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    Inverness CT 2 – 0 Motherwell

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    TV: McCall hoping to bounce back

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    Inverness CT: Tickets & Travel

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    Match Sponsorship opportunities

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    Box to Box: Season 2013/14

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    TV: Highlights from Fir Park

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    TV: JJ embarrassed by derby defeat

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    Motherwell U20s 2 – 4 Hamilton U20s

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    TV: Johansson glad of home comforts

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    Under 20s face Hamilton

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    Inverness CT 2 – 0 Motherwell

    [tab:Match report]

     Alan Burrows at the Caledonian Stadium

    Two first-half goals were enough to give Inverness a comfortable 2-0 victory over a lacklustre Motherwell.

    Richie Foran’s early header and Billy McKay’s third goal in as many games nine minutes from the interval moved Caley Thistle two points clear of second-placed St Johnstone.

    Motherwell, who were without Adam Cummins due to a back problem, brought in Bob McHugh and Paul Lawson at the expense of Zaine Francis Angol and Henri Anier following the 3-1 loss to Aberdeen last time out.

    The hosts were unchanged from the team that triumphed 1-0 at Dundee United last weekend.

    Carl Tremarco missed out due to suspension after being sent off for the under-20s in midweek, while Marley Watkins (ankle) and Curtis Allen (knee) were still sidelined.

    Terry Butcher’s men were looking to maintain their perfect start to the new campaign and it took them just four minutes to get off and running.

    Graeme Shinnie’s free kick towards the far post flew towards Richie Foran. The Irishman managed to find space and looped a header past the helpless Lee Hollis.

    It almost went from bad to worse for the visitors when James Vincent almost doubled the home side’s lead, but a timely block by Stephen McManus diverted the shot narrowly over the crossbar following good work by Aaron Doran.

    McCall’s men had made a sluggish start yet they almost levelled when Iain Vigurs set up Keith Lasley, but the visiting captain’s fierce drive from twelve yards was turned away by Inverness goalkeeper Dean Brill at his near post.

    Paul Lawson will have been disappointed with his finish when he got on the end of the resulting corner but his effort from the ‘D’ flew high over the bar.

    Inverness were dominating proceedings however and it took a last-ditch block by Shaun Hutchinson to prevent McKay from creating a clear goalscoring chance after being set up by Doran.

    Doran was pulling the strings for the Highlanders and it was his incisive pass that was chased down behind the Well rear guard by David Raven, who found McKay to convert from close range in the 36th minute.

    It could have got even better for Inverness as the interval approached, but Vincent was inches away from scoring with a spectacular volley from the edge of the area as he latched on to McKay’s flick.

    Although the result and game could well have been out of sight, Bob McHugh will fell he ought to have hit the target with a shot from the edge of the box but like Lawson before him, he watched on frustrated as it sailed over the bar.

    In a bid to try and salvage something from the game, Stuart McCall sent on Stuart Carswell and Anier at the start of the second half for Lawson and McHugh.

    The change seemed to have the desired effect as James McFadden’s surge into the penalty area saw him stand up a cross to the back post that Anier connected with, but Raven was well positioned to make the block.

    Motherwell then spurned a great chance to halve the deficit as Brill misjudged Vigurs’ corner, yet Hutchinson could not quite keep his header on target as it landed on the roof of the net.

    The Steelmen were showing more as an attacking force and looked to have strong claims for a penalty as Raven caught Vigurs from behind, but referee Iain Brines was not interested and waved away the visitors’ protests.

    Hollis denied Doran as the game entered its final ten minutes and from the resultant corner, Foran prodded an effort narrowly wide at the back post.

    At the other end, Anier could and perhaps should have target with an effort from just inside the box but it once again flew wide of target.

    But the hard work had been done by Inverness in the opening half as they eased past Motherwell to keep up their 100 per cent opening to the campaign.

