| 8 | Kilmarnock | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Livingston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Motherwell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | St Mirren | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jens Berthel Askou was unveiled officially as the new Motherwell boss to the Scottish press, and he talks us through his reasons for joining the club and what he hopes to achieve in ML1.
Askou discusses recruitment, targets and meeting his new squad for the first time.
Jens Berthel Askou arrived in Scotland just one day ago, but has said that work is already well underway ahead of the the 2025/26 season.
Having met his playing squad and staff today, Askou has already got a feel for what the players are like but is aware that new additions will be necessary to complete his perfect vision of a football squad.
Assistant Manager Ahmet Koc has departed the club.
Koc arrived with Michael Wimmer in February and remained in post following Wimmer’s departure at the end of the season.
However, Koc has decided to step aside to allow new manager Jens Berthel Askou the opportunity to choose his own assistant manager.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have chosen to pursue a different path in football away from Fir Park,” Ahmet Koc said.
“I have loved every minute at Motherwell FC and have taken the club, the staff and the fans to my heart. I feel it’s important Jens has the opportunity to build his own team now for the season ahead whilst I now also have the opportunity to pursue a different career path in football.
“Although short, the time at Motherwell FC has been special, and I have truly loved every minute of being here. As difficult a decision as this has been for me, I will always support the club from afar, and who knows, we may meet again in the future.
“My best wishes to all of the fans, the directors, Jens and the football department for the season ahead, and thank you for looking after us during our time in Scotland.
“Mon the Well!”
We thank Ahmet for all his hard work and wish him well for the future.
Head of Goalkeeping Neil Alexander takes us through what a professional goalkeeper does to ensure they are ready for a match.
Alexander describes the step-by-step process and why he uses certain drills prior to kick-off.
We have had it confirmed that we will be playing Morton, Stenhousemuir, Peterhead and Clyde in this season’s edition of the group-stage of the Premier Sports Cup.
Ticket information will be made available shortly.
| Opponent | Date | Venue |
| Clyde (A) | Saturday 12 July, 3pm | New Douglas Park |
| Peterhead (H) | Tuesday 15 July, 7.45pm | Fir Park |
| Stenhousemuir (A) | Saturday 19 July, 3pm | Ochilview Park |
| Greenock Morton (H) | Tuesday 22 July, 7.45pm | Fir Park |
Below, we take a closer look at our first competitive opponents for the new season.
Motherwell and Morton once again cross paths in a cup competition. It’ll be the seventh meeting between the two sides in the last 13 years.
The last meeting between the pair came just last year, when Morton edged out the Steelmen in the Scottish Cup.
Of those seven meetings, Motherwell have won all five at Fir Park. Morton finished sixth in the Championship last season under Dougie Imrie.
Steering well clear of any relegation worries, they ended up eight points outside the playoff. Having lost two key members of their playing squad in the summer of 2024 in Robbie Muirhead and George Oakley, the full squad had to step up last season in terms of goals, with Michael Garrity and Motherwell man Filip Stuparevic finishing joint top goalscorers on six.
There was an air of uncertainty over Cappielow Park last month, with manager Dougie Imrie linked to a move away from the club. However, the move never transpired and Imrie will be at the helm once again. With a recent transfer ban for an admin error lifted, it could be a busy summer due to ten first-team players being out of contract and two players’ loans ending out of the 20-man squad.
This will be the first competitive meeting between Motherwell and Stenhousemuir since the 28th January 1981, when the two sides met in the Scottish Cup. The Steelmen came out on top that day with a 2-1 win.
Having been promoted to League One last season, Stenny came close to earning back-to-back promotions. Finishing fourth in the table, playing Airdrie in the playoff. The Diamonds won both legs, confirming Stenhousemuir will remain in League One for the forthcoming season.
Blair Alston showed his experience and class in his first season at Ochilview Park, with the 33-year-old finishing top scorer. Motherwell Academy graduate Corey O’Donnell also had a successful campaign, finishing on nine goals. Both are contracted for next season.
They will be without Matty Yates, who featured on 45 occasions last season, as it was confirmed the forward would be departing the club this summer.
