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Despite a bundle of chances, Motherwell fell to a 1-0 defeat to visitors Sligo Rovers in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

An Aidan Keena goal in the first half was enough to give Sligo the advantage ahead of the second leg next Thursday in Ireland.

Motherwell created the first opening of the game in the opening stages. Summer signing Josh Morris found himself in the danger area and lashed a shot towards goal. The covering Sligo defender got enough of a touch to deflect the ball into the side netting.

Bevis Mugabi was next to try his luck. The Ugandan got up well from a Motherwell free kick and seen his effort comfortably gathered by McNicholas.

Despite the early chances, it would be the visitors who took the lead. A long ball forward found Mugabi back tracking, as he tried to nod the ball back to keeper Liam Kelly, former Hearts man Keena nicked in and knocked the ball over the top of the on rushing goalie to make it 1-0 on 27 minutes.

From then, Kelly wasn’t really troubled but the the Bit O’Reds defence stood strong and limited the Steelmen to few clear chances.

Kevin van Veen looked to bring the game back on level terms shortly after the Sligo goal. He burst through but instead of going for goal, he opted to square to Morris who couldn’t get the ball out of his feet in time to get a shot away.

Barry Maguire tried his luck next with a curling effort which McNicholas produced an excellent stop to keep his side ahead.

On the stroke of half-time, Connor Shields saw his effort go agonisingly wide of the post.

Motherwell continued to press in the second half. Morris had a go from a 20-yard free kick but McNicholas was once again a match for the effort.

Substitute Ross Tierney was introduced from the bench on 64 minutes and immediately was involved in the action. The Irish forward drove into the box and fired a low strike into the side netting.

It would continue to be a frustrating night when Morris fired a header on target but once again the keeper saved in the closing stages.

Motherwell now travel to Ireland next week looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit and keep their European campaign alive.

The G4Claims brand will again feature on the back of first team home and away kits at the bottom.

G4Claims are an accident management and hire car company. They are a family run business who pride themselves on their customer service. Having an accident can be a stressful experience and the company ensure all their customers are cared for to the highest standard.

“We are delighted to continue our relationship with Motherwell Football Club and continue our partnership for the coming season,” G4Claims Director Nicole Rudder said.

“We wish the team all the best and can’t wait to see the boys play in European Competition”

“We’d like to invite supporters of Motherwell Football Club to follow us on our social media platforms for give-aways and competitions.”

“You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube”

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with G4Claims and thank Nicole for her continued support of the club,” Suzanne Reid, head of commercial and marketing at Motherwell FC added.

“We share many values with the company being a family business in the local community and I very much look forward to working with the team this season.”

Our UEFA Europa Conference League first leg match against Sligo Rovers will be streamed online for £12. 

The match is now available to buy here.

Kick-off is at 7:45pm.

Bevis Mugabi says Motherwell are eager to get their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign underway after a gruelling pre-season is now under their belt.

The Ugandan was part of the squad that qualified in Motherwell’s last European adventure in 2020 and wants go a step further this time round.

Graham Alexander is looking forward to his first venture in domestic European football.

He says his side have performed well in pre-season and have completed everything that has been asked of them Despite only a couple of friendly matches, the manager reckons his side are ready for competitive football again and are focused on getting to the next round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

We’ve entered a new, exciting partnership with popular high street brand Footasylum.

The Footasylum brand will feature on the back of first team home and away kits for a minimum of two years.

With over 65 stores across the UK, Footasylum are always one step ahead when it comes to streetwear.

From high-profile trainer releases to the latest clothing, you’ll find the freshest drops from sportswear giants Nike, adidas Originals and Jordan, and premium pieces from Alessandro Zavetti, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein.

Guy Walker, head of football commercial partnerships commented: “Footasylum is delighted to be associated with Motherwell Football Club. A very exciting season for the club awaits as they embark upon a football journey into the UEFA Europa Conference League.

“We wish the club well and look forward to seeing the Footasylum brand feature on the back of the players shirts.

Suzanne Reid, head of commercial and marketing at Motherwell FC, added: “We are delighted to welcome Footasylum to our partnership portfolio and I very much look forward to working with Guy and his team to grow the partnership.”

Motherwell begin their UEFA Europa Conference League adventure on Thursday 21 July when they take on League of Ireland Premier Division side Sligo Rovers at Fir Park. 

Kick-off is 7:45pm.

Ticket Information

You can buy tickets for the game here. Sligo Rovers supporters should select the Tommy McLean stand.

