| 6 | Dundee | 31 | 10 | 9 | 12 | -10 | 39 |
| 7 | Hibernian | 32 | 9 | 11 | 12 | -7 | 38 |
| 8 | Motherwell | 32 | 8 | 12 | 12 | -5 | 36 |
| 9 | Aberdeen | 32 | 8 | 10 | 14 | -5 | 34 |
| 10 | St Johnstone | 32 | 7 | 10 | 15 | -20 | 31 |
The Well Lotto jackpot for Friday, 3 August was not won and will roll over to £3,150 for the following draw.
The seat randomly selected to win the jackpot was Davie Cooper Stand A88.
Other prizes won were as follows:
| Voucher | Robert Carty |
| £75 | Linda Duddy |
| £50 | Richard Tait |
| £25 | Pauline Ferguson |
To play, or for more information, visit the Well Lotto website.
Hibernian are the first opponents for Motherwell in the 2018/19 Ladbrokes Premiership.
Neil Lennon’s men lie in wait at Easter Road with both teams having played four competitive games already in cup and European action this campaign.
Neil Lennon has spent the summer making tweaks to his settled squad. The departures of Scott Allan and Dylan McGeouch had the potential to have an impact, but the recruitment of Stevie Mallan has gone some way towards reducing that deficit.
Florian Kamberi, having netted nine goals in 14 appearances on loan from Grasshoppers, was signed on a permanent basis and has continued his form, scoring four in four in the Europa League qualifiers so far.
Adam Bogdan has also been brought in from Liverpool to add options in the goalkeeping position and has established himself as number one in the matches so far.
Four games, 16 goals. That’s Hibernian’s record so far in the 2018/19 campaign season. Having scored 12 over two games against NSI Runavik in the first qualifying round of the Europa League, they then grabbed another three at home to Asteras Tripolis. Things calmed down in their most recent game, when they drew 1-1 away in Greece.
Easter Road has become something of a fortress for the Hibees of late.
Of their last 15 competitive games on home turf, they have won 11, drawn three and lost just once. In that time, they’ve netted 38 and conceded 20.
Defender Cédric Kipré has left the club to join English Championship side Wigan Atheltic.
The 21-year-old Parisian joined ‘Well in the summer of 2017 from Leicester City and made an immediate impression, following a string of impressive performances.
The youngster, who also played for Paris Saint-Germain, became a fan favourite and broke into the Ivory Coast international side, playing for their Under 23s in a 5-0 win against Togo.
He finished his rookie season having featured 49 times in claret and amber, playing more domestic minutes than any player in Scotland last term. He added a further three appearances in the Betfred Cup this season.
Kipré joins the Latics for a significant fee, with the club also potentially earning more should the player excel at the DW Stadium. He has signed a three-year contract with the club.
“Although it’s with a heavy heart that we lose Cédric, his progress over the last year has been remarkable and it’s little wonder English Championship clubs have been circling,” ‘Well boss Stephen Robinson said.
“He has the potential to go all the way to the top in my opinion and we very much wish him well in his future career. He will always be welcome back at Fir Park.
“We have been working on a potential replacement and hope to have something completed on that front as soon as possible.”
The 6ft 3in defender is not the first Motherwell player to head south for Wigan, with Lee McCulloch and Stevie McMillan following a similar path almost 20 years ago.
Kipré himself added: “I would like to thank everyone at Motherwell, especially the manager and the fans, for everything they have done for me.
“I loved it at the club and it was hard to leave, but this is a really big move for my family and I and we are excited by the challenge.
“Motherwell will always have a special place in my heart though and I will be cheering the team on wherever I am.”
Chief executive Alan Burrows said: “The model we have at the club is built and based around the development and trade of players, everyone gets that.
“That said, you always have mixed emotions at these times. Whilst you are happy for the player and share in the sense of pride at seeing someone develop and move up the ladder, it’s a wrench to see such a talented player leave for the last time.
“However, when the full balance of the fee is paid, it will go down as one of the most lucrative in Motherwell’s history, with the potential to be the most depending on how Cédric performs at Wigan.
“We believe that represents good business and we will be working with Stephen Robinson to try and find a replacement.”
