hoodoo to rest.

    The Motherwell left-back is the only player in the current crop of Steelmen stars to have played on December 26th 2002, when a solitary James McFadden strike was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for the youthful Claret and Amber side.

    In fact, Allan McGregor is the only other player on either side who was in the match squad that day, keeping the bench warm for the Gers that afternoon. It is an indication of just how much time has passed since the last ‘Well triumph.

    Now the former Scotland International is looking to end this run – at the 34th time of asking.

    “I just heard that stat, and I honestly can’t believe it,” a stunned Hammell smiled. “It’s far too long. Rangers are a great side but you would think in that time we would have been able to get a win with the amount of time we’ve played them. Hopefully that changes tomorrow

    “I can hardly even remember the game; it seems like such a long time ago now. I just think it’s about time we won so we’ll go out there and try and do it tomorrow.”

    The history books may favour the opposition tomorrow, but recent form seems to suggest the Steelmen have a fighting chance. ‘Well are six games unbeaten coming into this game, and have displayed a super resilience and confidence in recent weeks.

    That run of victories included a win over Rangers’ title challengers Celtic at Fir Park and the 29-year old thinks the team can take belief from that convincing and startling win over the Hoops.

    “Against Celtic we had every one of our players at the very top of their game,” he praised. “We worked on our game plan all week and it came off perfectly on the day.

    “Every game against the Old Firm is like that; if you aren’t up for the fight and you don’t have all your players at their very best then you’ll get nothing from the game. We’re confident at home and we believe that we can beat anyone here, so we’ll give it our best.

    Hammell also laughed off any suggestion that Motherwell will be hoping Celtic win the league, and in doing so secure the Steelmen a place in Europe next season – for what would be a remarkable fourth consecutive season.

    Instead, the former Southend man has set his sights on lifting the Scottish Cup and qualifying for continental competition off their own back.

    He continued, bluntly: “To be honest we don’t care who wins the league. We want to win the Cup and get into Europe ourselves. We don’t want to be relying on which team wins the league or which team doesn’t win the league.”

  • Archive

    Carling Scottish Cup Mates Challenge

    Four ‘Well fans took part in the Carling Mates Challenge at half time during our Scottish Cup semi-final match at Hampden two weeks ago.

    Derek Anderson from Wishaw was the Carling competition winner who took to the park at half time with his mates Scott McClure, Scott McCarren and Stuart McNeil in the hope of scoring against our U19 goalie Willie Muir.

    Scottish Cup Final hospitality at Hampden was up for grabs for those who hit the back of the net, so there was more than pride at stake!

    If you’re over the legal drinking age, take a look at the video on Carling’s Facebook page to see how they got on www.facebook.com/carling

    Carling will be doing a competition in the Scottish Sun for another set of mates to take part at the Scottish Cup Final, we’ll let you know when it’s going in so you can enter.

    Carling

  • Archive

    Officials appointed for Rangers clash

    Referee for Saturday’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash with Rangers will be Mike Tumilty.

    40-year-old Tumilty will be taking charge of his fifth ‘Well game of the campaign, having previously been the man in the middle for the 1-0 win at Rugby Park back in August, the 2-0 away success at Tynecastle at the end of September, the 2-1 win at the Caledonian Stadium in early November and, most recently, the 3-1 defeat at Rugby Park six weeks ago.

    Five games is way more than he managed the whole of last season, where he took charge of just the one ‘Well game. That was at Fir Park; a single Lukas Jutkiewicz goal was enough to give the Steelmen a 1-0 win over local rivals Hamilton Accies in February.

    The season before last, he overseen the home win against Accies (again) as well the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Kilmarnock in a miserable Monday night at Fir Park – live on the now defunct Setanta Sports.

    It’s been a busy season for Mike who has handled fourteen SPL games already this campaign, most recently Dundee Utd’s 2-0 success against St Johnstone three weeks ago.

    His overall record in charge of Motherwell is pretty good. Of the eleven Motherwell games he has officiated, the Steelmen have won eight, drawn nil and lost three. Nineteen goals have hit the back of the opponents net, whilst eleven have been conceded.

    35 yellow cards have been flashed in those games, 22 to a player wearing Claret and Amber. Thankfully, not one single player has seen red.

    He will be ably assisted by Willie Conquer and Stephen Mitchell with Steve Conroy appointed as fourth official.

  • Archive

    McCall delighted with Steel grit

    Stuart McCall was full of praise for his relentless Motherwell side after they orchestrated a phenomenal comeback to secure a draw at Tynecastle.

