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  • First team

    Barry Maguire signs new contract

  • Women

    Partick Thistle next in Scottish Women’s Cup

  • Women

    Katie Andrews goes out on loan to Glasgow Women

  • Women

    Paige McAllister joins Motherwell permanently

  • First team

    Kevin van Veen named December player of the month

  • Archive

    Mich’el Parker departs

  • Women

    Ciara Duff signs

  • First team

    Chris Lucketti reacts to win over Livingston

  • First team

    Motherwell 2-1 Livingston

  • First team

    Liam Donnelly’s ready to go

  • First team

    Barry Maguire signs new contract

    Barry Maguire signs new contract

    Barry Maguire has signed a new deal.

    The midfielder has extended his stay at the club until the summer of 2024.

    “I’m delighted Barry has committed himself to us at an important stage of his career,” manager Graham Alexander said.

    “He’s consistently shown he has all the attributes of a player we want, from how he trains and prepares, to his will to win and quality.

    “He’s great to work with and we believe he will continue to progress into a top midfield player.”

    Maguire has been an impressive and regular performer in midfield this campaign, making 15 appearances and netting one goal.

    The 23-year-old has played 57 times in total, scoring twice, since making his professional debut in April 2018.

  • Women

    Partick Thistle next in Scottish Women’s Cup

    Partick Thistle next in Scottish Women’s Cup

    Motherwell get their 2022 Scottish Women’s Cup campaign underway on Sunday 9 January when they face Partick Thistle in round three. 

    Kick off is 12.30pm at Petershill Park in Glasgow. 

    HOW TO WATCH

    Tickets will be sold at the gate of the stadium. There is not an option to buy online before the match. 

    Tickets are priced at £7 for adults and kids go free. 

    Alternatively, there will be a live stream of the match on Partick Thistle Women’s YouTube channel. The stream will launch shortly before kick off.  

    TALE OF THE TAPE

    Motherwell last faced off against the Jags in September in SWPL1.

    In a back and forth game, Thistle came away with all three points in a 3-2 win. Lori Gardner and Kaela McDonald-Nguah grabbed the goals for the women of steel. 

    The sides have history in the Scottish Cup. In 2019 Motherwell came out on top in a 2-0 win after extra-time and progressed to the next round. 

    FORM GUIDE

    Both sides haven’t played since 12 December 2021.

    Thistle’s last encounter came against champions Glasgow City, where they were beaten 2-0.

    In SWPL1, the Jags last picked up points at the start of November with a 0-0 draw against Spartans. 

    Motherwell come into this cup tie after a 7-0 defeat to SWPL Cup winners Celtic before the winter break.

    The women of steel have two wins in five stretching back to the end of October. 

  • Women

    Katie Andrews goes out on loan to Glasgow Women

    Katie Andrews goes out on loan to Glasgow Women

    Goalkeeper Katie Andrews has joined Glasgow Women on loan until the end of the season.

    The 16-year-old, who joined Motherwell in the summer, joins up with the SWPL2 side to get vital game time and experience.

    “This is an opportunity for Katie to play at a very good level and help fulfil her potential,” head coach Paul Brownlie said.

    “She has trained well since joining us in the summer and we are looking forward to seeing her progress.”

  • Women

    Paige McAllister joins Motherwell permanently

    Paige McAllister joins Motherwell permanently

    Paige McAllister has signed a permanent deal with Motherwell.

    Signed initially on loan from Celtic in the summer, the centre back now moves on a permanent basis from the Hoops. 

    Making six appearances thus far in the claret and amber, the number 66 joins after spending five years with Celtic. 

    “We were really excited to get Paige in the door,” head coach Paul Brownlie said. 

    “She is an exciting prospect who has looked assured and strong when she has played this season for us.

    “The loan period has allowed her to get settled and now she can kick on from here.”

    McAllister is looking to establish herself in the Motherwell team this season.

    “I believe this is the best place for my long-term development,” she added. 

    “It’s a great project here and we want to play football the right way.

    “We are a really ambitious group on and off the pitch, it’s an exciting time to be at Motherwell. 

    “If we keep building, improving and working hard I think we can take this club on a special journey.”

  • First team

    Kevin van Veen named December player of the month

    Kevin van Veen named December player of the month

    Kevin van Veen is your Paycare player of the month for December.

    Narrowly edging out Bevis Mugabi in the public vote, the Dutch striker picks up the trophy for the first time since his arrival in the summer.

    Van Veen scored three goals in four appearances in the final month of 2021, netting first in a 2-0 home win over St Johnstone.

