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  • Club

    Show racism the red card

  • First team

    Storylines: Motherwell v Ross County

  • Club

    Enjoy Molton Brown discounts thanks to Paycare

  • First team

    Next up: Ross County

  • Club

    Tackling the new challenges of developing young talent

  • Reserves & Under 18s

    Loan stars get first league minutes

  • Women

    ‘Well lose SWPL1 opener

  • First team

    St Mirren match cancelled

  • First team

    PJ Morrison loaned to Falkirk

  • Women

    Women return to league action

  • Club

    Show racism the red card

    Show racism the red card

    Racism has no place in football. Racism has no place in society.

    We are proudly continuing our support for Show Racism the Red Card, as they continue their Fortnight of Action. The education charity have spread messages of tolerance and inclusion within football for many years.

    Now more than ever, the importance of this fortnight cannot be overstated.

    Our fight to end racism exists every day. This weekend against Ross County – and across all Scottish football matches – we as clubs will united to call for an end to racial discrimination and inequality throughout society.

    Show Racism the Red Card work all year round with schools, workplaces, grassroots, youth football clubs and the prison service to educate young people and adults on challenging prejudice and stereotypes, using the power of football as a positive way to instigate conversation on anti-racism.

    Covid-19 and events overseas have shone a light on the growing inequalities that some of us unfairly face. Still today, many experience this disproportionately due to the colour of their skin.

    Last year in Scotland, 81% of young people felt more confident in identifying and safely challenging racism after working directly with Show Racism the Red Card.

    Scottish football is committed to eradicating racism and discrimination in all its forms from our game. We call on our supporters to continue to challenge racism. It is the responsibility of us all to ensure that the anti-racism message is carried out beyond the Fortnight of Action.

    “It is so important that we continue to push the message that racism has no place in our sport or society,” Motherwell FC manager Stephen Robinson said.

    “Sadly, we continue to see incidents of racism around the world. Whether they are occurring on our doorstep or thousands of miles away, the connected world we live in means that these despicable moments are brought close to home for all.

    “We must never be complacent. We must never stop calling it for what it is. We must stand against racism.”

    We stand with everyone who has had to endure racial prejudice in all areas of their lives. We condemn all forms of racism and any racist behaviour will not be tolerated at our club.

    Football is a sport that is loved by people across the world and football matches should be an enjoyable experience for all, whatever your background. Education is the key. We support Show Racism the Red Card to ensure our future generation are equipped with the tools to challenge and eradicate racism from football and society.

    For useful resources and information, please visit theredcard.org or follow the organisation on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

  • First team

    Storylines: Motherwell v Ross County

    Storylines: Motherwell v Ross County

    Motherwell and Ross County face for the second time this season in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend.

    Here are the storylines going into Saturday’s match.

    The return of Jermaine Hylton

    Having started the season at Fir Park, the forward swapped ML1 for Dingwall at the start of October.

    Part of the squad which roared to third spot in the Premiership in the 2019/20 campaign, Hylton contributed four goals in 41 appearances for the Steelmen.

    With first team opportunities limited in 2020/21, the 28-year-old took the chance to head north in search of action and to add to the Staggies’ forward options.

    The back and forth of results

    Neither side has been able to settle on a consistent run of results in the games between the two in recent years.

    Since Motherwell won on the five on the bounce across 2013 and 2014, neither team has won more than two consecutively against the other.

    Ross County were winners last time out in Dingwall, with Motherwell winning the previous time at Fir Park.

    The scramble up the table

    With both sides harbouring ambitions of a top six finish, there’s three valuable points on offer on Saturday.

    Ross County currently sit four points ahead of Motherwell in seventh spot, albeit having played two matches more.

    A win for Stuart Kettlewell’s side could lift them to fifth in the Premiership, while Motherwell could jump to eighth.

    A chance to get some playing action

    Motherwell’s last competitive game came on 27 September at home to Rangers, meaning almost a month has passed.

    With games against Kilmarnock and St Mirren cancelled due to Covid-19 issues with our opponents, there has been significant time spent in cold storage for Stephen Robinson’s men.

    In the same time period, County have played four matches – losing away to Rangers, drawing with Montrose, beating Arbroath and drawing at home to Hibernian.