    Hearts looked to be cruising to a comfortable victory in the Capital as they powered to a 3-0 lead in the first 50 minutes, thanks to a penalty from Craig Thomson, a Rudi Skácel strike and a powerful Ryan Stevenson header.

    Yet, inspired by the clinical finishing of John Sutton, the trickery of Steve Jones and the delivery of Tom Hateley, Motherwell managed to stage a rousing comeback, culminating in a stunning John Sutton headed equaliser on 88 minutes.

    “It was a great advert for Scottish football,” McCall smiled afterwards.  “I am proud of the players for the way they came back.

    “I said at half time, regardless who gets the next goal we need to play to the final whistle and they certainly did that. I think we still had a couple of good chances in the first half, and with the we way play, we were always going to create chances.”

    The Motherwell gaffer once again re-iterated his desire to hold onto his master marksmen. Sutton’s brace takes the former Spurs youth to a remarkable 17 for this season and it seems almost inevitable that some substantial numbers will be waved his way come this summer.

    Yet McCall believes his striker would do well to spurn the advances of richer clubs, in order to keep enjoying his football and continue scoring goals – and he confirmed that Sutton has been offered an extended deal at Fir Park.

    “We have offered him the best deal we can offer him,” the 46-year old confirmed. “Regardless if he goes on to score a hat-trick in the Cup Final or whatever. We’d love him to stay; the grass isn’t always greener.

    “We have come in and we have tried to build an environment people enjoy working in, and they want to come and work to develop. I think John does enjoy it here, he has good friends and he knows he is thought highly of – and if the offer is good enough we will be delighted if he stays.

    “I would imagine there are clubs in England and clubs like Hearts who would be interested in him. I spoke to his agent a month ago, and I was open with him – and he said he wouldn’t speak to anyone else before he spoke to us.

    “Sometimes it is not all about finance, it can be about job satisfaction, bottom line is people wanting to come into work and enjoying themselves. But if the offer isn’t enough we will need to look anywhere else.”

  • Archive

    Hearts draw in pictures

    Pictures from the 3-3 draw with Hearts in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League at Tynecastle.

    These action shots and more are available to buy online at www.motherwellpics.com.

    [svgallery name=”hearts230411″]

  • Archive

    Hearts 3 – 3 Motherwell

    [tab:Match report]

    Motherwell remain unbeaten at Tynecastle this season after a monumental second-half comeback against Hearts in Gorgie.

    The game looked to be over for the Steelmen as Hearts raced to a 3-0 lead in the first 50 minutes, thanks to a penalty from Craig Thomson, a Rudi Skácel strike and a powerful Ryan Stevenson header.

    Yet Stuart McCall’s cup finalists would not be beaten, and pulled two goals back in quick succession, through John Sutton and Tom Hateley.

    And a remarkable afternoon in the Capital was completed as John Sutton stooped to head home his 17th goal of the season, and rescue a remarkable point.

    The hosts, on a run of just one win in seven matches, made two changes from the side which drew against Inverness Caledonian Thistle the previous week, with Eggert Jonsson coming into the team in the place of Andrew Driver and Marian Kello replacing Jamie MacDonald. Once again the PFA Player of the Year nominee David Templeton had to be content with a place on the bench.

    Motherwell re-jigged their team from the previous week’s demolition of St Johnstone, with Gavin Gunning, Stevie Saunders and Steve Jones coming in for Stevie Hammell, Chris Humphrey and Steve Jennings, the latter two ruled out through injury.

    A low-key opening in the torrential Gorgie rain was enlivened after twenty minutes as a sharp Rudi Skácel header was saved by the sprawling Darren Randolph. That was immediately followed by a Craig Thomson free-kick, which swept inches over the ‘Well cross-bar.

    And Hearts managed to turn that pressure into a lead just before the half-hour mark. Willie Collum adjudged Stevie Saunders to have fouled Ryan Stevenson in the box, despite the contact looking fairly minimal in the area.

    Craig Thomson stepped up and sent Darren Randolph the wrong way to give the Jambos the lead.

    Jim Jefferies’ side, without a win in three meetings at Tynecastle against Motherwell, took confidence from that opener and doubled their lead before half-time, with Rudi Skácel firing high past Darren Randolph. While the first goal was seeped in controversy, the second was superb, coming after a slick one-two with Stephen Elliott.

