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Celebrate Christmas in the Centenary Suite with entertainer, Barry Chisholm.

In addition to a 2-course meal, Barry will perform live songs and get the party started with dances, games, crowd interaction, karaoke, and music to make it a Christmas night to remember!

When:

• Friday 5^th December (7pm-1am)
• Saturday 6^th December (7pm-1am)
• Friday 12^th December (7pm-1am)
• Saturday 13^th December (7pm-1am)

What’s included:

• Shot on arrival
• 2-course meal (choice of main)
• Christmas fun with live entertainer and singer, Barry Chisholm

Where:

• Centenary Suite, Fir Park Stadium, Motherwell

Price: £45pp

To book:

• Please contact hospitality@motherwellfc.co.uk
• Or phone: 01698 338012
• £10 deposit per person required at time of booking

Over 18’s only.

Jens Berthel Askou gives his views on the 3-0 win over Greenock Morton that saw Motherwell finish top of Group G in the Premier Sports Cup.

Motherwell secured their place in the Premier Sports Cup last 16 with a 3-0 win over Greenock Morton on Tuesday night at Fir Park. 

Goals from Stamatelopoulos and Maswanhise ensured Jens Berthel Askou’s side would progress to the next round of the competition, sealing 11 points from a possible 12 in Group G.

The manager, for the third game running, named six changes to the side that beat Stenhousemuir on Saturday. Calum Ward, Johnny Koutroumbis, Paul McGinn, Liam Gordon, Emmanuel Longelo and Elliot Watt all came in for Matty Connelly, Stephen O’Donnell, Kofi Balmer, Ewan Wilson, Andy Halliday and Tom Sparrow.

The Steelmen knew a win in 90 minutes would confirm top spot in Group G, with a round of fixtures still to take place this coming weekend, and as such, Motherwell started on the front foot.

The home side, with a high press and full of energy, dominated the first 25 minutes as Dougie Imrie’s men were pressed back into their own third.

A series of corners from Calum Slattery had no takers until Elijah Just’s header forced James Storer low to his left to smother the ball on his goal line.

A well-rehearsed free kick from Slattery picked out the movement of Apostolos Stamatelopoulos 10 yards from goal, but the Australian striker hooked the ball over the bar.

Watt found space from about the same range that he scored for St Johnstone in May, but this time the former Bradford City player fired his shot wide of the goal.

After 32 minutes, Longelo, impressive with his work down the left flank, did well to get to the byeline before cutting the ball back to Maswanhise. His shot looked net bound until it rebounded from Slattery.

Kept almost entirely in their own half until that stage, Morton produced the best opening four minutes later.

And as Tomi Adeloye headed towards Ward’s goal, there were sighs of relief as McGinn’s last-gasp challenge sent the ball behind for a corner as the Cappielow side had loud appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Ryan Lee.

The first half ended where it started, with ‘Well busy around the visitor’s box but without really testing Storer.

The Fir Park boss made one change at the interval, with Slattery making way for Ibrahim Said, who immediately took up an advanced position on the left.

As the play resumed around Morton’s penalty area, Said and Koutroumbis had efforts blocked at the edge of the box. The breakthrough was overdue, and it duly arrived after 52 minutes.

A very patient build-up ended with some clever footwork from Longelo creating space before whipping the ball across the goal. The angled half volley from Koutroumbis brought out a fabulous save from Storer, but as the ball rebounded from the face of the crossbar, Stamatelopoulos bundled it over the line to open his account for the season.

The Aussie striker almost added another a few minutes later, but his deft flick from Maswanhise’s cross drifted wide of goal.

Shortly after the hour mark, with Morton forced to commit more players forward, Askou made three more changes, bringing on the experienced Stephen O’Donnell and Andy Halliday along with Ewan Wilson.

And as the action around the home penalty area increased, it was the ‘Well fullback who produced a solid challenge to block Adeloye’s shot at the edge of the box.

