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    Mo urges attacking intent

  • Archive

    Message from the Chairman

  • Archive

    Cooper open from 11am this Saturday

  • Archive

    Cup Final tickets go on general sale

  • Archive

    Anticipation building for Murphy

  • Archive

    Ticket Office: Late Opening

  • Archive

    Come and try at the Cup final

  • Archive

    Alcohol restrictions this Saturday

  • Archive

    Randolph desperate for Hampden glory

  • Archive

    Win Scottish Cup Final tickets

  • Archive

    Mo urges attacking intent

    Maurice Ross has called on his Motherwell team-mates to be fearless as they prepare to face Celtic in the Scottish Cup final.

    The former Rangers, Viking Stavanger and Beijing Guoan defender is one of the few Steelmen stars to have Cup final experience, from his time with Rangers.

    Indeed, he played the last time Motherwell reached a major final – opening the scoring with a deft lob over Gordon Marshall to instigate a 5-1 mauling.

    However Ross, now in the claret and amber camp, doesn’t think stage-fright will hit again, and reckons Motherwell have the quality to hurt Neil Lennon’s side.

    “We’re not going to Hampden to be cannon fodder for Celtic; we need to go at them,” the 30-year old challenged. “We’ve beaten them already this season and all the pressure is on them. I’m sure they’ve got the big players to handle that, but we need to go and be positive and realise that it’s a one-off match and we can win.

    “We will need to start the match well, but there’s a bright, gallous quality about our squad. There’s no fear and we should be looking to push high up the field, be brave, and take the game to Celtic. We can’t let them settle as they’re too good and we’ll get penned in – let’s get right in about them straight away.

    Few players will know the pressurised environment of the Old Firm as well as Ross. He spent nine years playing for Rangers, where anything other than consistent and emphatic success is considered unacceptable.

    He is now looking to take that knowledge; that awareness, and use it against Celtic: “Neil Lennon will be saying ‘no, there’s no pressure on us,’ but there is. Let’s not be kidding ourselves here. They will be frustrated and desperate to win this trophy.

    “We just need to defend well and get the ball up to boys like Murphy, Humphrey and Sutton and let them do the business.

    “Any Cup final is massive, and any match against Celtic is massive. I just hope we can go there and give a good account of ourselves.”

    The former Scotland international has shrugged off any suggestions that he will be guiding the younger players through the preparation for the final – “Nah, they wouldn’t listen to me anyway!” – but he does know that those playing in their first final are in for a special occasion.

    Ross is looking to soak up that experience – and then top that off by gaining a place in the matchday squad which will face the Hoops.

    “You have to enjoy the build-up. You get the stay at the hotel, the wee flower on your suit and those little things that make this different from every other week.

    “You’ve got to cherish matches like this; 52,000 inside Hampden, everybody watching at home – there’s no other game on – and a final against Celtic. It’s just important the boys don’t freeze and let the game pass them by.

    “I’m trying to show the gaffer that I’m ready to play my part. I’m fighting fit and I tend to do well in the bigger games, so hopefully that continues on Saturday.”

  • Archive

    Message from the Chairman

    [jwplayer config=myplayer file=https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/wp-content/themes/default/vplayer/JohnBoyle.f4v]

    Motherwell Chairman John Boyle is departing after twelve years at the helm at Fir Park and has this message for supporters.

  • Archive

    Cooper open from 11am this Saturday

    Motherwell Football Club would like to invite you to Fir Park to join the pre-match fun before the big game this Saturday.

    Due to the Cooper Suite being used for Hospitality guests, the kiosks in the Cooper Stand will open as BOTTLE BARS from 11am. 

    All Welcome!

  • Archive

    Cup Final tickets go on general sale

    Scottish Cup Final tickets will go on full general sale from the Fir Park Ticket Office tomorrow (Thursday) morning.

    The remaining few hundred tickets still available will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis.

    The Ticket Office will be open until 9pm both on Thursday and Friday for both ticket sales and collections.

  • Archive

    Anticipation building for Murphy

    Jamie Murphy is reveling in the preparation for this Saturday’s Scottish Cup final, as the whole town embraces the Steelmen’s biggest match in two decades.

    The claret and amber bunting around Motherwell and the frenzy for tickets tell the whole story about the Cup fervour which is currently gripping North Lanarkshire, and ‘Well’s in-form striker is relishing the local hype which surrounds such an extraordinary occasion.

