| 2 | Rangers | 25 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 24 | 51 |
| 3 | Celtic | 24 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 48 |
| 4 | Motherwell | 24 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 20 | 43 |
| 5 | Hibernian | 25 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 39 |
| 6 | Falkirk | 25 | 10 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 36 |
We will take on St Johnstone in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup.
Tie to be played at McDiarmid Park on the weekend of August 16/17.
Ticket details will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.
Draw in full:
Celtic v Falkirk
Kilmarnock v Dundee United
Rangers v Alloa Athletic
Livingston v Hibernian
St Johnstone v Motherwell
Greenock Morton v Aberdeen
Partick Thistle v Ayr United
St Mirren v Hearts
Hertha BSC travelled from Germany to take on Motherwell in a final friendly test ahead of the William Hill Premiership kicking off in seven days time.
Despite the Germans taking an early lead, this new look Motherwell side battled valiantly and went toe-to-toe with their impressive opponents.
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos netted a deserved leveller on the night, to round off a successful and encouraging season test.
In their final game before the Scottish Premiership kicks off next Saturday with the visit of Rangers, the new-look Motherwell side had a serious workout against German giants Hertha Berlin before settling for a deserved draw.
The Fir Park men matched the Bundesliga 2 side in most areas.
And after conceding an early penalty converted by Fabian Leese, the Steelmen showed great determination and composure before Apostolos Stamatelopoulos forced home an equaliser eight minutes from time.
Jens Berthel Askou, still looking for a settled eleven, kept the same line-up, which had an impressive win over Morton on Tuesday. The only change was the return of Aston Oxborough, fit enough for a place on the four-man bench.
The early kick off on a sunny summer’s evening encouraged both teams to retain possession and keep the ball on the perfect Fir Park pitch.
Unfortunately for the home side, they only kept their cool until the ninth minute, when another defensive lapse gave the Germans the lead. Liam Gordon was short with his passback, and as Calum Ward rushed to clear the ball, he clattered into Jon Thorsteinsson and conceded a stone-wall penalty.
Hertha’s captain, Reese, then calmly sent Ward the wrong way from the spot to give his side the lead.
That didn’t unsettle the Steelmen as they continued with a patient build, probing for a gap in the visitor’s defence, but the central pairing of Deyovaisio Zeefuik and Toni Leistner kept their keeper protected.
In truth neither keeper was involved in the first 30 minutes, but gradually the Germans stepped up the pace and forced a couple of stops from Ward.
Four minutes from the interval, Reese gave the goalkeeper a comfortable save with a shot from the edge of the box.
On the stroke of half-time, though, Ward reacted superbly to dive across to his left and push Zeefuik’s downward header round his left-hand post.
The Germans still looked more likely to score at the start of the second half as they buzzed about Ward’s penalty area.
The Well keeper’s impressive performance ended on the hour mark when Oxborough was given 30 minutes to improve his match fitness.
Two minutes later Emmanuel Longelo’s measured low pass had Apostolos Stamatelopoulos haring towards the box until Leistner’s powerful sliding tackle brought the Australian’s threat to an end.
That prompted a bit more activity around Tjark Ernst’s goal before Andy Halliday and Ibrahim Said were given the final 20 minutes to make an impact on the game.
Almost immediately Tawanda Maswanhise’s low cross had the Hertha keeper scrambling across his six-yard box to prevent Stamatelopoulos from reaching the ball.
As the action moved from end to end, Thorsteinsson’s powerful drive from 20 yards gave Oxborough his first save.
After 76 minutes, a bit of keepy-up between Said and Calum Slattery at the edge of the box, Lukas Fadinger stabbed a shot towards goal, forcing a first save from Ernst.
‘Well, maintain the pressure on the visitor’s goal, and it paid off in the 82nd minute.
Slattery carried the ball into the box on the right before firing into the six-yard box, where Stamatelopoulos squeezed it past Ernst for his second goal of the week.
The game appeared anything but friendly as both sides chased a winner in the final five minutes.
However, after a competitive and entertaining match, both teams had to be content with the appreciation of both sets of fans at the final whistle.
Motherwell Team: Ward (60′), Koutroumbis (78′), Gordon, McGinn, Longelo, Fadinger, Slattery, Watt (70′), Maswanhise, Just (70′), Stamatelopoulos.
Motherwell Subs: Oxborough (60′), O’Donnell (78′), Halliday (70′), Said (70′).
Thoughts from the manager after his side drew with 2. Bundesliga side Hertha BSC in the final game before the league season kicks off.
Fir Park will host two Scotland Under 21 matches later this year.
The Young Scots will take on Portugal on Tuesday 9 September in their second match of Euro Under 21 qualifying.
A second match will take place on Tuesday 18 November against Bulgaria. All relevant ticket details will be communicated in due course.
Motherwell take on Hertha BSC in a friendly match at Fir Park on Friday 25 July.
A reminder, kick off is 7pm for this match.
Tickets are on sale now and you buy online by clicking here.
| Ticket | Season Ticket Holder Price | Non Season Ticket Holder Price |
| Adults | £12 | £15 |
| Concession (13-17, 18-21, Students and Over 65s) | £8 | £10 |
| Children (12 and Under) | £3 | £5 |
Hospitality options are also available.
| Centenary Suite Ticket | Season Ticket Holder Price | Non Season Ticket Holder Price |
| Adults | £46 | £49 |
| 12 and Under | £22 | £25 |
| Cooper Box Ticket | Season Ticket Holder Price | Non Season Ticket Holder Price |
| Adults | £45 | £48 |
| 12 and Under | £22 | £25 |
Dress code for all areas is smart. No jeans, trainers or colours permitted.
To book, please phone hospitality on 01698 338003 or email: hospitality@motherwellfc.co.uk.
The match will be shown live via our pay-per-view streaming service.
The price is advertised at €8. This works out at £6.90 currently, using the exchange rate our streaming provider has.
You are able to watch the match online.
The Ticket Office is open from 9am – the ticket office is open until kick-off with no pay gate facility.
Our Beer Garden is open from 5pm, with both home and away fans welcome.
Cooper Bar open from 5pm for food and drink – home and away fans welcome. The Cooper Bar will also be open for one hour after the final whistle.
Please note, the Southbound slip road to Motherwell at Junction 6 of the M74 is closed. The diversion is in place which will significantly affect journey time so please plan ahead accordingly.
In Motherwell’s fourth and final match of the Premier Sports Cup group-stage, they sealed their place in the Round of 16 with an assured victory over Morton.
The hosts battled through frustrations in the final third, to coast to a commanding three-goal cushion in the second-half, with Apostolos Stamatelopoulos breaking the deadlock with his first-goal of the season, before Tawanda Maswanhise netted a magnificent double to secure all three-points.
Never in danger of conceding, Motherwell can take confidence from Tuesday evening’s encounter, as they face Hertha Berlin in a final pre-season test before the opening game of the season against Rangers.
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:
What’s included:
Where:
Price: £45pp
To book:
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′).