Everyone at Motherwell FC would like to thank Cédric for his contribution whilst at Fir Park and wish him every success in his future career.
The Ladbrokes Premiership kicks off for Motherwell on Sunday as we travel to take on Hibernian at Easter Road.
Stephen Robinson’s men head into the match looking to start the campaign on a high, after their Betfred Cup group stage campaign ended successfully.
Of those four competitive games played so far this season, the Steelmen are unbeaten. Three wins and a draw got the team through to the knockout stages, where they will travel to face Livingston.
A 5-0 win over Edinburgh City was followed by a 1-1 draw at Stranraer, a 2-0 victory over Queen of the South and a comeback 3-1 win at Clyde.
Neil Lennon’s side, meanwhile, have also been in competitive action already, playing four games in the Europa League qualifiers.
In those matches, Hibs have managed to net 16 times, conceding eight. A 6-1 home win over NSI Runavik was followed by a 6-4 win away to the Faroe Islands side.
Greek side Asteras Tripolis followed, with the team coming from 2-0 down at home to win 3-2 and then draw 1-1 away to progress.
Motherwell made two trips to Leith last campaign, taking a point from their opening encounter and narrowly losing the second.
An early-season visit to Easter Road saw the Steelmen go 2-0 down to goals from Anthony Stokes. But the visitors rallied, with Louis Moult bagging a double to take home a point.
An even contest on the second trip in January saw Motherwell go 2-0 down again. Curtis Main got one back late on and the prospect of another comeback draw was on the cards, but the hosts held firm.
Charles Dunne, Craig Tanner and Ryan Bowman are all on the sidelines through injury, while Allan Campbell and Barry Maguire are suspended for the trip to Easter Road.
Curtis Main believes Motherwell’s unbeaten start to the season will boost confidence going into the opening Ladbrokes Premiership game.
The Steelmen travel to Easter Road on Sunday for the curtain raiser and the striker says having a winning habit will stand the team in good stead.
Ryan Bowman will be out for up to six weeks with an ankle injury.
Manager Stephen Robinson confirmed ahead of the trip to Hibernian that the striker will spend time on the sidelines, after picking up the knock after being on the end of a tackle in the win over Queen of the South.
“We’ve lost Ryan because of a tackle, which can’t really be prevented,” he confirmed. “It’s a contact sport and Ryan will be out for six weeks.
“It is par for the course as a footballer, unfortunately. We also lost Charles Dunne with a strange injury and he’s also out for a period of time.
“I’m confident with the other boys we’ve brought in. It’s up to them to step up to the plate and take the opportunity.”
You can keep up-to-date with all the latest injuries and suspensions on our team news page.
Stephen Robinson says his Motherwell players have stepped things up in training as they prepare for the first Ladbrokes Premiership game of the season.
The Steelmen travel to Hibernian on Sunday off the back of a four-game unbeaten run in the Betfred Cup group stages and are looking to continue their form into the league campaign.
The Ladbrokes Premiership campaign kicks off on Sunday as Motherwell make the trip to Edinburgh to take on Hibernian.
Here are some key numbers and stats you need to know going into the curtain raiser.
The number of years since Motherwell lost an opening day fixture away from home.
That result came in 2010 away to… Hibernian. The Steelmen had the lead early on through John Sutton but were pegged back through goals from Anthony Stokes, Paul Hanlon and Liam Miller, before a Jamie Murphy penalty rounded off the scoring in a 3-2 defeat.
Since then, Motherwell have won five of their seven opening day fixtures, drawn one and lost one, with that defeat coming at home to Rangers last season.
Eight is also the number of consecutive games Motherwell have scored at Easter Road.
You have to go back to 2009 for the last time we failed to net in Leith, when Stokes netted a double in a 2-0 win for the Hibees.
The amount of goals scored at Easter Road in the last four games played there. A 5-3 win over Kilmarnock towards the end of the 2017/18 campaign was followed by a 5-5 draw against Rangers.
The first two European games of the season saw yet more goal fests. A 6-1 win over NSI Runavik was then followed by a moderately calmer 3-2 comeback win against Asteras Tripolis.
