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  • First team

    Stephen Craigan to join Hall of Fame

  • First team

    Manager looks ahead to Rangers

  • Women

    Katie Rice returns

  • First team

    Next up: Rangers

  • Club

    Get your limited edition 1991 Scottish Cup commemorative whisky

  • First team

    Manager reacts to St Mirren draw

  • First team

    Motherwell 2-2 St Mirren

  • First team

    Get your tickets for Aberdeen

  • First team

    The rise and rise of Bevis Mugabi

  • First team

    Manager looks ahead to St Mirren

  • First team

    Stephen Craigan to join Hall of Fame

    Stephen Craigan to join Hall of Fame

    Stephen Craigan is the latest member of the Motherwell FC Hall of Fame.

    The club stalwart will formally be inducted at our event on Saturday 13 November. Limited tickets remain available.

    Motherwell have had real success with players from Northern Ireland in recent history.

    Whether it was the infectious work rate and goals of Stuart Elliott, the physicality and industry of Colin O’Neill or the reflexes and distribution of Trevor Carson, the province has provided a rich source of talent.

    However, none come close to matching the achievements of Newtownards-born central defender Craigan.

    Crags’ Motherwell career had an unusual start. He was part of a youth team playing for Castlereagh College in a tournament in Ayr back in early 1994. The then Motherwell recruitment chief John Park was in attendance and was impressed not only by Craigan, but over half a dozen of his teammates.

    After a recommendation to Tommy McLean, they were all invited to Scotland to play in a trial match. Craigan couldn’t join them though, with a pre-booked family holiday getting very much in the way.

    However, Park thought enough of him to invite him back over again on his own shortly after, where he would take part in a bounce game at Fir Park, with the youths and reserves taking on the first team.

    The fresh-faced, but enthusiastic, Craigan would be put through his paces when he was asked to directly mark Motherwell’s Republic of Ireland international striker Tommy Coyne, who had just returned from a successful World Cup in the United States with Jack Charlton’s side. No pressure.

    He made an impression, and the newly appointed Alex McLeish saw enough to offer him, along with fellow countrymen David Williamson and Roy Essandoh, contracts to be Motherwell players.

    His first season at ‘Well was very much about learning the ropes as a professional footballer, and he was farmed out to Junior side Carluke Rovers, with who the club had a formal tie with at that time through 1991 Scottish Cup hero Jim Griffin. His second season was also spent serving an apprenticeship, this time with Blantyre Victoria.

    He had gained enough experience to then start to force his way into the Motherwell side, and he made his full debut against St Johnstone at Fir Park in August 1997.

    Unbeknown to the young Craigan at the time, his dad had made the trip over to Scotland and was in the main stand to watch his son lock horns with fellow countryman George O’Boyle. Although it was to be a proud day for the Craigan family, a Roddy Grant goal midway through the second half spoiled the party.

    He would go on to make 14 other appearances in a season that was, generally, a struggle for the Steelmen as McLeish had to navigate with the breaking up of that successful team that had challenged for the league title in the mid-1990s.

    He didn’t feature much more for Alex McLeish until his departure in early 1998, when Finn Harri Kampman took the reigns in what was a very left-field appointment by the Motherwell board, who were monitoring his progress ever since he plotted MyPa 47’s infamous victory over ‘Well several years earlier. Sadly, Kampman had other ideas and game time was again limited, with the Steelmen doing their best to avoid the drop.

    With the John Boyle era sweeping into Fir Park in the autumn of that year, Billy Davies was appointed as the spending on players began to increase dramatically. The expectations at the club, and the money to back it up, had risen exponentially with a raft of big names including Andy Goram, John Spencer, Ged Brannan, Don Goodman and others all arriving from England.

    Space and opportunities were limited and Craigan found himself coming to the end of his contract and the realisation that if he was to make it as a professional player, he would have to end his Motherwell dream after six years at Fir Park.

