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Jens Berthel Askou gives his verdict on a convincing 3-0 win over Livingston at Fir Park.

Goals from Elliot Watt, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Emmanuel Longelo sealed the points and kept the Steelmen third in the Scottish Premiership.

Motherwell extended their unbeaten league run to eight games with what became a comfortable win over a dogged Livingston. And it was a fourth consecutive clean sheet for Callum Ward, who produced a couple of great saves to keep his goal intact.

A measured strike from Elliot Watt after 18 minutes steadied the Steelmen before an Apostolos Stamatelopoulos penalty on the hour settled the game. When Emmanuel Longelo rolled home a third two minutes from time, it rewarded Well with three points and lifted them clear to third place in the league.

With Motherwell looking to stretch their unbeaten run to eight games in the league, manager Jens Berthel Askou made seven changes to the starting 11. This takes the total of changes to the starting 11 to 19 in the last four matches.

Stephen O’Donnell, Liam Gordon, Johnny Koutroumbis, Elijah Just, Regan Charles-Cook, Elliot Watt and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos all came into the side, with Emmanuel Longelo, Stephen Welsh, Tom Sparrow, Oscar Priestman, Callum Slattery, Callum Hendry and Ibrahim Said dropping to the bench.

Livingston arrived at Fir Park, looking for their first win in North Lanarkshire since October 2002. David Martindale’s side were tidy in possession and eager to get the gangly Tete Yengi involved at the other end. After 16 minutes, neat footwork from the striker gave him a glimpse of Ward’s goal, only to steer his shot well off target.

Two minutes later, Well were more precise when they opened the scoring.

Another quick break on the left found Charles-Cook racing on to Stamatelopoulos’ flick. And when the Grenada international cut the ball back from the byline, it found Watt five yards outside the box. One touch, one look at the goal before the midfielder curled a superb finish beyond the keeper and inside his right-hand post.

Two minutes later it might have been 2-0 when Maswanhise curled a low ball across the six-yard box with Stamatelopoulos unable to get a touch.

Three minutes from half-time the Australian striker got his head to the ball, as the ‘keeper came to claim Watt’s free kick, but the ball drifted over a vacant goal.

One minute after the break, another free kick from Watt almost found the back of the net as Scott Pittman’s outstretched foot sent the ball spinning over his own keeper and narrowly over the bar.

Four minutes later only a terrific save from Ward prevented the West Lothian side from grabbing an equaliser. When a corner found Mahamadou Sissoho lurking outside the box, his fierce rising shot seemed destined for the net until the Well keeper at full stretch palmed the ball away and kept his goal intact.

That gave the visitors a bit of belief, and suddenly Ward became more involved in the game.

A second goal was needed to kill off the lively Lions, and it arrived just before the hour mark.

Paul McGinn lofted a ball over the Livi rearguard for Koutroumbis to take a touch and power into the penalty box. Lewis Smith’s trip sent him to the ground, and from the resultant penalty, Stamatelopoulos sent the ‘keeper to the ground before confidently rolling the ball into the net and making it 2-0.

Having just secured his seventh goal of the season, Stamatelopoulos was immediately replaced by the waiting sub, Callum Hendry.

The substitute should have grabbed his first league goal nine minutes later when O’Donnell’s cross found him unmarked eight yards from goal, but Hendry screwed his header wide.

With 20 minutes remaining, the Well boss made a triple substitution, bringing on Priestman, Slattery and Longelo.

To their credit, as Well tried to keep possession and probe for a third, Livingston never gave up the game, and Ward and his defence had to remain alert to make sure the visitors didn’t claim a consolation goal.

However, it was the Steelmen who netted a late goal. Charles-Cook raced into the box, drawing the keeper from his line before unselfishly squaring the ball to provide Longelo with the simple task of knocking the ball over the line.

In added time both keepers produced wonderful saves; Ward denied Yengi before Prior prevented Slattery from making it 4-0.

Motherwell Team: Ward, O’Donnell, McGinn, Gordon, Koutroumbis, Charles-Cook, Watt, Fadinger, Maswanhise, Stamatelopoulos, Just.

Motherwell Subs: Connelly, Sparrow, Welsh, Longelo, Priestman, Slattery, Ross, Hendry, Said. 