The low amount of goals scored in Motherwell’s last five games on their travels.
Two 0-0 draws at Ross County and St Johnstone were accompanied by 1-0 victories at Dundee and Partick Thistle, and a 2-0 reversal at Hamilton Academical.
Motherwell Ladies captain Suzanne Mulvey believes that capturing the SWPL2 title with the club would be right up there with her greatest achievements in the game.
The striker has bagged 18 goals this season as the women of steel close in on promotion to the top flight of Scottish women’s football.
‘Well return to action after the summer break with a visit to McDiarmid Park on Sunday to face St Johnstone. Having built up a 13-point advantage at the top of the SWPL2 table, and with just eight games of the league season remaining, the title and promotion to the top division could be secured by the end of August.
“I’ve won pretty much everything there is to win in the Scottish game, but this would be right up there with my proudest moments,” Mulvey said.
“We’ve come so far and it’s a great reflection on Motherwell as a club and as a community. It’s a great time to be a Motherwell player and going forward it’s only going to get better.
“I feel fitter, we’ve been worked very hard, because we had that two weeks break we’ve just been worked by Donald and Eddie even harder on our return. I feel that will show.
“We’ve got a 13-point lead and the way we are training shows that we want to get the title wrapped up as soon as possible. It’s not over and done with yet, but if we can continue playing to the level we were before the summer break then I think there’s a good possibility we can win the league very soon.”
News that boss Eddie Wolecki Black will be moving on to take up the position of head coach at Celtic in the coming weeks came as a disappointment to all involved with the ladies setup at Fir Park.
Mulvey admits the team were sad to see their well-respected boss depart but is keen to stress Motherwell’s journey is far from complete.
“It’s a fantastic appointment for Celtic,” she said. “They’ve got a fantastic manager and person in Eddie. I’ve worked with him a few times and have so much respect for him both as a coach and as a person.
“For us though, Eddie has started the journey by putting together the players and the coaching staff. Although he is leaving, we have a lot of experience in both the coaching and playing staff.
“We’ve shown already this season we are capable of dealing with a lot of things. We have the right people to keep things moving in the right direction.
“We still want to carry on the journey, we want to win the league, to have a good run in the cup and from there carry on and continue to develop both as a team and as individuals.”
Despite having racked up several emphatic victories during their opening 13 games of the league season, Mulvey maintains there are still plenty of challenging tasks ahead for the team.
“Before we even kicked a ball this season, we were regarded as the top team and the team that everyone else wanted to beat,” she added.
“There have been comments from opposition players basically ribbing our players about how many international caps we have – it’s the only time I’ve been slagged off for having Scotland caps.
“I feel a lot of the teams have good young players, but perhaps lack that bit of experience. Going back to [the 1-1 draw with] Aberdeen, their best player was Susan Murray who had retired a few seasons ago, Aberdeen asked her to come back and help a bit and she made a big difference for them.
“I’m more than happy with what I’ve contributed so far this season and I’d love to continue to score goals too. For me though, the main target is to win the league as soon as possible and hopefully give Eddie a good send off.
“From there it’s not over. There is still the cup, as well as trying to remain unbeaten in the remaining games.”
Over the course of the break, Sophie Gallacher departed the club, moving on due to work commitments.
The ‘Well captain was keen to pay tribute to the striker’s contributions during her time at Fir Park and insisted she should be a part of the celebrations should the team secure the title.
“Sophie is a fantastic talent. We didn’t get to see what she was capable of this season due to injuries.
“It’s a real shame to see her go, but everyone who has kicked a ball, has been part of the coaching staff, contributed behind the scenes should all be part of the celebrations when we secure the title.”
We’re running buses and opening our Cooper Bar ahead of our trip to face Livingston in the Betfred Cup.
You can come along to Fir Park and enjoy pre-match food and drink from 11am, before our departure for West Lothian at 1.30pm.
Our buses will take you straight to the Tony Macaroni Arena for the game on Saturday, 18 August, before returning to our stadium for post-match drinks.
Bus tickets cost £6.50. Ticket information for entrance to Livingston’s stadium will be announced shortly.
To book, you can buy your ticket online right now.