    [tab:As it happened]

     Ally Reilly at the Caledonian Stadium

    FT: Inverness CT 2 – 0 Motherwell

    90mins: 3 minutes added on

    89mins: ICT sub, Williams on for Doran

    88mins: Decent chance there for a late goal. Anier turned on the edge of the box but his drive whistled past the post.

    84mins: ICT sub, McKay off for Agdestein

    82mins: ICT sub, Polworth on for Vincent

    80mins: Vigurs booked for a trip on Shinnie

    76mins: Fine save from Hollis to deny Doran from 20 yards!! From the corner, Foran pokes it just past,

    65mins: Motherwell sub, Francis-Angol on for McFadden

    61mins: Looked like a certain penalty there! Vigurs tripped in the box but ref waves it away much to Lasley’s annoyance

    59mins: Ramsden swings a cross in to the edge of the box. Sutton tries to hit it on the spin but hooks it well over.

    56mins: Decent spell here. Corner to Motherwell swung in by Vigurs….Hutchinson heads inches over!

    51mins: Perhaps the best chance of the game for ‘Well. McFadden picked out Anier at the back post but his shot was well blocked.

    50mins: Danger as Foran sneaks in between McManus and Ramsden and heads just over. That said, it’s been a positive start from Motherwell

    47mins: Lasley sends Anier racing clear through but Raven recovers and wins his side a free-kick

    Second half underway. Come on!

    Motherwell subs at half-time: Anier and Carswell on for Lawson and McHugh

    HT: Inverness CT 2 – 0 Motherwell

    41mins: Very nearly 3 there! After some tidy build-up play, Vincent see’s his shot fly inches over the bar

    39mins: Half a chance there for Motherwell but Sutton’s header from McFadden’s cross is tame and straight at Brill

    35mins: GOAL! McKay makes it 2-0! Motherwell cut open and he converts Raven’s cut-back with ease

    30mins: McHugh blasts his shot from 30 yards well wide and over. Claims it took a deflection, ref disagrees.

    Ramsden clips it in but ICT head clear.

    28mins: Nice footwork from McFadden wins a FK 35 yards out. Too far for a shot?

    26mins: Far too easy as Vincent strolls through the ‘Well defence and squares to McKay. Thankfully Hutchinson is alert and slides it clear

    22mins: Meekings downs injured at the minute. Strangely enough it looked like he got hacked down by his own team-mate

    15mins: Raven somehow finds himself with acres of space on the edge of our box. Had too much time to think about it and scuffed it wide.

    11mins: Corner to Motherwell after Brill does well to divert Lasley’s shot wide. Set-piece comes to nothing.

    3mins: GOAL! Foran makes it 1-0. Free-kick floated in and it’s a fine diving header diverted past Hollis.

    Motherwell kick the game off after both sides switch ends. #COYW

    [tab:Reaction]

    Inverness CT manager Terry Butcher:

    “It was a good first half performance, but I felt that overall it was a game of two halves.

    “We knew that with the wind in the second half Motherwell with get it forward to John Sutton, while they have good pace in their team.

    “They caused us problems, but we defended well and showed a lot of grit, resilience and steel. That’s the new mantra at this club – stamina, steel and style.”

    Motherwell manager Stuart McCall:

    “We talked before the game about settling into the match, but then we find ourselves a goal down after four minutes.

    “I thought that the tempo of the first half just wasn’t good enough, so there’s a lot of work to do.

    “The second half from us was better, but it had to be.

    “I thought they had the most outstanding player on the pitch in Richie Foran. He defended set pieces in their box, he won tackles in the midfield and scored a goal.

    “It was a really disappointing performance and result. We have to show a bit more than we did against Inverness.”

    [tab:Man-of-the-match]

    [poll id=”154″]

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    TV: McCall hoping to bounce back

    Stuart McCall is hopeful his new-look side will bounce back quickly from last weekend’s home defeat by Aberdeen.