    John Lambie, enjoying an Indian summer with his beloved Partick Thistle, offered him a lifeline and it was to prove an inspired choice. The Jags had sunk to the depths of the third tier and the Thistle board had brought their legendary boss back for a third spell.

    The club had only just managed to save itself from extinction through the ‘Save the Jags’ campaign, run by the Thistle fans to protect their club. On an incredibly low budget, Lambie performed miracles to get them into the Scottish Premier League in 2002 via back-to-back promotions, having rebuilt the team by signing the likes of Craigan, Martin Hardie, Danny Lennon, Scott Paterson and Alex Burns, as well as bringing through youth players such as Alan Archibald and goalkeeper Kenny Arthur.

    Not only did they make a successful return to the top flight, but they also thrived too and finished a respectable 10th ahead of Dundee United in 11th and a then administration-hit Motherwell, who despite the flourishing of young talent like James McFadden, Stephen Pearson and others, finished in last place, only to be spared relegation by Falkirk’s uncompliant stadium.

    He had also made his full international debut for Northern Ireland, winning his first cap under then-boss Sammy McIlory’s side against Finland in a friendly match at Windsor Park in February 2003, quickly followed by his second and third against Armenia and Greece respectively.

    Craigan, who had formed the backbone of that successful Thistle team playing 121 matches in red and yellow, consolidated his status as a bona fide Premier League player.

    He then had to make another big career call, which was to return to Fir Park, together with Jags teammate Burns and experienced stopper Gordon Marshall, on a free transfer, joining Terry Butcher’s revival plans.

    It was to prove a masterstroke by Butcher, as those experienced heads together with the likes of Scott Leitch, Derek Adams, Martyn Corrigan and Phil O’Donnell complimented the immerging talent like David Clarkson, Paul Quinn, Stephen Pearson and Scott McDonald. ‘Well would finish in the top half of the table for the first time in four seasons, with Craigan, a virtual ever-present, forming a solid defensive partnership with David Partridge, Martyn Corrigan and Steven Hammell.

    Butcher’s side would kick on again the following year with one of the most memorable in the modern era, with the club again finishing in the top, reaching the League Cup Final after an incredible semi-final 3-2 win over Hearts at Easter Road, which also included Craigan’s first-ever ‘Well goal, and deciding the fate of the league championship with a famous and dramatic 2-1 win over Celtic at Fir Park to prevent Martin O’Neill’s Celtic lifting the title on Motherwell’s home soil.

    The now experienced defender was taking his club form into the Northern Ireland group and was involved in famous wins over England in 2005 and Spain in 2006, marshalling Michael Owen and Raul when both were at the height of their powers.

    The defender would go on to be a mainstay under almost every ‘Well boss he worked with, including playing a starring role in Mark McGhee’s hugely entertaining 2007/08 side that overcame the unspeakable tragedy of Phil O’Donnell’s death to finish third and return the team to European football for the first time in 12 years.

    He had the honour of following O’Donnell as club captain, and helped the Steelmen to more success with consecutive top six finishes, regular outings in European football and a Scottish Cup final in 2011, when he was again a semi-final scorer against St Johnstone before the Steelmen were edged out at the last hurdle at Hampden.

    He was rewarded with a testimonial in July 2011 against his only other senior club, Partick Thistle, when he scored the only goal of the match in a 1-0 win at Fir Park.

    It was fitting his last season as a player in claret and amber came in 2011/12, with Motherwell finishing in third spot under Stuart McCall and the skipper leaving a departing present of a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos. He had also earned a further 51 caps for Northern Ireland whilst playing for the Steelmen, taking his total haul to 54, a now Motherwell record that is unlikely to ever be surpassed.

    He retired to take up a full-time role in what was becoming a blossoming media career that has carried him across the BBC, ESPN, BT Sport and Premier Sports and is rightly considered amongst the best and most knowledgeable pundits in the game.

