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Motherwell host Queen of the South in a must-win clash for top spot in Group G of the Betfred Cup on Tuesday.

It is the first competitive meeting between the two sides since the Scottish Cup clash in 2004, where ‘Well won 3-2.

And in Gary Naysmith’s Doonhamers, the Steelmen face a tough task against the free-scoring side from the borders.

Table toppers

The Dumfries outfit currently sit at the summit of Group G after the Steelmen slipped to a 1-1 draw and shootout defeat against Stranraer.

Victories over Clyde, Stranraer and Edinburgh City mean Tuesday’s opponents would require at least a draw to finish top of the table and progress as the victors of the group.

Their midweek trip to Fir Park is their fourth and final fixture of the group stage, and the Doonhamers have a very good chance of progressing to the knockout stages regardless of Tuesday’s result.

Deadly Dobbie

With seven goals to his name in three games, frontman Stephen Dobbie has started the 2018/19 campaign in scintillating form, and is the top scorer in this year’s Betfred Cup so far.

Simon Murray finished the 2017/18 tournament as top scorer with eight goals, meaning Dobbie is just one short of equalling that tally in the group stage alone.

The former Swansea and Crystal Palace man has continued his fine form from last term, when he scored 27 goals in all competitions.

Statement of intent

With an incredible return of 12 goals in their opening three fixtures, Queen of the South are far and away the leading scorers in the league cup so far.

Add to that an impressive two clean sheets, and the Championship outfit have given themselves huge momentum for their final fixture in Group G.

It is in stark contrast to their cup campaign last season, where Queens failed to make it out of their group.

Motherwell host Queen of the South on Tuesday in what is a must-win fixture for Stephen Robinson’s men in their bid to top Group G. 

And with a return to Fir Park, the Steelmen will be looking to return to the sort of form that led to a convincing 5-0 victory over Edinburgh City in the group opener.

Fresh legs

The manager made six changes for the trip to Stair Park, with Elliott Frear, Ryan Bowman, Liam Donnelly and Andy Rose dropping to the bench, and Allan Campbell being rested completely.

Despite Rose being called in to action within minutes, the manager will have some fresh options to call on for what is a difficult clash with Championship opposition.

One player who will be a loss, however, is Charles Dunne, who suffered an injury in the opening few minutes against Stranraer and is set to be out for around four weeks.

Hunger to impress

Following a below par performance, and with competition rife in the ranks at Fir Park, there will be added incentive for those selected to impress manager Stephen Robinson.

Danny Johnson is yet to make a competitive start after an impressive pre-season, and Aaron Taylor-Sinclair recorded his first 90 minutes since December, giving the manager something to ponder ahead of the visit of Queens.

Must win

Nothing less than a win will be good enough for Motherwell in their attempts to top the group.

Should the visitors pick up a point, they would have enough to finish first and could be one of the seeded sides for the draw in the knockout round.

The Steelmen, on the other hand, have two games remaining and need all three points in both fixtures to stand a chance of finishing top.

Motherwell chief executive Alan Burrows has been appointed to the board of the Scottish Professional Football League.

Serving on the league’s board for the first time, he will be joined by Celtic’s Peter Lawwell, Dundee’s John Nelms, Warren Hawke from Greenock Morton, Martin Ritchie of Falkirk and Stranraer’s Iain Dougan.

“I’m honoured to be voted on by our fellow Premiership clubs to the SPFL board,” he said of his appointment.

“I am there as a representative of Motherwell FC on the board but my duty is to make sure that all 42 clubs are represented.

“It is obviously a vital time for the SPFL with a number of broadcast and commercial deals in the offing.

“The game in Scotland is on the up and it is an exciting time to be involved at the very top.”

Chris Cadden hopes to see Motherwell bounce back as they prepare for a must-win clash against Queen of the South in Group G of the Betfred Cup.

The newly-capped Scotland international believes the squad have what it takes to return to winning ways following the disappointments of Saturday’s draw with Stranraer.

“We’ll bounce back full of confidence,” he said. “We’ve got a good group of lads in the dressing room and we know what we need to do.”

Motherwell Football Club have another new sponsorship partner, bringing on board England-based health cash plan provider Paycare.

The first sponsor of its kind in Scotland, Paycare are a leading not-for-profit organisation which provides cashback on everyday healthcare costs, as well as wider mental, financial and physical support.

Paycare will become the club’s health and wellbeing partner, as well as being the official shorts sponsor, for seasons 2018/19 and 2019/20.

As former back of shirt sponsors of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Paycare is the first English organisation to sponsor a Scottish Premiership team, and the first health cash plan provider to promote its services in Scotland.