The road to Hampden starts in Springburn, as we travel across Glasgow to kickstart our Scottish Cup campaign against Glasgow City at Petershill Park.

Last season’s defeated Semi-Finalists will become reacquainted with their previous last four opponents, after City defeated the women of steel at Hampden Park last season.

Motherwell will set their sights on Petershill Park, determined to achieve an historic maiden victory over the Glasgow-side.

The Tale of the Tape 

Motherwell 

Head Coach Paul Brownlie will be keen to sign off his time at Motherwell with victory in his final matchday at the club. The experienced coach will depart the club after three successful years at the helm.

Motherwell will be keen to replicate their successful Scottish Cup run of last campaign, after defeating Rossvale, Bonnyrigg Rose and Boroughmuir Thistle to secure a place at Hampden Park.

Motherwell will be back to full strength this weekend, with Scotland internationals Sophie Black and Lily Boyce both returning to the matchday squad.

Glasgow City

Motherwell will face two of their former teammates, when they travel to Petershill Park this weekend, as Amy Anderson and Louisa Boyes seek a place in the starting XI. Leanne Ross’ side remain unbeaten in their last 18-domestic fixtures – stretching back to April.

Ticket Information 

Tickets can be purchased through the matchday turnstiles at K-Park. Both cash and card payments are accepted.

• Adult – £10
• Concession – £6.
• Student – £5.
• Under-16s – £2.

Goalkeeper Calum Ward is pleased with the recent defensive recognition, and has gotten more comfortable in the team as the season has gone on. 

Ward has been first-choice this campaign and hopes the attacking players can add more goals to the team, with defensive lines looking to keep up their recent form.

It’s time to vote for your G4 Claims player of the month for November. 

Tawanda Maswanhise, Stephen Welsh, Calum Ward and Callum Hendry are all up for nomination.

To vote, head over to the Motherwell Facebook page.

Games in November

• Motherwell 1-4 St Mirren
• Aberdeen 1-1 Motherwell
• Kilmarnock 1-3 Motherwell 
• Motherwell 2-0 Hibernian
• Motherwell 0-0 Hearts

Assistant Manager Max Rogers believes Livingston pose a great threat, and have performed well in recent weeks. The three consecutive clean sheets gives the team a good grounding, but Rogers says the team having been working hard behind-the-scenes to get even better. 

The Motherwell number two also discusses how opposition teams have been shaping up against Motherwell, as well as offering a squad update.

Every year, Motherwell FC Community Trust looks to help improve people’s lives in our local community. One of those excellent initiatives is the Festive Friends lunch that takes place at Fir Park. 

Delivered in partnership with the SPFL Trust, Festive Friends provides a special free Christmas lunch, entertainment, and a welcoming environment for people who may have had a tough year, are looking for social connection or who otherwise may spend the festive season alone. The event continues to grow each year, reflecting the strength of community support and the importance of positive social experiences during the holidays.

Ravenscraig Ltd, a leading sponsor for the initiative, provided a cash donation of £2,800 to cover the cost of meals for attendees. In an afternoon of laughter and socialising, the Motherwell FC squad were also on hand to help distribute the Christmas lunches and gifts to the attendees in the room before spending some time getting to know those in attendance.

Ensuring that all costs were covered, Motherwell FC Community Trust was grateful for all support received for the event and hoped that everyone that attended had a lovely afternoon.

Special thanks must go to New College Lanarkshire for the students who helped serve the meals. A special thanks also to the SPFL Trust for their involvement, as well as Kamen Brown for the entertainment provided.

Motherwell were sitting third in the table when they travelled to Falkirk on Wednesday night, playing their fourth game in ten days. 

With the astroturf surface slick and wet, the ball was zipping around and the intensity in the game was high. Chances came and went for both sides, with Motherwell arguably having the better openings.

But in the end, nobody could find the breakthrough goal, and it would be the second successive 0-0 draw for Motherwell. But it continued a seven-game unbeaten run, making it a third successive clean sheet in the Premiership.

And with Livingston coming to Fir Park on Saturday, it could prove a valuable point come the end of the season.

Motherwell draw a hectic two weeks to a close on Saturday 6 December against Livingston. 

Kick off is 3pm at Fir Park.

How to follow the game

You can buy tickets online here.