    However, it would not be the end of his love affair with the Steelmen and in the summer of 2015, he returned to the club in the capacity of the club’s Under 20s manager. Craigan’s contribution again was immense, as his professionalism and skills as a coach were demonstrated by the nurturing of talent that would go on to earn the club millions of pounds in transfer fees.

    His side that not only competed at the top end of the league each season, but the pinnacle was the club’s first, and to date only, Scottish FA Youth Cup success, when the Fir Parkers ran riot, beating Hearts 5-2 at a rainy Hampden in the spring of 2016.

    Chris Cadden, Allan Campbell, Jake Hastie, David Turnbull and James Scott were all mainstays in his side. They all went on to play an important role in the firs -team and earned the club almost £5m in transfer fees. It was hard to believe Craigan could match his contribution as a player whilst on the coaching staff, but he did.

    With the squad having been promoted and broken up, Craigan decided to concentrate fully on his media career again and left the club with an enhanced reputation in December 2018, three-and-a-half sterling years after returning.

    Over 375 games for Motherwell as a player spanning 15 years, a distinguished club captain, a record number of international appearances whilst at Fir Park, 14 games in Europe, appearances at two major cup finals and a cup-winning youth coach who was responsible for the cultivation of some of the most exciting young talent of their generation. That alone would easily grant Stephen Craigan legendary status at Fir Park, but for ‘Well fans it is much more than that. His passion and commitment on the field was clear, he wore his emotions on his sleeve and the fans loved him for it.

    Anything he ever lacked in ability, and he was a far greater player than people, including himself, give him credit for, he more than made up for with sheer hard work and determination.

    That’s something all fans across the world would expect, but at a working-class club, with working-class values supported by a largely working-class fanbase, it’s essential. Although he wasn’t born in this country or even grew up supporting the Steelmen, the fans will always class him as one of us, and Fir Park will always be home.


    Our Hall of Fame will welcome its new inductees in a special event in November.

    Taking place at the Bothwell Bridge Hotel on Saturday 13 November, the event will induct the classes of both 2020 and 2021.

    The event is priced at £60 for adults and £30 for children aged under 12. Limited tickets are available.

    We will induct both the 2020 and 2021 intake at the event.

    Buy your tickets online here now.

    Current Hall of Famers include George Stevenson, Willie Pettigrew, Phil O’Donnell, Ally Maxwell and James McFadden.

    The delayed 2020 class, who will also be inducted on the night, includes John Hunter, Andy Paton, Joe Wark, Davie Cooper and Steven Hammell.

  • First team

    Manager looks ahead to Rangers

    The Motherwell boss looks ahead to Sunday’s cinch Premiership match at Fir Park.

  • Women

    Katie Rice returns

    Katie Rice returns

    Motherwell have signed attacking midfielder Katie Rice.

    Rice, who was most recently at Hibernian, left the Edinburgh side last month and is looking forward to being back in the claret and amber for the second time.

    “I am extremely happy to be back at Motherwell,” Rice said.

    “I love the direction the club is going in and I think it is really exciting to know I will be a part of it. I feel like I am back home.”

    Katie Rice will wear the number 20 shirt this season.

    “I’m delighted we have managed to get Katie on board,” head coach Paul Brownlie added.

    “She adds to our attacking threat on the pitch and I’m really looking forward to seeing what she can produce.”

    Rice left the ’Well in January after featuring for the club for two seasons, but has now completed her return.

  • First team

    Next up: Rangers

    Next up: Rangers

    Rangers visit Fir Park in the cinch Premiership on Sunday.

    Kick-off is at 12pm.

    Ticket information

    Tickets must be purchased in advance. Cash gates will not be in operation.

    To buy, call 01698 333333 or visit the ticket office at Fir Park. The ticket office is open 9am to 5pm on Thursday, 9-4 on Friday and from 10am until kick off on Sunday.

    Our capacity will be limited to under 10,000 for this match. Vaccine certification is not required.

