| 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 |
Manager Jens Berthel Askou speaks ahead of his side’s visit to Edinburgh for the second time this season, as they look to one better against Hibernian this time round in the capital.
Amid managerial vacancies in Scotland, Askou responds to questions about his time at Motherwell so far and how much he has enjoyed his time here.
Jens Berthel Askou gave an update on the fitness of Elliot Watt and Jordan McGhee ahead of Saturday’s trip to Easter Road.
When asked about the fitness of Watt, the Motherwell manager was able to shed some light on his situation.
“After the last game, he had a problem which we are assessing,” Jens Berthel Askou stated.
“We will see tomorrow if he’s ready for the game. We’re still assessing, and we will see over the next couple of days.
“If he’s not playing on Saturday, he’ll be missed, but someone will step into his place. Until we have the final information, we’ll let the medical department get on with it and take it from there.
“Jordan [McGhee] has been training with us now, fully, for about a week. He’s been through two bad injuries, and we’re looking after him and trying to build his fitness. He’s worked extremely hard and is training well. So we’ll see when the time is right, but it’s fantastic to have him back.”
It’s time to vote for your G4 Claims player of the month for December.
Calum Ward, Elliot Watt, Paul McGinn and Stephen Welsh are all up for nomination.
To vote, head over to the Motherwell Facebook page.
Stephen Welsh’s deadline day move to Motherwell was met with delight and excitement from the Motherwell fans. The 25-year-old Celtic defender arrived in North Lanarkshire with experience of playing with the Scottish Champions, winning trophies and ample experience on the big stage.
With a new style, Welsh’s upbringing in the Celtic academy has probably prepared the defender for the possession-based football the Steelmen currently play. And as we move into January, Welsh looks back fondly on his time at Motherwell so far.
“I saw the plan and vision the manager had,” Stephen Welsh explained.
“He explained it all to me in our first conversations, and when you look at the quality on the pitch and the good guys we have in the dressing room, it’s not really a surprise to see it’s working so far.
“I think we’re fully deserving of our league position. The club didn’t get top-six the last couple of seasons; right now we’re on track for that, but we’re not really looking behind us or anything. It’s just looking to see how many points we can get and see how far we go.”
Having played over 60 games for Celtic and scoring his first professional goal against Motherwell, Welsh is more than familiar with the Scottish football landscape, with perceptions and expectations for every Scottish club. So does it surprise him to see Motherwell picking up so many positive results, clean sheets and points, playing the way they do?
“It’s maybe a little bit surprising, but when you have a manager and coaches that implement style and get it over to the players in the right way, you can see how good it is,” the defender stated.
“You can see a few teams in the league struggle, maybe because they don’t have a proper style or way of playing. What the manager and coaches have done is they laid it out to the players; everyone knows exactly what we’re doing. Every single player in every position knows exactly what they should be doing.
“Honestly, if you put a forward player back one position, they would know exactly what they’re doing because we all work together every day. So, you could say there’s maybe a bit of surprise about our league position, but if you’re in the building every day, you’re not surprised. You see training, you watch how hard the boys work and how the manager operates, and it’s just worked.
“It’s been a great few months for me. I’ve loved every minute of it, and I hope it continues. The manager said he signed me because I’ve played this way ever since I was a young boy. I was told when I was young that I needed to play on the halfway line and that I needed to be good on the ball. If you’re not good on the ball, you’re not going to play for Celtic. I feel I’ve managed to bring that into the team.
“We need to be good on the ball, and we need to be brave, and having midfielders like Elliot [Watt], Lukas [Fadinger] and Oscar [Priestman], they always want to be on the ball, which is a dream for a centre-back. But also, the boys around us centre-backs, the full-backs and also Liam [Gordon] and Paul [McGinn] – have been outstanding. They’re probably not as used to being on the ball because they’ve maybe not played this way before.
“You need a manager who is going to come in and implement a style and ensure everyone knows their roles. I always think it’s a bit of a myth in Scottish football that Scottish centre-halves can’t play this way. But see, if they’re coached in a certain way, they absolutely can. We’ve got the forward players who can hurt teams; we’re just missing a few goals just now. That’s all we’re needing; Apostolos [Stamatelopoulos] and Callum [Hendry] have been magnificent for us.
“I’m sure come the second half of the season, their luck will change because we’ve had so many chances. I’d be worried if they weren’t getting any chances. We’re coming in after a game, and Callum and Apostolos are saying they should have scored a couple each! It’s a good sign, and I can see it every day in training; they’ll come good.”
Whilst the demands and expectations weigh heavy on the players individually, their spot in the starting 11 is never guaranteed due to strength and depth within the team.
“We’ve got boys on the bench that’ll come on and change a game,” Welsh added.