With 15 minutes remaining and Morton chasing an all-important equaliser, Ward was forced into his first save, diving full length to hold Kerr Robertson’s powerful drive.

The Steelmen needed a second goal to kill off Morton and their hopes of claiming top spot, and it arrived seven minutes from time.

There was a bit of luck as Gordon’s through ball took a deflection off Dylan Corr and into the path of Maswanhise.

The Zimbabwe international showed little sympathy as he confidently slid the ball low past Storer.

The winger went one better in injury time when he brilliantly curled the ball high beyond the ‘keeper to claim his fourth goal of the Cup campaign.

Motherwell Team: Ward, Koutroumbis (65′), McGinn, Gordon, Longelo (65′), Slattery (45′), Watt, Fadinger (65′), Maswanhise, Just (77′), Stamatelopoulos.

Motherwell Subs: Connelly, O’Donnell (65′), Balmer, Wilson (65′), Halliday (65′), Sparrow (77′), Ross, Sule, Said (45′).

Defender Shannon Leishman has completed a permanent move from Hibernian. 

Leishman, who featured on nine-occasions after signing on a short-term loan deal in January, will rejoin the women of steel on a permanent basis.

A stalwart in the Scottish capital, Leishman achieved over 150-appearances in Leith, becoming one of the Hibees most decorated and long-serving players. Completing successive Scottish Cup and SWPL Cup title victories, Leishman has lifted four trophies during her time in Edinburgh, whilst representing the club in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

The 29-year-old versatile defender proved to be a key asset for the women of steel as they earned their long-evaded ambition of a top-six finish in the SWPL table.

“I’m excited to be back at the club,” Leishman said.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the club last season. I knew when Paul spoke to me about coming back to the club that I would be keen to be a part of their plans for the season ahead.

“I’m looking forward to meeting the squad again and getting started at K-Park.”

“I’m really pleased to have Shannon back in the squad,” Head Coach Paul Brownlie added.

“Shannon is an incredibly talented and experienced footballer, who showcased her ability in the squad last season.

“To have someone of her ability in the squad and now on a permanent basis is really encouraging.”

Fresh off the back of scoring against Stenhousemuir on Saturday, vice-captain Stephen O’Donnell provides insight into what it is like playing under Jens Berthel Askou and adopting his style during games. 

Assistant Manager Max Rogers details how he has enjoyed working under manager Jens Berthel Askou and explains that a big draw to the club was that their views on how football should be played aligned. 

Rogers describes the differences he has seen in Scottish football since returning north of the border.

In Motherwell’s third match of the Premier Sports Cup group-stage, they were back on the road, this time to Stenhousemuir.

As the torrential rain fell, over 1000 Motherwell fans gathered in stands as Motherwell started the game on the front foot. With a number of big opportunities not taken, it was just before half-time when the Steelmen got their deserved lead through Stephen O’Donnell.

The second-half followed a similar narrative. Creating plenty opportunities, that killer instinct to put the game beyond Stenhousemuir’s reach was lacking. Never in danger of conceding, the game fizzled out and the win meant Motherwell are now one win away from qualifying top of the group.

Motherwell face Greenock Morton in their fourth and final Premier Sports Cup group-stage match on Tuesday 22 July. 

Kick off is 7:45pm.

How to follow the game

You can buy tickets by clicking here.

Supporters can buy tickets by visiting the ticket office at Fir Park.

Ticket Office will be open from 9am until kick-off.  This match is not included on season tickets.

If you are outside the UK, you can watch the game via Motherwell TV.

Should you be in the UK, it will be live commentary only.

The match is being shown live on Premier Sports 2.

What else is happening?

The Centenary Suite will open at 5.30pm tomorrow serving hot food and drink pre-match with the bar open at half-time and one-hour after kick-off. Home and away supporters welcome.

The Cooper Bar and Beer Garden will be closed.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell made it two wins in a row on Saturday and moved themselves to the top of Group G with one game remaining. The 1-0 win over Stenhousemuir has put the chances of finishing top firmly in their own hands.