    “The whole town is behind us, and it’s just so good to see,” the former Scotland under-21 star enthused. “You see the flags flying out of the cars and out of people’s windows. It’s really special. We had some local school children in, and they were giving us the good luck messages that the made in class for us.

    “We know those fans will be there to support us. Like the staff, the manager; they just want us to go out and do well, so we’ll give it everything we’ve got on Saturday and hopefully that will be good enough.”

    To say it hasn’t been a normal week of training at Motherwell Football Club would be an understatement. So far it’s been a week of visits from school kids, bowling and golf – not to mention some hard graft in training – as Stuart McCall’s men look to plot the downfall of the giants from Glasgow’s East End.

    There’s also the increased interest from the media, which naturally comes from being the underdogs looking to shock Neil Lennon’s side.

    But young Murphy believes that Stuart McCall is getting the balancing act perfect ahead of the weekend’s Hampden showpiece.

    He 21-year old praised: “We had a day out yesterday with a bit of golf and tenpin bowling, which we wouldn’t normally do on a training week, so you can definitely tell that it’s Cup final week.

    “I really enjoyed it, and all the other boys did too. There was a bit of money getting put on the golf and it was a good laugh and that kind of thing helps to bring the squad together.

    “There are the press duties as well, and we’ve worked hard in training, so it’s all coming together really well and we’ll look forward to training on Thursday and Friday and the game on Saturday.

    “I won the golf, but I think the bowling was rigged!” Murphy accused, pointing the finger of blame firmly at Stuart McCall and his coaching staff. “The first game we had; the highest score won, obviously. But after that they changed it so it was the most improved score which won – so all the staff who were rubbish in the first game did well.”

    Despite the positivity currently flowing through the streets of Motherwell, the ‘Well star is realistic when analysing the task which awaits the players who emerge onto the Hampden turf wearing claret and amber.

    Celtic are overwhelming favourites to beat the Steelmen, with 15/2 available from some bookmakers ahead of the showdown – and Murphy knows he and his team-mates will have to be at their best if they are to lift the 137-year old trophy.

    He acknowledged: “It’s going to be very difficult. Celtic are obviously one of the top sides in Scotland, so to beat them we will have to have eleven players at the top of their game.

    “But it’s a massive game for the club and the fans, so we will be going out there with belief and giving it everything we’ve got. The boys are raring to go and we have a fully fit squad to choose from. Every game is great chance to prove yourself and hopefully all the boys put in a good performance and impresses on Saturday.”

  • Archive

    Ticket Office: Late Opening

    The Ticket Office will be open until 9pm on Thursday and Friday for fans buying and collecting Cup Final tickets.

    Fans that have still to collect their tickets are being strongly urged to do so before close on Friday.

    The small number of remaining tickets will go on full general sale from the Fir Park Ticket Office tomorrow morning (open from 9.30am).

  • Archive

    Come and try at the Cup final

    Fans can kick-off the action at the Scottish Cup Final, and help celebrate UEFA Grassroots Day, with a free come-and-try session in the shadow of the national stadium.
     
    Drop in to Lesser Hampden from 12 – 2pm on Saturday 21st May to take part in fun, free football activities.
     
    Under-16s can test their skills at various skill stations while adults can learn more about Scottish FA coaching courses and Positive Coaching Scotland.
     
    Plus watch young players from Motherwell, Celtic and Queen’s Park as they demonstrate the Scottish FA and Scottish Youth FA’s new National Player Pathway by showing off their skills in 4-a-side, 7-a-side and 11-a-side games.

  • Archive

    Alcohol restrictions this Saturday

    Alcohol restrictions on trains will be rigorously enforced by British Transport Police on the day of the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden, Saturday 21 May 2011.
     
    Supporters will not be allowed to carry or consume alcohol on trains travelling between Lanarkshire and Glasgow, before or after the match between Motherwell and Celtic.
     
    Inspector Ricky McCartney, of BTP, said: “We will be working with our partners at ScotRail and Network Rail, to ensure that everyone who wants to use the rail network to travel to and from the showpiece game of the season can get there safely and on time.

    “However, there are those who are working or travelling by train, who are not attending the match. They should be able to do so with encountering alcohol-fuelled antisocial behaviour.

    “We want everyone going to the match to enjoy themselves and have a good day out. But, they must be aware that alcohol byelaws will be in force and anyone attempting to travel in possession of alcohol will have it confiscated and it will be disposed of.”
     