  • Club

    Enjoy Molton Brown discounts thanks to Paycare

    Enjoy Molton Brown discounts thanks to Paycare

    Our main sponsor Paycare have teamed up with iconic fragrance brand Molton Brown to offer an exclusive range of discounts on Eau de Parfum and Toilette, Bath, Body and Hair Care, and Home collections.

    The partnership, which saw Paycare staff and policyholders given access to unique offers for a limited time back in May, was formed when Molton Brown’s Sarah White met Paycare CEO Kevin Rogers at a pre-lockdown football match in Scotland.

    The first tranche of discounts proved so popular that there will be even more exclusive products and discounts on offer from 16 October to 9 November.

    “The initial offering ran during May, at a time when we knew many of our policyholders were struggling with being in lockdown and not being able to jet away for their summer holidays,” explained Paycare CEO Rogers.

    “In addition to the range of services we were able to continue offering throughout the spring peak of the pandemic – like our Wellbeing services and newly-launched Bundle product, including our well-loved and well-used MyPocket GP app and Employee Assistance Programme – we wanted to remind people how important it was to relax, unwind and take care of their own wellbeing.

    “It was so well received that a repeat in autumn – when many of us are starting to think about festive gifting – seemed perfect, even before we knew tighter restrictions were about to be announced by the Government.

    “As a luxury brand, with a strong sense of care, Molton Brown is a perfect fit and we’re delighted to continue the partnership, helping many of our Policyholders to truly unwind and focus on taking time for mental wellbeing.”

    Sarah White, Corporate Sales at Molton Brown, added: “Our partnership with Paycare allows us to add luxurious moments to daily routines.

    “From iconic Bath and Shower Gels to nourishing Body Lotions, our exquisite fragrances refresh, intrigue or unwind the senses. During these uncertain times, our reassuring gestures of care and cleansing are more important than ever.

    “With our second promotion, we’re adding an extra twinkle to uplift the spirits this festive season; featuring shower gel-filled Baubles and sensational gift sets that’ll bring joy to loved ones.”

    Paycare policyholders can access the discounts through their MyPaycare Portal between Friday 16 October and Monday 9 November 2020.

  • First team

    Next up: Ross County

    Next up: Ross County

    Our prolonged absence from first team action comes to an end with the visit of Ross County.

    After seeing the previous two matches cancelled due to Covid-19 issues with opponents, Motherwell play host to the Staggies on Saturday, 24 October. Kick-off is at 3pm.

    Season ticket holders and foreign-based fans can watch through their normal international subscription at live.motherwellfc.co.uk.

    A pay-per-view match pass is also available for £12 to all other fans, from both teams, at ppv.motherwellfc.co.uk.

    Tale of the tape

    The two sides met on the opening day of the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership season in Dingwall.

    Liam Donnelly missed a penalty in the Monday night fixture, with Ross Stewart netting from the spot for the hosts in a 1-0 win.

    Before that, Motherwell were victorious in the previous two encounters, winning 4-1 at Fir Park and 2-1 away on their travels on Boxing Day last year.

    Form guide

    Motherwell will have waited almost a month since their last encounter – a defeat to Rangers – due to two call-offs due to Covid-19 issues with planned opponents.

    County have won one of their last five league matches, which came in a 1-0 win at St Johnstone in mid-September.

    On Betfred Cup group stage duty, County drew 3-3 with Montrose away – having been 3-0 up – before taking the bonus point in the penalty shootout. They then defeated Arbroath 2-1 at home.

  • Club

    Tackling the new challenges of developing young talent

    Tackling the new challenges of developing young talent

    With no reserve football on offer in the 2020/21 season, new ways have had to be found to ensure the next crop of talented Motherwell youngsters can progress.

    While David Turnbull, James Scott, Jake Hastie, Barry Maguire and countless others have benefitted from having the opportunity to play minutes, the current batch faced sitting in the stands waiting for first team opportunities.

    The start of the lower league season in Scotland has opened the door to a number going out on loan, combining playing meaningful football with still training with the team at Dalziel Park.

    Harry Robinson, Ross MacIver, PJ Morrison, Jamie Semple and Sam Muir have all taken the step so far, with others likely to follow at the right moment.