    Motherwell regrouped admirably, and could easily have pulled a goal back in a promising close to the half. Firstly Steven Saunders point-blank header was saved by the returning Marian Kello, before Jamie Murphy was slipped through on goal at an angle, only to see his shot saved.

    The pattern was set for a pulsating second half when, just eight minutes in to it, a goal was put on the board. It went the way of Hearts, as Suso Santana’s cross was headed home firmly by the arriving Ryan Stevenson.

    That came moments after Stevenson had struck a low shot from a tight angle – which struck the inside of one post, rolled along the goal-line, and hit the other post before bouncing out. So, perhaps some deserved luck for the former Ayr man.

    If the game was dead and buried at 3-0, then someone forgot to tell the Steelmen.

    Moments after Hearts fired in their third goal Motherwell pulled a goal back, with a well-worked headed goal of their own. Steve Jones danced brilliantly into the box, and hung a stunning cross to the back post where John Sutton nodded home.

    And a matter of minutes later Tom Hateley made it 3-2, as his whipped in-swinging delivery evaded everyone and crept past Kello at the far post.

    Both sides exchanged excellent efforts as a pulsating clash raged from end to end. Ian Black lashed a shot inches over the bar while Steve Jones came a matter of centimetres away from levelling the scores, striking the foot of the post with a sharp low drive.

    You sensed there was still a twist in this extraordinary tale, and it was delivered, with 88 minutes on the clock, by the in-form, in-demand John Sutton.

    The big Englishman’s movement inside the penalty area was phenomenal as he darted to the near post to flick on a Gavin Gunning cross. The header was delicate and accurate, and found the far corner, sending the travelling Motherwell fans wild.

    It capped an incredible afternoon at Tynecastle, Stuart McCall heading back across the M8 the happier of the two managers.

    [tab:As it happened]

    Graham Barnstaple at Tynecastle

    Full time: 3-3; what a comeback, another performance of great character and spirit when the game looked lost.

    90mins – Three minutes being added on, time for a fourth!?

    89mins – GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL – 3-3, an amazing comeback, Gunning’s cross to the front post is flicked past Kello by head of Sutton, is it a hat trick?

    87mins – The sun has finally came out with three minutes left!

    83mins – Hateley releases Jeffers whos blasts wide with only the keeper to beat, we should be level with the chances we’ve made.

    82mins – Another Hearts change Skacel off Driver on.

    73mins – Jones sees a shot beat the keeper but bounce clear off the post.

    70mins – Hearts make another change, Suso off (and taking about five minutes to do it) and Templeton on.

    65mins – Kello has just made two great saves from long range shots from Hateley and Jeffers, a completely different game now!!

    60minsGOAL! 3-2, Hateley free kick from wide on the left either goes straight in or takes a flick from Sutton, but no matter we are back in it!!

    58mins – crowd is 13039, not bad considering the weather.

    57 mins – Maurice Ross on for Steven Saunders.

    55mins – GOAL – 3-1, great run from Jones down right, picks out Sutton to head in his 16th of the season from close range.

    53mins GOAL – 3-0, Suso cross from right picks out the unmarked Stevenson to power a header past Randolph from about 6 yards out.

    49mins – Big escape, Stevenson turns Craigan on bye line, and his shot from a tight angle hits both posts and somehow comes out.

    48mins – Booking for Suso Santana for a hack on Gunning.

    46mins – Second half underway, Hearts have brought on Mrowiec for Webster – no changes for Well.

    Interval: Lovely Royal Wedding cup cakes in the press room at half time.

    Half time:  2-0 Hearts bit better towards the end of the half…..

    43mins – Hateley to Murphy whose shot at the front post saved at front post by Kello.

    41mins – Our best chance, a Saunders header looks as though it was going in but Kello somehow managed to claw the ball out.

    36mins  – GOAL – Hearts, Skacel plays a one two at the edge of the box before firing a shot high past Randolph from 10 yards out to make it 2-0.

    31mins – After giving a goal kick when Bouzid heads out Hearts break and Stevenson hits the post with a 20-yard shot.

    25mins – That’s six penalties Willie Collum has awarded in his last two and a bit games now, two to Celtic, three for Rangers and this one.

    25mins – If you are going to give penalties for this sort of thing we’ll end up with loads of pens a game, also a soft booking for Saunders.

    25mins – GOAL – Pen for Hearts jostling in the box, Saunders push on someone and Craig Thomson blasts home leaving Randolph no chance.