• Young Adults tickets would ages 13-17.
•  Concessions are classed as, Over 65, Full Time Students, 18-21 Year olds.
• Juveniles would be 12 and under

On Match days, the Ticket Office is open from 11am – the ticket office is open until kick-off with no pay gate facility.

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.

What else is happening?

Our beer garden is opening from 12pm until 3pm.

The Cooper Bar is open from 12pm for food and drink and will be open for one hour after full time for those wanting to avoid any traffic. Away fans are welcome.

Maggie’s Lanarkshire are collecting money via bucket collection.

We’re marking International Persons of Disabilities Day on Saturday, and as such, we’re celebrating with a range of activities.

Our players will be wearing warm-up t-shirts with our Disabled Supporters Association logo on them, showing their support on the pitch. MFC DSA flags will be distributed to fans pre-match by volunteers. Our LED advertisement will have some messaging around the club’s support.

There will be an interview at the disabled shelter at half time with John Attenborough, who is our special guest for the match. Plus much more!

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell made it seven league games unbeaten on Wednesday night against Falkirk, picking up a point against John McGlynn’s side. It was the Steelmen’s third clean sheet on the bounce in the Premiership, a feat they last achieved in May 2023.

Jens Berthel Askou’s team have picked up 15 points from a possible 21 in the league and remain third in the league.

Opposition Report

Livingston are winless in their last 13 outings, but their performances in those matches ought to have brought more points. The Lions have one win in the league, which came on the second day of the season against Falkirk at home.

Livingston and Motherwell faced each other in October in West Lothian. Although Livi opened the scoring from the spot, it was Motherwell’s day, with goals from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Elijah Just securing the win for the Steelmen.

Motherwell extended their unbeaten run with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Falkirk.

There were three changes to the side that drew with league leaders Hearts four days ago, as Jens Berthel Askou utilised his full squad during this busy period. Tom Sparrow, Oscar Priestman and Ibrahim Said started, with Johnny Koutroumbis, Elliot Watt and Elijah Just making way.

On a freezing cold night at the Falkirk Stadium, the Steelmen got off to a slow start.

In the first minute, Falkirk pressed the Motherwell defence, and Calum Ward had to show quick feet to evade the onrushing Yates.

Moments later, Alfredo Agyeman broke free and saw his shot flash just wide of the post from a narrow angle.

Motherwell began to settle into it, with Priestman and Callum Slattery taking more control in midfield areas, although they failed to muster an attempt that troubled Scott Bain.

Emmanuel Longelo created the best chance as he collected a deep cross and burst past his man, but his shot from a narrow angle struck the woodwork and went out for a goal kick, although the full-back did have options inside the penalty area to square the ball.

On the whole, the first-half had little in terms of clear-cut chances, and at the half-time interval, there was no breakthrough. But the half-time team talk seemed to spark the Steelmen into life.

They came out the traps flying, and it didn’t take long for the first chance to arrive. Goalkeeper Ward went long and found Tawanda Maswanhise; he brought the ball down, flicked it over the defender and lashed towards goal, but keeper Scott Bain was a match.

Motherwell continued on the front foot; Sparrow was involved this time. The Welshman cut the ball back to Said, but the Nigerian couldn’t make clean contact with the ball, and the chance disappeared.

Sparrow was again involved down the right-hand side. He was slipped through, and he drilled a teasing ball across the six-yard box, but it was Falkirk’s Lissah who got on the end of it, and had it not been for his teammate Bain between the sticks, it would have been an own goal.

Slattery had a half-chance midway through the second period. He made some room on the edge of the box, but the midfielder’s effort was never on target and didn’t cause Bain any concern.

Between substitutions and stoppages, the game fizzled out to its conclusion with neither side creating much in the way of chances. A point for both sides as Motherwell make it 15 points from a possible 21, and it’s also the first time the Steelmen have kept three consecutive clean sheets in the Premiership since May 2023.

Motherwell Team: Ward, Sparrow, McGinn, Welsh, Longelo, Priestman, Fadinger, Slattery, Maswanhise, Hendry, Said.

Motherwell Subs: Oxborough, O’Donnell, Gordon, Just, Sparrow, Ross, Charles-Cook, Stamatelopoulos, Osong.