“After researching organisations sponsoring English teams, we came across Paycare through their sponsorship of Wolverhampton Wanderers and were immediately drawn to them,” Suzanne Reid, head of commercial and marketing at Motherwell Football Club, explained.

“Their not-for-profit status, ethos of giving back to the communities it serves, and the very nature of what they do to help people from a health and wellbeing perspective really resonated with us. We’re very much looking forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

Paycare dates back to 1874 in Wolverhampton and was set up by the foremen of some of the city’s largest factories in a bid to protect their employees from crippling medical bills, and growing to become a leading provider in the UK.

It works with families, businesses and individuals to provide cashback on services from physiotherapy, reflexology and chiropody, to optical, dental, and vaccinations, as well as wider inclusive support such as a confidential counselling and support service, GP 24/7 app, Paycare Perks – an exclusive online discount platform – and Paycare Partners, which is a dedicated signposting service.

“We’re delighted to be sponsoring Motherwell Football Club,” added Kevin Rogers, CEO of Paycare.

“Given their community ethos and as the Scottish Premiership’s only fully fan-owned club, as well as our drive to make a positive difference to the communities that we serve, our partnership was a natural next step with brilliant synergy.”

As a not-for-profit, Paycare has shared over £2.2m to-date with charities, causes and initiatives UK-wide by donating every spare penny not spent on enhancing its services to policyholders – seeing its stakeholders making a positive difference to their local communities.

Motherwell’s reserve side are in action on Monday night when they travel to face Musselburgh Athletic.

Stephen Craigan’s men will make the trip to the Olivebank Stadium for a 7pm kick off.

Reserve League fixtures will be announced shortly, while the team are also waiting to hear their opponents for the first round of this season’s Irn-Bru Cup.

The reserves will play the winners of the match between BSC Glasgow and East Stirlingshire, who face each other on July 29.

Queen of the South lie in wait next for Motherwell, with the Steelmen needing a win to keep pace with the Doonhamers at the top of their Betfred Cup group.

Here are some key numbers and statistics you need to know ahead of Tuesday’s fixture.

Five

The gap in points between leaders Queen of the South and second-placed Motherwell at the top of Group G.

A Motherwell victory would put them within two points and, with Queens not in action on Saturday, it would mean Stephen Robinson’s side would also need to win at Clyde to be group winners.

A win or a draw for Tuesday’s visitors would guarantee they qualify as group winners, regardless of which side claims the bonus point in the penalty shootout in the event of a draw.

Seven

Stephen Dobbie has always been a reliable goal scorer, but his start to the 2018/19 campaign is remarkable even by his standards.

The Queen of the South forward has netted seven in his side’s opening three games of the season. A double against Stranraer in their 5-3 win was followed up by a hat-trick against Clyde, and then two against Edinburgh City in his last match.

14

It’s been a long time since the two sides clashed on competitive business, with 14 years passing since the last encounter.

In the 2003/04 Scottish Cup, Motherwell played host in the fourth round of the competition, and were ahead early doors through Derek Adams’ penalty.

Alex Burns then completed a double before the interval to put ‘Well 3-0 up, with Queens grabbing two back in a snowy afternoon but ultimately failing to complete the comeback.

450

Having reached last year’s Betfred Cup final, the competition is a relatively happy hunting ground for Motherwell. With that in mind, it’s been five games – or 450 minutes – since a goal was conceded at Fir Park in the competition. In that same time span, 16 goals have been scored by the Steelmen.

Motherwell’s loan players were again in Betfred Cup group stage action across the weekend.

Ross MacLean scored his first goal for Championship side Greenock Morton, as they ran out 2-0 winners at home to Stenhousemuir.

The midfielder netted the opening goal in the game at Cappielow with 33 minutes on the clock, giving manager Ray McKinnon a win in his first match at home.

Jake Hastie caused no end of problems for Dundee United as his Alloa Athletic drew at Tannadice, before going on to claim the bonus point in the penalty shootout.

The young forward won the penalty that gave the Wasps their equaliser in the 1-1 tie, with Frederic Frans knocking him off the ball in the box.

Neil McLaughlin played the full 90 minutes up front as Stirling Albion defeated Peterhead 2-0, while Shea Gordon‘s Partick Thistle had a free weekend and travel to Albion Rovers on Tuesday night.

The Cooper Bar and the Centenary Suite will be open for pre-match food and drink ahead of our match with Queen of the South on Tuesday night.

Our usual pre-match hospitality will not be in operation. Food can be purchased before the game and access to the bars will be available before and after the match, as well as at half time.

Opposition fans are also welcome. The bars will open from 5.30pm.

Motherwell drew in their second Betfred Cup group match of the 2018/19 season, with League One side Stranraer pegging Stephen Robinson’s side back in a 1-1 draw.

The Stair Park side then also claimed the bonus point in the penalty shootout.