    He then grabbed both goals in a 2-1 victory against Livingston to cap off the month, and extend ‘Well’s home run of consecutive wins to four.

  • Archive

    Mich’el Parker departs

    Mich’el Parker departs

    Mich’el Parker has left Motherwell.

    The defensive midfielder signed a short-term deal in the summer, and was on the bench for three Premier Sports Cup group stage matches earlier in the campaign.

    With his contract now at an end, the former Liverpool and West Ham United trainee departs with our best wishes for the future.

  • Women

    Ciara Duff signs

    Ciara Duff signs

    Motherwell have signed Scotland Under 19 goalkeeper Ciara Duff.

    Duff, who was most recently at Boroughmuir Thistle, joins up with the women of steel on a deal until the end of the season.

    “We’ve worked extremely hard to get Ciara to Motherwell,” head coach Paul Brownlie said.

    “She will add real strength to the goalkeeping department.

    “She’s someone I’ve worked with previously at youth national level so I’m fully aware of the qualities she will bring to the team.

    “Ciara is still young but has lots of potential. It’s important we help her to maximise that potential.”

    Duff will wear the number 35 shirt.

    “I’m delighted to join Motherwell as this is such an exciting time for the club,” she added.

    “I’m really looking forward to working under Paul and his team, and the competitive, professional environment they have created.”

  • First team

    Chris Lucketti reacts to win over Livingston

    “It was a fantastic performance. It keeps our run going and it’s down to how hard our players work.”

  • First team

    Motherwell 2-1 Livingston

    Motherwell 2-1 Livingston

    Motherwell brought down the curtain on 2021 with a fourth consecutive home win and another three points to maintain their hold on fourth place in the cinch Premiership.

    A goal in each half from Kevin van Veen made it a highly impressive 17th win for Graham Alexander since he took charge at the start of the year.

    It was another stunning strike early in the game which settled the home side and set them on the way to another impressive win. With his wonderful free-kick having treated the limited crowd to a goal of the season contender, the Dutch striker effectively tied up the points 20 minutes from time with a glancing header.

    Bruce Anderson’s goal three minutes from time gave the ‘Well fans an uncomfortable end to the game but overall it was a thoroughly controlled and deserved win for the Fir Park side.

    The football year concluded where it began with a restriction on fans. ‘Well’s 500 season ticket holders who were fortunate enough to get a seat via a ballot, were thinly scattered the length of the John Hunter stand.

    The ‘Well boss made two changes to his starting line-up. Barry Maguire replaced Dean Cornelius in the middle of the park with Connor Shields replacing Tony Watt.

    And the former Queen of the South striker was immediately in the thick of the goalmouth action. An inswinging free-kick from Sean Goss caused a bit of melee in the six-yard box forcing Max Stryjek to drop and smother the ball as Shields pounced looking for a loose ball.

    It was pretty even start by both sides until the 13th minute ‘Well opened the scoring with a real Christmas cracker.

    Alan Forrest needlessly tugged Nathan McGinley’s jersey five yards outside the box as Livi attempted to clear Liam Donnelly’s corner.

    With Goss and Van Veen hovering over the free-kick it was a case of a Dutch masterclass as the Fir Park striker sublimely curled the ball over the defensive wall and high past the motionless Stryjek for a wonderful goal.

    That spurred a response from the visitors as they made themselves busy around the home goal.

    It was a Kelly double after 25 minutes when Sean, with a drive from 20 yards, forced the first save for his brother Liam in the ‘Well goal.

    As the game passed the half-hour mark it was the Fir Park men who were increasingly being asked to defend their own penalty area.

    In a rare attack eight minutes from the break, a foul on Stephen O’Donnell provided his side with another free-kick just outside the visitor’s box. This time Goss was given the responsibility but his curled effort was easily held by Stryjek.

    Four minutes from the interval Liam Kelly held Forrest’s free-kick before sending Kaiyne Woolery off on a threatening run. But after attempting to work an exchange with Van Veen, Craig Sibbald’s crude lunge brought the Livi midfielder a yellow card and an end to any chance of ‘Well grabbing a second goal.

    As referee Don Robertson brought the first half to a close there was little other than the Steelmen’s stunning goal to ward off the December chill.

    Within two minutes of the restart, Van Veen was given another chance to demonstrate his dead ball expertise, But his free-kick from 25 yards clipped the Livi ‘wall’ and deflect behind the goal. From the corner, Donnelly’s outswinging ball found Sondre Solholm but his downward header was wide of target.

    The chance of a better second half from the home side improved five minutes later when ‘Well came close to adding a second goal.