    The Steelmen travel north to face an Inverness side who have won both of their Scottish Premiership games without conceding a goal on the back of a 3-1 loss that came two days after they returned from their Europa League trip to Russia.

    The 40-times capped midfielder claimed after the game that they would bounce back and was comfortable with people writing his team off after losing a number of regular starters during the summer.

    And McCall feels his squad are much better prepared to face Caley Thistle than they were Aberdeen following the long trip to Russia.

    [pullquote][Last week] we made a couple of individual errors that cost us goals, and we will be looking to do better than that when we face high-flying Inverness.[/pullquote]

    “We are two games in and we have a 50 per cent win record,” he told the broadcast press at Motherwell’s pre-match news conference. “If we finish the season with a 50 per cent record I’ll be happy.

    “But I look at our games last season at home, after we beat Inverness at home we had a run of five or six games we didn’t win and the doom-and-gloom merchants were out just before Christmas.

    “I’m sure there will be a few doom-and-gloom merchants out because we got beat at home.

    “You never like to get beat, and certainly you never like to get beat at home. On the day Aberdeen were the better side, we made a couple of individual errors that cost us goals, and we will be looking to do better than that when we face high-flying Inverness tomorrow.”

    -WATCH HIS INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV

    MFC TV

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    Inverness CT: Tickets & Travel

    Motherwell will make the long journey north to face top-of-the-table Inverness CT on Saturday.

    Stadium Info:

    Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club
    The Tulloch Caledonian Stadium
    East Longman
    Inverness
    IV1 1FF

    Tel: 01463 222880
    Web: www.ictfc.co.uk

    By car

    The stadium is located in the Longman area of Inverness, next to the Kessock Bridge, and so is very easy to find.

    Head towards Perth on the M9 and take the first exit at Broxden roundabaout on to the A9. Then take the second exit at Inveraimond roundabout (signposted Inverness).

    Continue on the A9 towards Inverness and take the third exit at Longman roundabout. The stadium will be clearly visible on the left.

    Parking is available for visiting fans behind the South Stand, priced at just £1.00 per car.

    By bus

    Several operators run buses to Inverness, departing every hour from Buchanan Station in Glasgow city centre.

    Further information and timetables are available online at www.citylink.co.uk.

    The Motherwell Supporters Association will be running a combined Wishaw / Central bus to the match. contact Anne on 07878062614 / Andy on 07575238023 or email christopher_hutton@btinternet.com.

    The Bellshill Branch are likely to run a minibus to the match too. If you would like to book a seat, contact Brian on 07763 061821.

    By train

    Inverness station is served by trains from Glasgow and is within walking distance of the ground.

    Upon leaving the station, follow the signs for the car park and bus station. Cross through the car park, keeping the bus station on your left and on your right you can see a bridge crossing the railway line.

    Go across the bridge and then continue straight ahead along Longman Road. Eventually you will reach the stadium on your left.

    Further information and timetables are available online at www.scotrail.co.uk.

    Traffic / Delays

    Expect heavy traffic on the approach to the Kessock Bridge as renovation work continues. Delays can be as long as thirty minutes depending on the volume of traffic.

    Tickets

    Tickets for match are available from the ground priced at:

    ADULTS: £21
    CONCESSIONS: £16
    JUVENILE: £10

    • Concessions are senior citizens, Under 16s and 16 – 25 year olds. Please note there are no student concession tickets.
    • Juveniles are listed as Under 12s.
    • Please note that the 16 – 25 and Under 16s tickets must be pre-purchased from the ‘Away Ticket Kiosk’ at the Caledonian Stadium and not at the turnstile.
    • Motherwell fans are welcome at the on-site Sports Bar for a pre-match refreshment.

    A look back

    Any Motherwell fan that made the long journey north last season would certainly have been treated to plenty of goals. Thirteen in fact… In just two matches!