    “The players could stay here and potentially be the 21st man,” Diarmuid O’Carroll, who is responsible for overseeing their development away from the club, explained.

    “But they get much more from being out in real football. Playing for points every week, competing and getting used to the rigours of first team football day-to-day.

    “Whether they come back in January or the summer, hopefully they will be ready to go straight in and be a fully-fledged first team player.”

    Queen of the South, Greenock Morton, Falkirk, Cove Rangers and Gretna are the respective clubs where our young talent are currently earning their stripes.

    Picking the right destination for each player has also been part of the design of the new way of doing things.

    “We’ve picked the clubs and the coaches specifically so that we can work with them, so we can put demands on their training structure,” O’Carroll expanded.

    “We also then analyse the player in games so they can work on it when they are back in the building during the week.

    “Generally most weeks they will be with us one to two days. They are still very much in the circle.

    “It’s not like they are out of sight, out of mind. These are still very much first team squad members for us.”

    Getting the chance to play competitive football in pressured environments, as opposed to sitting in the stand on a Saturday, is crucial both for the club and the development of the players.

    “It’s an experience more than anything else,” O’Carroll said.

    “Showing they are capable physically, technically and tactically to go and be a big boy. Be a man in a man’s environment and then come back.

    “We’ve seen with Jamie Semple already, coming back in after a few weeks. You can see he’s already puffed the shoulders out and developed over the course of a month.

    “Hopefully they all develop, enjoy it, field the challenge and come back ready to go.”

  • Reserves & Under 18s

    Loan stars get first league minutes

    Loan stars get first league minutes

    The start of lower league action in Scotland at the weekend saw a number of Motherwell’s young stars in action.

    Harry Robinson started as Queen of the South travelled to face Ayr United minus their coaching staff, who were in isolation due to Covid-19.

    The Championship encounter ended 2-1 to the Ayrshire club, with the winger playing 66 minutes.

    Ross MacIver came on as a substitute for the last 19 minutes as Morton won 1-0 at home to Alloa Athletic.

    Jamie Semple got his first league minutes for Cove Rangers as they started the League One season with a 3-1 home win over East Fife.

    The midfielder played 75 minutes in the victory for Paul Hartley’s side, before being replaced by ex-Well man Broque Watson.

    PJ Morrison was an unused substitute as Falkirk started their League One season with a 3-1 win at Montrose, while Sam Muir started as Gretna lost 3-0 at Bonnyrigg Rose in the Lowland League.

  • Women

    ‘Well lose SWPL1 opener

    ‘Well lose SWPL1 opener

    Motherwell lost their SWPL1 opener 4-2 at Forfar Farmington on Sunday.

    After the initial 2020 campaign was cancelled in its infancy due to Covid-19, the new 2020/21 season brought a rematch of the opening game.

    The women of steel were victorious back at the start of the year but that wouldn’t be the case this time around.

    Doubles from Donna Paterson and London Pollard did the damage, despite Lauren Gallon also scoring two for the visitors.

    The hosts took the lead after 40 seconds. With goalkeeper Ramsay misjudging that the ball was going behind for a Forfar corner, an early set play opportunity arose.

    Working a short corner, the ball eventually came into the box from the left where the header was powered home by Paterson.

    Forfar dominated possession in the opening exchanges before Motherwell started to grow into things, with Lori Gardner being denied what looked like a stonewall penalty.

    Surging in from the left into the box, her run was cut short by the trailing leg of a defender, but the referee waved appeals away.

    As the game started to even out in terms of possession, the hosts got a second.

    Stopping a promising attack, Forfar swung the ball forward for Pollard  to chase. Showing power and poise, she rounded the goalkeeper before making it 2-0 with 38 minutes gone.

    ‘Well kept at it and would halve the deficit before the interval.

    Forfar failed to clear a corner and the ball broke nicely to Gallon on the right 12 yards from goal. Her first touch was perfect, before unleashing an unstoppable effort back across goal into the top left corner of the net.

    The next goal would be crucial but it would fall to Forfar 10 minutes into the second period.

    A run into the box down the left was ended by Roberts’ challenge from behind, with the referee pointing to the penalty spot.

    Paterson would make no mistake from 12 yards, slotting low to the left as Ramsay went the other way.