With 15 players confirmed to be signed up for next season, Stenhousemuir are in good shape at this early stage of the summer.
Similar to Stenhousemuir, competitive matches between Motherwell and Peterhead are not common. There has been only one competitive fixture, which came back in January 1950.
Peterhead had a very successful season in League Two last year, finishing top of the tree and earning promotion to League One.
But there will be big boots to fill over the summer period. Club legend Rory McAllister has left the club, having joined in 2011 and becoming just the third player in Scotland to reach 250 goals since the Second World War.
Scott Ross will not be returning for season number ten for the Blue Toon, with the central defender off to pastures new.
Last season’s top goalscorer Kieran Shanks finished on ten goals in 28 games and is under contract for next season, as is former Aberdeen man Peter Pawlett.
The summer recruitment is well underway at Balmoor Adam Carnwath and Fraser Mackie arriving on permanent deals.
For the second time in as many seasons, Motherwell and Clyde will lock horns in the group-stage of the Premier Sports Cup. Last year, goals from Moses Ebiye, Lennon Miller and Filip Stuparevic secured a 3-1 win at New Douglas Park.
Last season, Clyde finished seventh in League Two.
Martin Rennie ended the season as the club’s top goalscorer with ten, but the forward has since left the club. Motherwell Academy graduate Logan Dunachie is under contract for next season after a successful 24/25 season. The defender, now playing as a striker, scored seven goals and continued to be a nuisance for the League Two defenders.
With seven departures already confirmed by Clyde, including captain Lee Hamilton, the summer rebuild is starting to take shape. Motherwell academy graduate Sam Campbell has joined from East Stirlingshire, with Andy Murdoch also signing.
Clyde have also added James Hilton to their ranks from Dumbarton, who scored nine goals last term, and he could be their new main man.
Another Well academy graduate, Robbie Leitch, will remain with the Bully Wee for the upcoming campaign, having scored six goals last season.
We can confirm a number of players will not be returning for the 2025/26 season.
Players who are out of contract and will not be returning are:
The club remains in dialogue with the remaining players who are out of contract.
Harry Paton joined the club in April 2023 and went on to feature 63 times for the club. During his time, he got back in the Canada squad and earned his first senior international cap. We thank Harry for his efforts and wish him well for the future.
Steve Seddon arrived in the summer of 2024, and despite picking up a couple of injuries, played 17 times across the season. We are grateful for Steve’s hard work in his 12 months at Motherwell and wish him the very best going forward.
Moses Ebiye will also be moving on this summer. The Nigerian forward arrived in March 2024 and quickly established himself as a fan favourite for his last-minute winner against Dundee on his debut. That was one of seven goals that Ebiye scored across his 39 appearances, including a goal in his final appearance against Ross County. The club thanks Moses for his efforts and wishes him well for the future.
Finally, Davor Zdravkovski will also be leaving the club this summer. Across two seasons, the North Macedonian played 62 times for Motherwell, scoring a solitary goal against Ross County in May 2024. His work ethic has been unquestionable and we wish Davor well for the future.
We had two players on international this month. Here is how they both got on.
Lennon Miller was named in his first Scotland squad back in March but had to wait to get his first cap. In Scotland’s first match against Iceland at Hampden, Miller was introduced into the action in the second half, replacing Kieran Tierney in the 68th minute.
Getting on the ball and trying to make things happen, he couldn’t quite change Scotland’s fortunes on the night as Steve Clarke’s side were defeated 3-1 by Iceland.
That impressive first appearance earned him his first start on Monday night against Liechtenstein. It didn’t take him long to make an impact on the international stage, as Miller’s intense pressure on the ball ensured he was able to win the ball back and set up Che Adams to score. Scotland won 4-0 away from home, with Miller playing the full 90 minutes in the middle of the pitch.
Tawanda Maswanhise and Zimbabwe travelled to Morocco for two friendly matches in preparation for their games in September. First up was a match against Burkina Faso. Maswanhise was named in the starting 11 and played the first hour of the game. The Warriors lost out 2-0 to Burkina Faso.
In their second friendly against Niger, Maswanhise was again named in the starting 11. Scoring early on in the game, Zimbabwe led until the 71st minute, when Niger scored from the penalty spot.