    We turned in arguably the performance of the season back in November as ‘Well swept to a 5-1 victory. Goals from Michael Higdon, Jamie Murphy, Adam Cummins, Henrik Ojamaa and Omar Daley gave the Fir Parkers the win while Richie Foran netted for the hosts.

    Although the second match would prove fruitless in terms of points, the match was another incredible spectacle. Terry Butcher’s side roared into a 3-0 lead in the first thirty minutes but were pegged back by a Michael Higdon penalty and a James McFadden double.

    Just as it looked as if ‘Well were going to go on and win, Ojamaa was sent off for a second bookable offence. To rub salt into the wounds, Billy Mackay scored with just three minutes left to give the Highlanders the win.

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    Match Sponsorship opportunities

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    Box to Box: Season 2013/14

    The Steelmen are once again running an exciting initiative that will let you get your message across in the matchday magazine.

    Set up to help fund the Motherwell Academy, it is your chance to purchase a square or ‘box’ and in a specialised match page within our Steelmen match day magazine.

    This section of the matchday magazine can be used by a supporter to place their own name into, the name of a loved one, an advertisement or even a message of support for the team.

    Purchase a square at only £10 or Double Up on the Pitch for £20 guaranteed to feature in every single remaining match day programme.

    Fans or businesses wanting a bit more can also purchase a single advertising space (shown in Claret or Amber in the diagram) for £50 for a small box or £100 for a Large Box in the Phil O’Donnell and East Stands, and £25 for small £50 for Large in the Davie Cooper Stand.

    To buy a square for the new season, CLICK HERE TO BUY ONLINE. If you don’t want to do it that way, give the club a call on 10698 338001 or email commercial@motherwellfc.co.uk.

  • Archive

    TV: Highlights from Fir Park

    Highlights from Fir Park as Motherwell U20s sink to a 4-2 defeat to Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton Accies.

    -WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS ON MFC TV-

    MFC TV

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    TV: JJ embarrassed by derby defeat

    Jonatan Johansson was furious with his players in the aftermath of their 4-2 defeat by Hamilton Accies this evening.

    The New Douglas Park side cruised the game and with a bit more composure in front of goal, could have won by more.

    The first half in particularly was a real sore point for the Steelmen, who were second to just about every ball.

    The former Finnish striker was visibly upset when speaking to MFC TV, particularly as ‘Well went into the match full of confidence after a good win at Rugby Park seven days ago.

    [pullquote]It was a bit of an embarrassment, especially at the start of the game as I thought we were weak and slow.[/pullquote]

    “It was a bit of an embarrassment, especially at the start of the game as I thought we were weak and slow,” he said.

    “They were a lot sharper and at 3-0 after 25 minutes, it could have been a lot more. The game was lost by then and I’m very, very disappointed.

    “I accept defeats but it’s about the manner we lost in and that is what disappoints me most because we were right up for it.

    “Maybe a few got complacent and a with a few on the fringes of the first team, they forgot it’s hard work that it’s about.”

    -WATCH HIS INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV

    MFC TV

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    Motherwell U20s 2 – 4 Hamilton U20s

    Graham Barnstaple at Fir Park

    Motherwell’s first home match in the SPFL Under 20s ended in defeat as Hamilton Accies ran out 4-2 winners at Fir Park.

    In truth, the result actually flattered the home side with Accies passing up countless opportunities to make the result more convincing, particularly in the first half.

    The visitors had raced into a commanding 4-0 lead thanks to goals from Lee Kilday, Tony Andreu and an Andrew Ryan double.

    Craig Moore pulled two back in the last twenty-five minutes to add some ounce of respectability but there can be no doubt, Accies thoroughly merited their win and were impressive throughout.

    Jonatan Johansson was looking to build on the encouraging start at Kilmarnock last week and made two changes – Stuart Carswell and Fraser Kerr came into the side in place of David Ferguson and Chris Cadden.

    However, ‘Well made the worst possible start when they fell a goal behind after just nine minutes. A free kick from Scott McMinn was bent into the box and met powerfully by the head of Lee Kilday to leave Ross Stewart in goal helpless.