    The power of striker Pollard in attack had been causing frequent trouble which arose again with 21 minutes left.

    Playing a quick one-two just inside the Motherwell half, she sprinted through and kept Watson’s challenge at bay, before slotting low into the bottom right corner from just outside the area.

    Motherwell got one back only a minute later. Bursting up the park from kick-off and winning a corner, the flick on from the front post landed again to Gallon at the back to poke in.

    Rice would go close with a header as Motherwell pushed on to try and salvage a result but it would be Forfar who would start the season with the three points.

    Motherwell: Ramsay, Connor, Watson, Gallon, Roberts, Hay, Adams, Rice, Swanson, Gardner, Pullar.

    Subs: Crooks, Reside, Baillie, Sinclair, Callaghan, Skelton, Trialist.

  • First team

    St Mirren match cancelled

    St Mirren match cancelled

    Our Scottish Premiership match with St Mirren has been cancelled.

    Our opponents have informed the SPFL that they are unable to fulfill the fixture.

    St Mirren have told the league that, due to a number of positive tests for Covid-19 amongst their playing squad and coaching staff, they have only 12 registered fit players, including four goalkeepers, available the match.

    We will await further guidance from the league.

    If you have purchased a PPV pass to watch this match in the UK/Republic of Ireland, please email tvsupport@stmirren.com for a refund.

  • First team

    PJ Morrison loaned to Falkirk

    PJ Morrison loaned to Falkirk

    PJ Morrison has joined Falkirk on loan for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign.

    The young goalkeeper heads to the League One side as they look to win promotion to the second tier.

    The move represents another important step in his development, having also recently been called into the Scotland Under 21 side.

    “It is vitally important for PJ to gain valuable experience at first team level,” manager Stephen Robinson said. “That is especially true for a goalkeeper like him.

    “We have no reserve fixtures this season. Because of that, we feel the development of our young players is being affected.

    “The loan system is the way to bridge this gap. Instead of sitting on our bench or in the stands, they get the experience of training with us but also playing matches at a good level.”

    Morrison joins Jamie Semple (Cove Rangers), Ross MacIver (Greenock Morton), Harry Robinson (Queen of the South) and Sam Muir (Gretna) in going out on loan.

  • Women

    Women return to league action

    Women return to league action

    Over seven months have passed since the last competitive game of football for our women’s team.

    This Sunday sees the return of SWPL1, with the women of steel traveling to take on Forfar Farmington. Kick off is at 2pm.

    You can watch the game live for £4 on our opponents’ live streaming service.

    Tale of the tape

    The sides met twice before the Covid-19 pandemic brought a halt to action.

    Motherwell were victorious in the first game at Station Park in SWPL1, before Forfar took the win in the SWPL Cup group stage.

    Shaping the squad

    The bulk of the team which started the aborted 2020 campaign has been retained by manager Eddie Wolecki Black, with further additions made.

    Name Position
    1 Khym Ramsey Goalkeeper
    2 Rachel Connor Defender
    3 Lauren Doran-Barr Defender
    4 Chelsie Watson Defender
    5 Lauren Gallon Defender
    6 Georgia Crooks Midfielder
    7 Kodie Hay Midfielder
    8 Claire Adams Midfielder
    9 Jordan McLintock Forward
    11 Katie Rice Midfielder
    12 Lauryn Reside Midfielder
    13 Natasha Roberts Defender
    14 Gill Inglis Midfielder
    15 Lisa Swanson Forward
    16 Lynsey Baillie Defender
    17 Kaela McDonald-Nguah Forward
    18 Lucy Sinclair Midfielder
    19 Lori Gardner Forward
    20 Abby Callaghan Midfielder
    21 Ailey Tebbett Goalkeeper
    22 Nicole Pullar Forward
    23 Georgie Rafferty Defender
    24 Abby Skelton Midfielder
    Setting the tone

    “Our expectations remain the same from earlier in the year,” manager Eddie Wolecki Black said.

    “We have players with top-flight experience, players who have been across the course with us before, and some young talent.

    “The early weeks of the season will give us the chance to build momentum and see where it takes us, in a league which has grown massively in strength.

    “We won this fixture at the start of the failed season, so we are capable of doing the same again.”