“It’s about competition, but it’s also a bit of security. You know that if one of the boys doesn’t have a good game, on the 60th minute someone will come on and change the game. You can see the depth we’ve got, but that comes from the training every day. The boys coming on know exactly the way we want to play, and it can only be a good thing to have the competition. Your position is never secure.”
Welsh arrived on deadline day on a loan deal until the end of the season. And every Motherwell supporter can see the desire and determination from Welsh to influence games in a positive way. The old cliché tells us to never fall in love with a loan player.
But when the defender is a consistent performer, it’s hard not to appreciate him. The interesting thing is, Welsh is also feeling the love for his temporary home.
“I’ve loved every minute so far,” he smiled.
“What helps is you’ve got a good football team, but we’ve got good people around the club too. Outside of training, it’s a great group of people I work with. They all bring positive things to the team, and I think everyone could think of a player who joins on loan and maybe doesn’t give it 100%.
“That simply wouldn’t stand in this changing room. You won’t play, you won’t be involved in matches, and it should be like that. You have to work hard, and that’s how it should be. The football has been great, but it starts with being good mates. On the pitch, you’ll help each other out, and off the pitch, you’re friends.
“The last 12 months have been really good for me. 2024 was a tough year because when you’re not fancied by a manager, it’s not easy. You come into training every day, work hard and nothing happens. There’s not much you can do. I was over in Belgium earlier in the year, and it was similar to here. When I was in there, it didn’t feel like a loan move.
“There were a lot of English-speaking players, which helped, and I was open to going back again because I loved it there. But the manager here phoned me a couple of times, and I understood what the plan was here. At the time, the team just drew every match. And I watched the games back, and I couldn’t believe they hadn’t won a game. I honestly thought they should’ve been right at the top of the table at that point.
“But that’s the level of this league. I think it gets looked down upon, to be honest; every team has got something. We struggled away to Livingston, for example. We managed to get a last-minute winner, but it was anything but easy.”
With over 65 games in a Celtic jersey, numerous pieces of silverware to his name and international experience with the Scotland youth sides, the 25-year-old may be one of the more experienced players in the setup. Despite his age, the defender has endured the highs and lows of football, and that experience could be invaluable when it comes to working with younger players.
“We’ve got some young boys in the squad, so I feel old for sure,” he laughed.
“I think the experienced boys really help. We’ve got McGinn, Gordon and O’Donnell, who play big roles in the dressing room. They’re proper leaders. You’ve got the young, hungry lads, but you’ve got the experienced heads too. The boys are on each other every day in training, which can only be a good thing.
“As long as you listen, especially to the senior players and coaching staff, it’s a massive positive. In the last 10 or 11 games, we’ve been on a good run. But where I come from, and the club I come from, it’s not a good run. It’s the standard. That’s how we should be looking at it.
“We shouldn’t be looking at games thinking we can maybe pick up some points. The next game, we need to win this game. That’s the pressure that comes with that. I know how it feels to go on these runs and go ten or 15 games unbeaten and be up at the top of the table. It’s good to have that experience in the team, and I’ve won some things. That’s the standard for us; it’s not just a good run.
“My target is to keep training every day, preparing for the next game and working towards our next target as a team. You could probably look at the points we had last season; we’re looking to reach that and keep going. I feel like we’ve played the teams ahead of us in the table and deserved more points than we got.
“I firmly believe we’re one of the best teams in this league. We play the best football, we’ve got the best coach and the best defensive structure. We had a good clean sheet run, so it’s not just a myth about our structure. It’s not just luck; it’s by design. That’s the standard now; we need to get better than where we are and look forward.”
Goalkeeper Chloe Logan will return to parent club Celtic following the conclusion of her loan deal.
The SWPL and Scottish Cup title winner joined the women of steel in October, and added competition within the goalkeeping department at the club.
We thank Chloe for her efforts at Motherwell and wish her well for the future.
Now we’re past the halfway stage in the 2025/26 William Hill Premiership campaign, we can confirm the demand for half season tickets was a new record for the club.
Having sold more half season tickets than we have at any stage since we first launched the initiative, we think it’s right to offer our supporters a further incentive to come to Fir Park as we push towards the split.
Going ten league games unbeaten at one stage, reaching the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup and now eight points better off than this time last year, this Motherwell team have produced some wonderful moments on the pitch already this season.
But the job is far from over, and we are asking our MFC family to get down to Fir Park as often as they can this season. We are launching a five-game package for supporters for the remaining home fixtures pre-split, excluding the midweek match against Rangers.
You can buy online now by clicking here.