Jens Berthel Aksou made six changes on Saturday, for the second game running, and handed Ibrahim Said his first minutes since joining.

Opposition Report

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.

They have won both their group-stage matches so far. Dispatching both Peterhead and Stenhousemuir in their first two games.

Permutations

With Motherwell two points clear at the top, qualification to the next round of the Premier Sports Cup is in their own hands.

A win over Morton would secure first place in the group, although seeding wouldn’t be confirmed until Saturday’s matches take place.

A bonus point win on Tuesday night would see the Steelmen finish on ten points. Again, this would be enough to secure first in the standings, as long as Clyde don’t win their two remaining games against Stenhousemuir and Morton.

A draw and penalty shootout defeat would have the Steelmen sitting top going into the weekend’s fixtures. Motherwell would be one point clear of Morton. Imrie’s men would only need to secure one point in their match against Clyde to leapfrog the Steelmen into first.

All group winners qualify for the next round of the competition, with the three best second-place teams also going into the next round. Last season, the three best runners-up who qualified for the next round finished on nine points.

The three group winners will be seeded for the next round, alongside the five teams competing in European competitions.

Motherwell put themselves in the driving seat in Group G in the Premier Sports Cup, beating Stenhousemuir 1-0 on Saturday at Ochilview.

A first-half goal from captain Stephen O’Donnell was enough to secure Jens Berthel Askou’s first victory on the road.

The manager made six alternations for the second game running going into the match. O’Donnell, Kofi Balmer, Andy Halliday, Tawanda Maswanhise and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos all came into the starting 11.

In torrential rain, Motherwell set the tone early, knocking the ball around nicely on the slick turf. The first opening came inside ten minutes when Callum Slattery put an inviting cross into the box, and Maswanhise connected well, but the effort was tipped over the bar by the Stenhousemuir keeper Darren Jamieson.

The game was played largely in the Stenhousemuir half, with Tom Sparrow getting in behind on more than one occasion, but the Steelmen weren’t able to finish his crosses into the box.

Halliday opted to go for goal from around 30 yards on 30 minutes, but the midfielder’s strike didn’t really unsettle Jamieson between the sticks.

The next big chance came on 39 minutes. Slattery and Halliday stood over a free kick from 20 yards, with the former stepping up. Getting the ball up and over the wall, Slattery’s strike was excellently stopped by the keeper. To everyone’s amazement, the referee awarded a goal kick.

Motherwell continued to probe and eventually found a way through just before half-time. Slattery’s corner made its way to the back post, where O’Donnell was there to knock the ball home in front of the 1000 away fans.

During the second-half, the weather conditions improved, and Motherwell continued to assert their dominance in the game. Elijah Just whipped in a delightful ball on 54 minutes, but the ball met the head of Stenhousemuir defender Greg Buchanan, and the ball ricocheted towards the goal. Jamieson had to pull off a wicked save from 10 yards to deny the Steelmen a second.

The manager made some changes, introducing Luca Ross, Eseosa Sule and Johnny Koutroumbis. Sule was unfortunate not to net his first Motherwell goal on 64 minutes when he got on the end of Slattery’s cross, but once again, Jamieson was there to block.

Balmer was next to go close. He rose highest in the box from Halliday’s corner, but the ball was cleared off the line by the Stenhousemuir defenders before it crossed the white line.

Having had largely nothing to do all game, Matty Connelly was almost denied his first clean sheet for the club. Stenhousemuir Anderson should have converted to level the game in stoppage-time but to Motherwell’s delight, he couldn’t keep the effort on target, and Motherwell would come away with the win.

Motherwell Team: Connelly, Sparrow, O’Donnell, Balmer, Wilson, Slattery, Halliday, Fadinger, Just, Maswanhise, Stamatelopoulos.

Motherwell Subs: Ward, Koutroumbis, McGinn, Gordon, Longelo, Ross, Watt, Said, Sule

The manager gives his thoughts on winning against Stenhousemuir.