    ‘Well tried to rally quickly but Lee Erwin’s long run into the box ended with him dragging a shot wide.

    But the Accies were quick to get back on top with Anthony Andrew hitting the bar from 18 yards out before Eamonn Brophy headed narrowly wide.

    The goal was only delayed to the 20th minute, Adam Cummins fouled Brophy at the edge of the box, and after initially give a free just outside the area the ref consulted with his linesman and awarded a penalty. Andrew Ryan took the kick and swept it home, sending Stewart the wrong way to double the lead.

    Accies went three up three minutes later when a cross from the left was side footed home by Ryan from six yards out. It was all Accies at this stage with Craig Johnston shooting over from 18 yards and Ryan doing the same minutes later.

    The closest the ‘Well came was a Fraser Kerr header which was acrobatically saved by keeper Blair Currie.

    Any optimism the late chance gave was wiped away as Accies added a fourth goal only minutes after the re-start. A corner was half cleared to the edge of the box and Andrew’s shot wrong-footed Stewart.

    Despite the visitors dominating possession it was the Well who scored next on 63 minutes.

    Lee Erwin robbed the full-back and Craig Moore swept his cross home from a few yards out

    Just as it looked as though the Accies would see out the game with a three-goal cushion, Motherwell pulled one more back in stoppage time.

    Dom Thomas bent a corner to the back post where Moore was on hand to sweep home his second of the night.

    It was a very bad night at the office for Motherwell who will look to bounce back against Dunfermline next week.

    Motherwell: Stewart, Kerr (Higgins), Kellock, Cummins, Neill (Ferguson) Carswell, Leitch (Cadden) Erwin, Moore, Thomas, McCafferty.

    Subs Not Used: Currie, Johnstone, Shirkie, Higgins, McNulty

    Pictures: Craig Foy

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    TV: Johansson glad of home comforts

    Under 20s boss Jonatan Johansson says he is glad to be back at Fir Park as ‘Well face Lanarkshire neighbours Hamilton Accies tonight.

    The young Steelmen have clocked up the miles in pre-season and kicked off the new SPFL Under 20s campaign with an impressive performance and victory at Kilmarnock seven days ago.

    Now Johansson is hoping being back on home soil can inspire his kids in what is one of only two Lanarkshire derbies in 2013/14.

    “I am really looking forward to getting back to Fir Park,” Johansson told MFC TV yesterday afternoon.

    [pullquote]A local derby is always exciting no matter what level it is played at and it’s one we want our lads to enjoy.[/pullquote]

    “Pre-season has gone well and to get a win in our opening match [against Kilmarnock last Tuesday] was really nice for everyone.

    “We had some good games against Hamilton last year; we were perhaps lucky to take six points from two matches but hopefully we have a good performance and a win [tonight].

    “As they are local and certain players know each other from different teams, I am sure both teams will be right up for it.

    “A local derby is always exciting no matter what level it is played at and it’s one we want our lads to enjoy.”

    -WATCH HIS INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV

    MFC TV

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    Under 20s face Hamilton

    The U20s face Lanarkshire neighbours Hamilton Accies at Fir Park tomorrow in the first home match of the new season.

    Jonatan Johansson’s men got off to a winning start last midweek with a 1-0 win at Rugby Park, substitute Steven Higgins netting the winner four minutes from time.

    The 106-times capped former Finnish International striker will be looking to build on that when Accies make the short journey across the Clyde.

    The Fir Parkers were successful in both of the matches last term, winning 3-1 at home before shading it away 3-2 in a match with four converted penalty kicks.

    The match will take place at Fir Park Stadium, kick-off is 7pm.

    PRICES:

    Adults and Concessions:
    Season book holders or Well Society membership: £2
    Standard: £3

    Under 16:
    Season book holders or Well Society membership: £1
    Standard: £2