    Away fan sales

    Rangers fans should contact their club direct for tickets. No tickets are available to purchase from Motherwell FC.

    Watch live

    The game will be broadcast live in the UK and Ireland by Sky Sports.

    If you’re a Motherwell season ticket holder who cannot make the match, you can still watch a live stream for free at live.motherwellfc.co.uk.

    International viewers can watch through our subscription service at live.motherwellfc.co.uk. Packages start at as little as £12.50 per month to watch all 38 cinch Premiership fixtures.

    Join us for food and drink

    Our Cooper Bar will be open from 11am for pre-match food and drinks, and for two hours after the game for you to talk about the game over a drink.

    Form guide

    A 2-2 draw with St Mirren ended a run of three straight defeats for Motherwell.

    Rangers are unbeaten in nine league matches, coming from 2-0 down to draw with Aberdeen at Ibrox on Wednesday night to maintain their run.

  • Club

    Get your limited edition 1991 Scottish Cup commemorative whisky

    Get your limited edition 1991 Scottish Cup commemorative whisky

    Get your hands now on our limited edition 1991 Scottish Cup commemorative whisky.

    To mark 30 years since our Hampden success, the 10-year-old single malt has been matured in American oak casks and has a perfect balance of fruit notes with hints of honey and vanilla with a light touch of peat smoke.

    Get yours by buying online for click and collect from Fir Park.

  • First team

    Manager reacts to St Mirren draw

    Graham Alexander speaks as Motherwell surrender a two-goal lead in controversial circumstances to draw with St Mirren.

  • First team

    Motherwell 2-2 St Mirren

    Motherwell 2-2 St Mirren

    A dramatic second half saw the points shared between Motherwell and St Mirren.

    While the goals rained in at every other Premiership ground, this game had all the hallmarks of a dull no-scoring affair until the game burst into life in an exciting and controversial second half.

    A quick double from Tony Watt within the first seven minutes of the restart seemed to atone for ‘Well’s poor first half.

    However, thoughts of a welcome three points were quelled when Eamonn Brophy grabbed a quick double, the second in questionable circumstances, to leave the teams settling for a point each and status quo in terms of the league table.

    Graham Alexander was hoping that his players could recapture their winning form and end the first round of matches with three points and strengthen ‘Well’s position in the top six.

    The ‘Well boss made two changes from the side which was unlucky not to return from Tannadice with something to show for their efforts.

    Sondre Solholm was recalled to the defence in place of Bevis Mugabi, while Connor Shields made his home debut, with Kevin van Veen stepping down to the bench.

    Three straight defeats, after a six-game unbeaten run, put pressure on the home side for the visit of an on-form Saints, with Jim Goodwin equally hopeful that his side could respond after Sunday’s reversal to Rangers.

    Despite the torrential rain, the Fir Park pitch looked in great condition.

    It was Saints who made the most of the welcoming playing surface, retaining possession to press Motherwell deep into their own half in the opening spell.

    The first strike on goal came after 10 minutes when Main was given time 20 yards from goal but his low drive was easily held by Liam Kelly.

    Eight minutes later the former ‘Well striker but from eight yards he headed Scott Tanser’s tempting cross wide of goal.

    By comparison, the Steelmen found it difficult to get into the game and make any real threat towards Jak Alnwick’s goal.

    With 27 minutes on the clock, Alexander was forced into an early change in his defence with Juhani Ojala limping off and replaced with Mugabi.

    As Saints continued to dictate the first half, without ever really testing Kelly, the ‘Well boss must have been quite content that his side were at least still level at the interval.

    No doubt, though, as the players left the field to the disapproval of the home fans, Alexander would have demanded that a big improvement was required in the second half.

    Although there were no personnel changes, there was an immediate change in ‘Well’s attitude and fortunes with the opening goal within three minutes of the restart.