    Woolery won the ball on the right of the box and his pass found Goss unmarked on the penalty spot who could only watch his firm left foot finish blocked as Sean Kelly bravely threw his body in front of the ball.

    A more determined spell from Graham Alexander’s men had Livingston defending deep inside their own box, although Stryjek remained untested.

    On the hour David Martindale made the first change bringing on striker Anderson and his introduction sparked a bit of life into the Livi attack.

    But it was Motherwell who again came close to scoring after 65 mins. Van Veen threaded the ball into the path of the overlapping Goss and his low angled drive produced a good blocking save from Stryjek.

    Four minutes later ‘Well made it 2-0. Shields whipped a tempting cross towards the six-yard box and van Veen rose behind his marker and with a nonchalant header send the ball narrowly inside the ‘keeper’s right hand post and put the home side on the driving seat.

    It should have been 3-0 after 75 minutes when van Veen and Shields combined to set up Woolery, However, 10 yards from goal his poor first touch allowed Stryjek to easily gather the ball when the Livingston ‘keeper should have been collecting the ball from the back of his net.

    That miss might have mattered as the Fir Park men, with Juhani Ojala returning from injury to replace Solholm for the final 10 minutes, were given a fright three minutes from time when Anderson swept home Penrice’s cross.

    There was still time for van Veen to be denied his hat-trick after his run from the halfway line ended with his low shot being blocked by Stryjek’s leg.

  • First team

    Liam Donnelly’s ready to go

    Liam Donnelly’s ready to go

    After missing the majority of the last 16 months, Liam Donnelly is looking to make up for lost time.

    On the opening day of last season, the Northern Ireland international suffered a knee injury and was expected to miss two months of action, however, the reality would prove to be much worse.

    Donnelly would not feature for the remainder of the season, adding further misery to a campaign that will be remembered for the impact of the pandemic and supporters being absent from stadiums across the country.

    When the time arrived for Liam to return, Motherwell were under the guidance of a new manager in Graham Alexander and the playing squad had undergone a huge overhaul. He would feature in three of the Steelmen’s four Premier Sports Cup fixtures and started their first two Scottish Premiership matches.

    Unfortunately, since then things have not gone to plan for the midfielder. Niggling injuries have restricted his game time and, after a second-half substitute appearance against Ross County in late September, he would not feature again until he came on for Callum Slattery in the 1-0 defeat Celtic Park earlier this month – a further 78 days absence.

    It has been a long road back for the 25-year-old. But he believes the busy festive schedule for the Steelmen represents a great opportunity to stake a claim for more game time.

    “It was nice to be back out on the pitch against Celtic,” Donnelly said. “I’ve had a few little niggles that I could have done without given I was out for so long last season.

    “I understand it’s part and parcel of what can come with being out for an extended period. Hopefully that’s the end of it now and that I can get some game time in.

    “After I came back in the summer, there were two small injuries that lasted a couple of weeks at a time. It all adds up.

    “It was difficult, especially having been out for so long, but in a way, it has also helped me knowing that I only had a couple of weeks to get through and I’d be back again. Of course, it’s not what you want, but I knew it would be a lot quicker than it was before.

    “The lads have been doing well and I’d much rather come back into a team doing well than a team struggling at the wrong end of the table. I’ve been buzzing to see how well the team have been doing and the results they have picked up. Hopefully we can continue to build on that.”

    Suffering a serious injury and having to carry out rehabilitation during the pandemic presented Donnelly with a difficult set of circumstances to overcome, though fortunately, he was able to carry out most of his recovery work at Fir Park.

    Guided by the vastly skilled medical team at the club, Donnelly feels he owes a great deal of gratitude to the likes of physio Davie Henderson and Head of Sports Science Andy Boles for getting him to the point where he was ready to make his comeback. But despite overcoming the challenges faced during his battle for fitness, it was not a complete success story.

    Many of his team-mates are avid gamers and when it comes to Call of Duty and FIFA, the competition is fierce.

    With extra time on his hands during his injury and in the search for ways to pass the time during lockdown, the Dungannon-born star would try his hand at replicating the skills possessed by the likes of Tony Watt and Kevin van Veen – though it would be a short-lived hobby.

    “I tried a bit of that during lockdown, it didn’t work though. The more I played the angrier I got,” he laughed. “My standard wasn’t good enough, so I quickly gave that up.

    “I’ve got a little daughter at home, and she keeps me busy. When I’m at home I don’t have much time for computer games.

    “Lockdown was a strange time and not ideal obviously, but I still got to come into the club every day and do my rehab, trying to rebuild my strength and get back fit again.