    21mins – a ridiculous booking for Murphy, he miss-hits a clearance and the ball spun up and hit his arm – a foul but not deliberate.

    20mins – Brilliant save from Randolph to turn a header from Skacel over the bar from close range.

    11mins – Ian Black is flat out after taking a Tom Hateley free kick square in the face, but it looks as though he will be okay to carry on.

    8mins – we’ve forced 2 early corners but no real danger from either of them.

    1mins – Hearts kick off and the crowd are asked to make some noise as always here.

    [tab:Reaction]

    Motherwell manager Stuart McCall:

    “That’s what they’ve shown in the last month, they’ve backed each other up, they’ve gone to the last minute.

    “Fair play to both sets of players, they’ve played a great game. It could’ve been 6-6.

    “They hit the post, we hit the post, there were chances galore, really good entertaining attacking football and it was a great, great advert for Scottish football.

    “Some of our play was outstanding, so was Hearts’.”

    Hearts manager Jim Jefferies:

    “Credit to them, they came back and got a draw; It was a fantastic game for the neutral but a sore one for us to take.

    “We played so well and we were in a winning position and we’re a bit gutted that we didn’t hold on. A penalty by Craig Thomson, a strike by Rudi Skacel and a header by Ryan Stevenson put Hearts in command, but John Sutton’s double, which sandwiched a Tom Hateley goal, levelled the scores.

    “At three-nil, we were playing really well. Everything was fine and then we felt the referee gave a shocking decision against Stephen Elliott, just inside his own half. From the resulting free-kick, it cost us a goal.

    “The second wasn’t defended well. We should have enough bodies there to go and meet it and put it away and clear it.

    “And the third one’s worse because they’ve got a great cross in from their point of view, we know Sutton’s very good at getting in front of people, he had more determination than we have defensively to go and meet the ball and we should’ve put it in Row Z.

    “I am gutted really because it feels like a defeat. There’s a lot to be pleased about the performance. I thought we were really good up until when the second goal went in.”

    [tab:Man-of-the-match]

    [poll id=”51″]

  • Archive

    Jones keen to play his part

    Steve Jones has praised the talent of the Motherwell squad – but has set his sight on proving he too is worthy of a regular place in the starting eleven.

    The Northern Irishman admits that he has been surprised with the overall standard of the Scottish game; in particular, the ‘Well ranks, and he has tipped the likes of Jamie Murphy, Chris Humphrey and Shaun Hutchison for great things.

    “I see enough talent there to go, at the very least, into the Championship,” he praised. “The players here are still young and learning and have a great opportunity.

    “There’s even clubs in the English Premier League – your Bolton’s and Fulham’s – who bring in young players and nurture them through. There are definitely boys here who have that potential. I really think the sky is the limit.

    “John Sutton is banging in the goals, Murph (Jamie Murphy) and Humphs (Chris Humphrey) have been superb and I have been really impressed with big Hutch (Shaun Hutchinson) who has been really dominant and impressive at the back.”

    Despite what he admits is fierce competition for a first-team place, the former Northern Irish internationalist has hopes of fighting his way into the first-team reckoning at Fir Park.

    If he achieves that, and perhaps features in a Cup final in the process, Jones confesses that he would be keen to sit down and talk terms with Motherwell. His contract at parent club Walsall expires in the summer and he would not be averse to extending ‘a really enjoyable’ spell in North Lanarkshire.

    No-one is totally safe; the squad which played in the semi-final may not be the squad that plays in the final,” the 34-year old said keenly. “So I’ll be on my toes, just like the rest of the players.

    He continued: “I’m open to all options. I see no reason why I wouldn’t want to stay (at Motherwell), as I’m really enjoying my time here and that’s the main thing. It’s too early to start talking about these things – that will come at the end of the season. But I feel like I look after myself the right way and have plenty of football left in me.”

    The Motherwell on-loan winger also dismissed any idea that the Steelmen may switch off in the SPL with the May 21st showpiece to look forward to.

    Instead, he believes it will inspire a surge in the final five games as players fight to secure their place in the team on that special occasion – starting with the trip to Tynecastle; a location where ‘Well are unbeaten in their last three visits. Indeed, Jim Jefferies has not tasted victory over Motherwell in Gorgie since he returned to Hearts.

    “We had a meeting yesterday and we all said that we don’t just want to stay where we are,” the determined former Bradford player insisted. “Especially with a Cup final place on the line; we will push on and hopefully win as many games as we can.”