Alternatively, you can get yours by calling 01698 333333 or visit the ticket office at Fir Park.

How to Follow the Game Online

The match is now available to buy here. The price is £12.

There will be live radio coverage on BBC Scotland. This can be found on FM at 92.5–94.7 and MHz AM at 810 kHz.

Tale of the Tape

Motherwell and Sligo Rovers have faced off in cup competitions before.

In 2018, The Bit O’Reds travelled to Fir Park to take on Motherwell Colts in the Irn-Bru Cup.

In a side that featured the likes of David Turnbull, James Scott, Barry Maguire and Jake Hastie, the youngsters made history by becoming the first colts side to reach the Quarter-Finals of the competition after a 2-0 victory.

Christian Mbulu and Jake Hastie the scorers that day.

Form Guide

Motherwell come into the game off the back of a strong showing in pre-season.

During their camp in Austria, Motherwell took on Austrian Second Division side SK Vorwarts Steyr, where the ‘Well won 5-1. Kevin van Veen scoring a hat-trick and Barry Maguire bagging a brace.

In their most recent run out, Motherwell took on Partick Thistle on Saturday. Joe Efford scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory.

Sligo Rovers are currently 23 games into their league campaign, they occupy fifth place in the table.

They lost 2-0 in their most recent game against University College Dublin, their first league defeat under new manager John Russell who was appointed at the start of June.

Despite losing 1-0 at home in the second leg, the Irish outfit went through in a penalty shootout against Bala Town in the first round of the Europa Conference League, scoring all five penalties in the shootout.

London Pollard and Jemma Hughes have been called up to Scotland’s Under-19s squad. 

Pauline Hamill’s side will take part in a two day camp at Inverclyde on Tuesday 9 August and Wednesday 10 August.

Pollard was in the most recent Scotland Under 19s squad in April, where she played in all three games, scoring two and assisting three in the process.

World leading consumer electronics brand TCL has been renewed as the Official Mobile Partner, Official Club Partner and Official Club Shorts Sponsor of Motherwell Football Club and the Scottish Premier League club.

TCL are excited to announce that the renewed partnership also welcomes the extension of the Motherwell Women’s team meaning the TCL logo will be included on the men’s and now women’s shorts for the 2022/23 season.

This will be the second consecutive year of the partnership with the extension reaffirming the importance of the collaboration between two community driven companies.

The Motherwell FC partnership has already seen product donations make a positive impact where it’s needed most and TCL are looking forward to continuing to help connect and inspire the local community.

“We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with Motherwell FC again and importantly to extend the partnership to include the Motherwell Women’s Team,” UK and Ireland Country Director William Paterson said.

“TCL and Motherwell share the same values of community first.

“TCL has a deep-rooted belief in providing great consumer electronics products at a price that is affordable to as many people as possible. We want everyone to be able to enjoy our products and Motherwell has the same ethos in putting Wells fans first, too.”

“We are delighted to continue and extend the partnership with TCL,” Suzanne Reid, head of commercial & marketing at Motherwell FC said.

“This is a fantastic commercial deal for the club and represents further great news for the club and our supporters ensuring another positive, high value and high calibre partnership for both first teams. We thank TCL for their continued support.”

Graham Alexander was pleased with his side’s approach to their 0-1 pre-season win over Partick Thistle.

A second-half strike from American Joe Efford was enough to separate the sides in a clammy afternoon at Firhill.

However, it was the player’s attitude and their desire to put what they’ve worked on at Dalziel Park into play that pleased the manager the most.

“I thought the players approached the match in the correct manner,” manager Graham Alexander said.

“There’s still some things we need to tighten up on, but we didn’t just go out to simply win a game of football, as much as we wanted to do that.

“We put into play what we have been doing in training and I think that [having a style] is important as it is a long season and the players have to have an idea of how we want to play.”

Kevin van Veen, Juhani Ojala, Paul McGinn, Scott Fox and Nathan McGinley weren’t in the squad and Alexander revealed the medical staff will have to take another look on Monday ahead of the midweek European match.

“We’ve taken a few knocks in training and the lads weren’t fit for today, but we’ll assess them on Monday to see if they’ll be able to train and prepare for the game [against Sligo Rovers],” Alexander added.

“We feel we have got some good competition, but we obviously need everyone as fit as possible. That said, I think the players that played today showed what they can do. We just need to keep working hard to take what we’re doing in training into up coming matches.”