    “In a certain sense, we were quite lucky to be able to get into the club daily and maintain some sort of normality. I know a lot of people couldn’t get out and had it been the case that I wasn’t able to get into the club, I’m sure it would have been a lot more difficult than it was.

    “I enjoyed the family time. It’s not too often things like that happen and you have to spend a lot of time at home, so I tried to make the most of it. It was probably a lot easier for me than it was for many others during the lockdown.

    “The medical team played a massive part in my recovery, Davie Henderson talked me through everything. At times, he had to make some decisions that he knew I was probably not going to be happy with and that would hold me back a little bit, but he is a top physio.

    “He’s with the Scotland squad as well and has been a lot of big clubs, he knows what he is doing, and I had to put all my trust in him.

    “As I was coming back to fitness, Andy Boles did a lot of work with me to get my levels back to where they were before my injury. I can’t underestimate or take anything away from the work the fitness and medical team have done for me here. I owe them a lot.”

    Arriving at ‘Well in 2018, Donnelly made 42 appearances under Stephen Robinson, scoring 12 goals.

    Having built up a good working relationship with his former gaffer, he admits it was difficult not being able to help the team during the disappointing run of form that saw Robinson depart the club.

    With a new manager arriving at a time when he was ruled out of action, Liam knew he could not take anything for granted, though a conversation shortly after his new boss arrived would help put his mind at ease.

    “The new manager arriving presented a new challenge,” he explained. “I had a good working relationship with Stephen Robinson, and I was disappointed at the time he left, especially because I couldn’t do anything to help the situation.

    “When Graham came in, it represented someone new to impress, he brings different ideas and a different way of playing. As with any new manager, he could prefer different players. You have to start from scratch again really and try impress the new manager.

    “The gaffer spoke to me as soon as he came and asked me how my recovery was going. I then spoke to him throughout the summer break, he told me that he wanted me to be part of the team and the squad, but obviously that’s never a given.

    “You have to make sure you are working hard and doing the same, if not more than what the other lads are doing to make sure you are paying. No matter who the manager is, I don’t think that ever changes. You need to produce on the training pitch, and you’ll get minutes if you are.”

    Livingston visit ML1 this afternoon for what will be the first of three games in a hectic eight-day spell over the festive period for Alexander’s side and, while many are enjoying the festivities, Motherwell will be looking to do their celebrating on the pitch.

    The ‘Well gaffer has not had his troubles to seek in recent weeks when it comes to injuries and suspensions, testing the depth of his squad – something that Donnelly hopes will help provide him with the opportunity to impress.

    The visit of Livi will bring back good memories for Donnelly. In May 2019, he netted his first goal for the club when he opened the scoring as a 3-2 victory over the Lions helped ‘Well end the season on a happy note.

    “I think it’s probably a good time to be coming back, there has been a few knocks and niggles which is normal for this time of year,” he added. “With the volume of games, there is likely to be a couple of changes and it’s down to me to continue to work hard and try to push my way into the team.

    “Christmas and New Year is always a busy time in football, which obviously means you can’t be going as wild as I’m sure a lot of people will be at this time. You still get to enjoy time with your family however, and although the staff will always make sure that we are working hard, they might let us go home a little earlier to spend some important time with our families.

    “You have to make sure you are looking after yourself and doing everything properly to ensure you are ready and fit for the games. It’s not bad here because after a busy run, we get the break in January and will get a bit of time off to relax.

    “The atmosphere around the place is good, the young players provided some Christmas entertainment by performing some karaoke for the first team. I’ll be honest, the standard wasn’t great, and I won’t say too much more than that.”

    As fans visit Fir Park for the final time in 2021, Motherwell will aim to secure three points that will help continue their challenge in the top half of the Premiership table.

    With fixtures against three sides all currently below the Steelmen in the league in the space of just over a week, Motherwell will view this run of matches as an excellent chance to go into the winter break on a high.

    For Donnelly, the next week is an opportunity to begin his road back to becoming an integral part of the ‘Well starting XI, though insists there is no room for complacency, warning that any dip in standards will be punished.

    “Our preference would be to have a run of good results and be pushing up the table, although I don’t think this is any different to any other period, to be honest,” said the former Hartlepool man.

    “We don’t have the luxury of thinking we can just show up and beat teams easily, we must be on it every game and I think that’s why we’ve got some good results recently.

    “There are no easy games in this league, different games against different opponents will pose different challenges. If we do get good results, we can’t take it easy – we need to be on it and maintain our levels in every game – no matter the opposition.

    “Hopefully I’ve reached the end of picking up any niggly injuries, I’m working hard to ensure I stay fit, try to get back into the team and hopefully produce some good performances.”