    Shields fed the ball to Goss on the left touchline and when he whipped in a cross to the back of the six-yard box, Watt bulleted his header into the ground to send the ball high past Alnwick and inside the ‘keeper’s far post.

    That injected some much-needed energy into the home side and from Stephen O’Donnell’s run and pass from the right, Watt’s thumping drive rebounded from Alnwick with nobody in claret and amber able to pounce on the loose ball.

    It was turning into Watt’s evening and after showing great determination to power his way through two challenges inside the box the striker was felled as he nudged the ball past Alnwick. There was no doubting it was a penalty and no question that Watt was going to take it, calmly sending the Saints’ ‘keeper diving the wrong way as he stroked the spot-kick into the bottom left-hand corner.

    Two up and with the home fans back on song, the home side looked a threat every time they broke upfield.

    However, as the Buddies recovered from that double whammy they exerted some pressure on the home goal and Kelly had to make a couple of smart saves from Eamonn Brophy and Kyle McAllister to preserve ‘Well’s two-goal advantage.

    With 25 minutes remaining, ‘Well strengthened the midfield replacing Kaiyne Woolery with Mark O’Hara.

    Five minutes later it was almost 3-0 when Solholm stooped to meet a Goss inswinging free-kick but his low header was saved on the line by Alnwick.

    Sixteen minutes from time, Saints pulled a goal back.

    Brophy chased the ball to the byline at the edge of the home penalty area and as Kelly advanced from his goal, the former Accies striker squeezed the ball into the unguarded net.

    Two minutes later, the Buddies were level under controversial circumstances.

    Firstly, Brophy won his side a penalty when he played the ball beyond Solholm and ran straight into the Danish defender. After ‘Well’s protests, Brophy stepped up to take the award and although he struck the kick low to the right, Kelly produced a wonderful one-handed save to push the ball away.

    The Fir Park celebrations were cut short when referee Bobby Madden somehow adjudged the ‘Well ‘keeper had left his line, allowing Brophy to hammer home the spot-kick at the second time of asking.

    There was still a sense of injustice around the home stands as the game moved into the final minutes, as the visitors threatened to steal it.

    As Saints’ fired a corner into a packed box, Kelly made two spectacular saves to prevent all three points heading along the M8 to Paisley. and ensure a share of the spoils.

    Motherwell: Kelly, O’Donnell, Ojala (Mugabi 27), Solholm, McGinley, Grimshaw, Goss, Slattery, Woolery (O’Hara 65), Watt, Shields.

    Subs not used: Fox, Carroll, Maguire, Roberts, Van Veen.

  • First team

    Get your tickets for Aberdeen

    Get your tickets for Aberdeen

    Tickets are now on sale for our trip to Aberdeen.

    The Steelmen head north on Saturday 6 November. Kick-off at Pittodrie is at 3pm.

    Tickets can be bought via our ticket website or from the ticket office at Fir Park. A cash turnstile will also be in operation on the day.

    Prices are as follows.

    • Adults: £26
    • Over 65s: £20
    • Over 75s: £16
    • 18-21s: £16
    • Under 18s: £12
    • Under 12s: £6

    Fans who require ambulant or wheelchair access should contact Andy Sim on 07428 225254 or email tickets@mfcdsa.com.

  • First team

    The rise and rise of Bevis Mugabi

    The rise and rise of Bevis Mugabi

    It was only five years ago Bevis Mugabi was in academy football at Southampton – and it feels closer to 10.

    After learning his trade with players such as Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse at St Mary’s, the Ugandan international made his way to ML1 via Yeovil Town.

    He’s made himself a fans’ favourite, broke a world record set by Cristiano Ronaldo and cemented himself as a solid part of Graham Alexander’s side.

    Still only 26, his time in senior football has been brief in the grand scheme of things.

    But it’s been a learning curve of the steepest gradient. It was either sink or swim if you wanted a football career after time in the Southampton academy, something Mugabi knew all too well.