    The trains affected by the alcohol restrictions are:

    • Glasgow Central to Mount Florida and Kings Park from 9:00am until 2:30pm
    • Motherwell via Blantyre and Bellshill to Glasgow Central from 9:00am until 2.30pm
    • Mount Florida and Kings Park to Glasgow Central from 5:00pm until 8:00pm
    • Glasgow Central to Motherwell via Blantyre and Bellshill from 5:00pm until 8:00pm.

    The restrictions apply to all intermediate stations on the routes and appropriate notice will be given by the train operator, ScotRail.

  • Archive

    Randolph desperate for Hampden glory

    The ever-impressive Darren Randolph is looking for one last milestone in what has been a stunning debut season.

    From European football to a trio of trips to Hampden, via a new clean-sheet record for Motherwell; the Irishman’s first season in Scottish football has been an eventful and hugely successful one.

    And the former Charlton keeper has now set his sights on topping it all – by helping Motherwell lift their first trophy in 20 years, come Saturday.

    The big stopper admits that it will be somewhat unlikely that he pops up with the winning goal, but he has set his sights on a match-winning performance between the sticks against the laudable firepower of Celtic.

    “I’m delighted with how my season has gone so far, playing in Europe and having a couple of good Cup runs,” Randolph said, too modest to mention his own 19 clean sheets. “And I hope it ends well at the weekend.

    “That’s the old cliché; the dream of playing in the final and scoring the winning goal. I suppose that’s not too likely, but I’ll be dreaming of stopping them – though maybe I could score the winning penalty if it goes that far!

    “The big occasion is when the best players stand up and be counted, and I know that all of our boys will do that on Saturday. I give ourselves a great chance.”

    If Randolph is required to play a blinder at the weekend then there is little doubt that he is up to the task. Indeed, his dazzling form has impressed none other than Italian football legend, and more importantly, Ireland boss, Giovanni Trapatonni.

    The ‘Well custodian has been in the last couple of Irish squads, and was included again for the upcoming Carling Nations’ Cup ties.

    But, while he is philosophic about his own hopes – “If I’m picked then I’ll do my best” – Randolph did express his surprise that none of his team-mates, particularly Jamie Murphy, have had similar honours.

    Murphy, Clydesdale Bank Young Player of the Month for April, as well as Scottish Cup Player of the Round in the quarter- and semi-finals this year, was once again left out of the Scotland fold, and the Steelmen number one is puzzled by it.

    “We were all surprised Jamie Murphy wasn’t called up to the Scotland squad,” Randolph confirmed. “In fact we were all surprised he wasn’t nominated for Young Player of the Year.

    “I think he should have been in there. Hopefully he will use Saturday as a stage to say ‘I should be in there – pick me.’”

    The 24-year old also took the opportunity – in front of a packed press corps, as Cup interest hits fever-pitch in North Lanarkshire – to confirm that he is absolutely fit to take his place in goal at the national stadium.

    He missed out on the 4-0 defeat at Celtic Park, and had reportedly been struggling with a thigh strain – but it’s certainly not something that is hindering him now.

    The Bray-born goalie confirmed: “I would have played on Sunday against Celtic if I was asked, but the gaffer thought it would be better if I rested up. But I was absolutely delighted for Lee [Hollis], he deserved that chance, and I was watching everything from the bench.

    “There’s no doubt about my fitness – I am 100% fit and raring to go on Saturday.”

  • Archive

    Win Scottish Cup Final tickets

    Excitement has hit fever pitch as we approach the Scottish Cup Final, where we face Celtic at Hampden Park this Saturday.

    Stuart McCall leads the side into battle dreaming of walking up the famous steps at Hampden to lift the coveted Scottish Cup trophy and thanks to Carling, the official beer of the Scottish Cup, you have the opportunity to be there to watch all the action unfold. 

    Carling have given us a pair of Motherwell match tickets, so you can be at Hampden to cheer us on as we aim to get our hands on the famous silverware.

    For your chance to win simply tell us (over 18s only):

    Q: Who did Motherwell defeat in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final?

    Email your answer, along with your name, address, telephone number and date of birth to scottstevenson@thesportsbusiness.co.uk with “Motherwell tickets” as the subject heading.  Competition closes on Thursday 19th May at 2.00pm.

    Terms & Conditions: 

    • Over 18s only
    • Travel not included

    If you’re over the legal drinking age, Like Carling’s Facebook page for the latest Carling news, offers and giveaways! www.facebook.com/Carling

    Scottish Cup