Maswanhise played 65 minutes of the game, as Zimbabwe held on for a 1-1 draw.
Jens Berthel Askou has agreed to become the new manager of Motherwell Football Club.
The 42-year-old will formally begin his duties as manager next week, subject to the approval of a work permit.
“This is a really proud moment for me,” Jens Berthel Askou added.
“It’s a huge honour to be selected to become the manager of Motherwell Football Club. Having spoken extensively with members of the Club Board, it was clear from the outset that our ideas, ambitions and morals align.
“We are all ambitious people, and we’re all hungry for success. I can’t wait to arrive in Scotland and begin planning for the season ahead. There is a lot of work to be done, but it’s highly exciting.”
Askou has most recently been in post with FC København as assistant manager. He started his coaching journey in his homeland in 2015.
Before joining Danish second-tier club Vendsyssel, he served as a player-assistant manager at both Skive and Thisted. He later took on the role of manager at Vendsyssel, where he got the club promoted to the Danish top-flight, before relocating to the Faroe Islands in 2019 to manage HB Tórshavn.
During his first season with HB Tórshavn, Askou celebrated more managerial silverware, securing both the Faroese league title and the league cup, achieving a remarkable double. His impressive performance earned him the title of Manager of the Season in the Faroe Islands.
Following a successful tenure at HB Tórshavn, he joined Danish club AC Horsens in 2021. Over the course of two seasons, he successfully guided the team back to Denmark’s top division, his second promotion as a manager.
In 2023, he made the transition to Sweden, taking the helm at IFK Göteborg in the Allsvenskan. Shortly after his arrival, he earned two Manager of the Month awards before he moved on to pastures new the following summer.
Askou took on the role of assistant manager at Czech club Sparta Praha, where he spent six months and played a key role in leading the team to the league phase of the Champions League.
In January 2025, he joined FC København as assistant manager, where he not only reached the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League but also secured the domestic double by winning both the league and the cup.
“This has been a more rigorous process to recruit our new manager due to the incredible number of applications for the role,” Kyrk Macmillan said.
“We had a high number of impressive applicants, but we were really drawn to Jens. His track record of working with big clubs, delivering success and developing young players matches up with all our philosophies here at Motherwell Football Club. He has handed 26 teenagers debuts in five-and-a-half seasons, which I think is evidence of Jens implementing his ideas and morals.
“The data and numbers impressed us, but more importantly, after speaking with Jens a number of times, he is a really ambitious character and a leader who was extremely keen to get the role here at our club.
“We expect the UK work permit to be received in the coming days, and then he can commence his work on Day 1 of pre-season.”
Zac Gunn, a devoted young Motherwell supporter, was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in 2019, a rare condition impacting the heart and lungs.
His journey resonated deeply with many, showcasing his incredible courage and inspiring those around him.
Tragically, Zac passed away earlier this month, and we are reaching out to the broader football community to unite in support of the Gunn family during this difficult time.
Our goal is to raise sufficient funds to help his parents, Gordon and Ashley, provide Zac with the farewell he truly deserves.
Though he will be greatly missed, his legacy will live on.
A JustGiving page has been set up for those who want to donate money that will go to the Gunn family to ensure Zac Gunn gets the send-off he deserves. The club will also be making a significant contribution.
Dan Casey will not be signing a new contract for next season as he has decided to pursue opportunities in England.
Casey arrived in February 2023 on a short-term deal, but after impressing quickly, he signed a two-year deal that summer.
Since then, he has played 85 times for the club, scoring seven times. One of those goals was the winner at Ibrox in 2024, which secured Motherwell’s first win in Govan since 1997.
A constant in the side last season, Casey racked up the most minutes played of any player in the squad.
“I’ve loved every minute of my time with Motherwell,” Dan Casey said.
“A real family club, with a special sense of community. Some of my favourite football memories were made here and I’ll always be grateful for that.
“A huge thank you to all the Motherwell staff, my teammates and especially the fans for your loyalty and passionate support throughout.”
The club would like to thank Dan for his efforts and dedication in his time at Motherwell and wish him nothing but the best for the future.