    Some of his former team-mates have hit football’s summit. Ward-Prowse is captain of the Premier League club and Shaw scored for England in the Euro 2020 final during the summer. Others aren’t involved in football anymore.

    Mugabi was desperate not to fall into the latter category. Both he and former Motherwell winger Gboly Ariyibi were team-mates in the Saints academy, and it was tough to witness the brutal reality of trying to become a star.

    “Five years ago I was playing academy football,” explained Mugabi. “I moved to Yeovil from Southampton before I came here. I feel I’ve been a professional for so much longer.

    “I’m grateful for the opportunity I was given to be honest, because a lot of the boys ended up falling out of football, ending up nowhere. I’ve seen it first-hand with some of my former team-mates.

    “Me and Gboly were so close at Southampton and we still speak to each other now. With our age group at that time, we had guys like James Ward-Prowse, Luke Shaw, and Callum Chambers. Then there’s me and Gboly.

    “A few of us have gone on to have careers. Others have fallen off, which is sad to see as they were talented players. It’s all hard work and dedication. So I’m very grateful to be in professional football.”

    You might be wondering which Ronaldo record was broken by Motherwell’s Ugandan centre-back this year.

    The chosen setting for this probably wouldn’t have been Dingwall, the home of Ross County, midweek in January as Alexander’s men scrapped for Premiership survival, but there it was.

    Leaping very, very high to head into the net to seal a 2-1 victory, Mugabi’s jump was measured once he had left Highland airspace and returned to the ground.

    In December 2019, Ronaldo scored a pretty spectacular header for Juventus against Sampdoria. it was a crazy piece of physical strength as he soared 8ft 5in in the air to nod home the winner.

    The vertical leap was a record goal-scoring jump at the time before Mugabi jumped 8ft 6in off the ground for his winner in Dingwall.

    He said after the match in Dingwall that Manchester United’s talisman forward would need to up his game after that moment in January. There’s been no response since as the Ugandan international holds the mantle.

    “At the time I wasn’t even aware of how high I had actually jumped,” Mugabi said. “My brothers were telling me that I really leapt for that header.

    “It got a bit of publicity and it went viral. The pitch was very heavy that day so I don’t even know how I managed to jump. But we needed the three points desperately at the time. So that was a nice goal to have.

    “It was a bit weird, having that comparison to a such a football legend. It was a special moment just to have that kind of talk with your name mentioned.”

    Like any king, there’s always someone eager to have your throne. Kampala Capital City Authority Club forward Sadat Happy Anaku had a go at taking the record, but his leap fell short and reached the fair height of 8.44ft.

    “They are a team over in Uganda,” added Mugabi. “It was some leap to be fair to them. I can only imagine how my one looked because at the time.”

    Bringing things quite literally back to the ground, the old cliche of ‘can he do it on a cold and rainy night in Stoke’ is often thrown about. It essentially means could the best players strut their stuff in the harshest conditions.

    Whatever those conditions are in Stoke, it’s probably child’s play to Mugabi’s time at Yeovil. It was straight from academy football and into the environment that would help shape him as a player, and a person.

    Huish Park is an old-school ground with terracing to boot. No longer was Mugabi in the often pampered world of academy football at the elite level, he was in the rough and tumble of England’s fourth tier.

    Firing long balls up to ex-Well striker Alex Fisher in the middle of February against Forest Green Rovers was certainly a fresh experience, but one Mugabi is grateful for.

    “Feed the fish and he will score,” joked Mugabi. “Some guys maybe struggled to make that transition into men’s football. At academy level, everything is done for you.

    “You get pampered and then you get thrown into the real world. You have your own flat, you cook your own dinner. At some clubs, you have to wash your own kit and do your own gym sessions.

    “Some people just can’t make that transition. Getting into men’s football was the best thing I did – but nobody likes making that trip down to Yeovil. It’s far.

    “But it was good to be there and get some sort of experience. It did me the world of good. League Two level is direct so I was getting a lot of action at a young age. The majority of the team was young, full of guys who needed exposure.

    “It helped me a lot to be honest. Big Fisher was a great target to be fair. He was a great guy and a great target to aim for.”

    There are differences to be found in Motherwell and Yeovil, in Mugabi’s eyes. Both are community clubs at the centre of their respective areas.

    That’s certainly the case in ML1. Mugabi and the rest of the Motherwell changing room recently opted to join the Well Society.

    The players, together with the coaching staff, decided to collectively join and contribute monthly to the club’s fan ownership group, playing their part in the continuing health and growth of Motherwell as a football club.

    It comes off the back of Motherwell fans raising over £60,000 towards the Well In initiative, which handed season tickets to those less fortunate. The club matched this generosity.

    “I feel like the club does an amazing job of including the community and being supportive of the environment around us,” said Mugabi. “It makes sure everyone around us is supported.

    “Everyone is connected. It’s the least we can do to give back. We don’t make £10,000 each week or anything like that, but even the small amount we contribute could hopefully make a big difference.

    “That would be amazing. With my previous club Yeovil, I feel it was similar to Motherwell. It was a family club, they tried to include the community in things.

    “It’s important, I feel, to have everything connected and everyone pushing in the same direction.”

    Mugabi’s focus remains on securing his place at the heart of Alexander’s defence, with fierce competition from the likes of Sondre Solholm Johansen, Ricki Lamie, Darragh O’Connor and Juhani Ojala.

    Johansen and Ojala hail from Norway and Finland, and there’s a chance for the remaining trio to pick up a new language. Lamie hasn’t started, and neither has Mugabi though.

    “My second language isn’t coming along, to be honest,” Mugabi laughed. “But I should probably start picking up different bits and bobs to be fair to them. It’s difficult but they have had a good transition into Scottish football and Scotland in general.

    “They’ve equipped themselves really well. They have settled into the club well itself and they are integrating into our group very well. They are also good quality players that the gaffer has brought in.

    “So for me, it’s going well. It’s a young squad, and I feel I’ve had enough experience to be one of the more experienced guys in the changing room.

    “That’s with the way I lead and train before a game. But I’m not old yet.”

    Mugabi has also battled back from fitness concerns to form part of Alexander’s defence this season. A shoulder injury troubled him throughout last season’s campaign.

    After going through Lanarkshire’s tape supply and undergoing an operation to get his shoulder sorted, Mugabi has been right back in the thick of the action for his manager.

    It was a tough period, but he’s on the other side fit and healthy, ready to continue making his mark.

    “I am fully recovered from my shoulder injury at the end of last season,” added Mugabi with a sigh of relief. “That was really needed.

    “It was more so getting the strapping done before every training session and then again before every game. Myself and definitely the physios, I do not know how much money we spent on tape, just for me.

    “I guess it was probably a hefty amount to be honest. But I am just glad it is over with and I can move on from it.”

    Motherwell are in the top half of the Premiership after the first 10 league fixtures and Mugabi is playing almost every week. It’s been a good spell for the defender after a tough time with injury.

    He’s been due some luck and this season he’s got his break, playing regular football without the worry of a shoulder popping out of place or dislocating. Form progression is key now.

    “Personally I think the season is going well,” added Mugabi. “I missed the majority of pre-season with the shoulder injury I had at the end of last season, but I was thrown in on the first day of the season.

    “That was good, to just be thrown into the deep end of playing games again.”


    Bevis’ interview appears in the latest edition of the Motherwell FC programme, along with a host of other great features.

    You can pick yours up at Fir Park ahead of Motherwell v St Mirren on Wednesday night, or order online here.

  • First team

    Manager looks ahead to St Mirren

    Graham Alexander pays tribute to Walter Smith, and also previews the visit of St Mirren in the cinch Premiership on Wednesday night.