Pricing for this package is as follows:
| Category | John Hunter Stand | David Cooper Stand | Phil O’Donnell Stand |
| Adults | £113 | £118 | £135 |
| Concession (over 65 + students) | £65 | £71 | £77 |
| Young Adult | £17 | £17 | £17 |
| Juvenile | £6 | £6 | £6 |
Thinking this sounds like something you want to buy?
It’s nice and easy to purchase and doing it online is the most efficient and straight-forward way to buy.
You can click here to buy online.
If you are on the home page of the ticketing website, you can click on ‘Season Tickets’ at the top right of the page, and this will take you to the Half season ticket purchasing section. We acknowledge this is slightly confusing but we are unable to change this for the time being.
Alternatively, call us on 01698 333333 or email tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk.
Rangers loanees Sophie Black and Lily Boyce will both return to the Glasgow-side after being recalled by their parent club.
The Scotland under-19 internationals arrived in ML1 last summer, and became consistent first-team regulars, with Black returning for her second consecutive spell in Lanarkshire.
We wish them both all the best for the future.
The managerial alterations, contentious decisions, and remarkable moments on the pitch have encapsulated an emphatic 2025/26 Scottish Women’s Premier League campaign. As the dust finally settles on the halfway stage, defender Katie Rice reflects on the season so far.
The women of steel have continued their ambition of establishing themselves as a consistent top-six side after achieving their maiden finish in the top-half of the split last campaign.
Motherwell remain seventh in the SWPL table, four-points behind closest-rivals Montrose after a decisive 93rd-minute Partick Thistle strike denied Iain Robinson his first point since being appointed Head Coach earlier this month.
“It has been a really interesting season,” Rice said.
“At the start of the season, we all collectively discussed the shared ambition of earning our second consecutive top-six finish, and its pleasing to reach the halfway stage, with that goal still to play for.
“The Christmas break has come at the perfect time for the squad, as both Iain [Robinson] and David [Brownlie] have had to try and implement their ideas despite not much time on the training pitch so far.
“The break will give the full squad that time to reflect on the season so far, reset a bit, and earn that valuable time on the training pitch. That will allow us all to head into 2026, with a fresh mindset, and remain in a strong position to achieve our target of a top-six finish this season.”
Motherwell suffered a disappointing conclusion to the calendar year, with Partick Thistle punishing the visitors attacking complacency with the final kick of the ball to secure a narrow 2-1 victory in a frustrating display at Petershill Park a fortnight ago.
A squandered first-half spot-kick, and countless enticing opportunities in the Jags final-third went unanswered, as the women of steel were left to reflect on what could’ve been in a closely-fought game in Glasgow.
“We were incredibly frustrated at full-time,” Rice explained.
“First-half, both sides struggled to really settle into the game, but we had an opportunity from the penalty spot that we ultimately didn’t take.
“These things can easily happen, but its ultimately about how we respond from that. We felt that we responded really well in the second-half, with Kodie [Hay] scoring a brilliant goal, but we couldn’t capitalise on that momentum in that moment.
“We allowed Thistle to equalise, and despite having several chances on goal, we simply didn’t take our opportunity. Thistle were awarded a free-kick with the last second of the game, and scored. That’s football unfortunately.
After four years at the helm, Head of Women & Girls, Paul Brownlie took to the K-Park dugout for the final time to mark the end of an illustrious era in Lanarkshire.
The highest recorded league position in the history of the club, two Scottish Cup Semi-Final appearances, and the foundation of the Motherwell FC Girls academy are few of the many accolades achieved in the experienced Scotsman’s tenure at the club.
One of the longest-serving players under Brownlie’s tenure, Rice spoke of her own and the squad’s reaction to his recent departure.
“It definitely came as a shock,” Rice explained.
“For myself, having been at the club for many seasons, with Paul as the Head Coach throughout most of that time, it wasn’t something that I was expecting.
“We had a conversation as a group at training, and although we were really surprised, Paul made sure that we put that to one side and focused solely on our preparations for the remaining games while he was here.
‘Even though we lost to Rangers in his final game at K-Park, we put in one of our strongest performances against them, and left the game with a lot of confidence.
Step forward, Queens Park Head Coach Iain Robinson, who joined the women of steel from the SWPL2 side this month. Despite being thrusted into his first match in charge with only two prior training sessions, Rice spoke highly about Robinson’s tactical style since arriving in East Kilbride.
“It’s been interesting to learn a different style of play,” Rice added.
“The timing hasn’t been on our side, with the recent run of fixtures, so we haven’t had much of an opportunity to implement that regularly on the training pitch, but we have all really bought into what Iain, and David are bringing to the club, and are looking forward to 2026.
“The winter break will give us that opportunity to really settle as a squad into that style of play, and we are all looking to forward to seeing what we could achieve this season.”
After exerting a lot of energy to register a 2-0 win over Celtic just four days ago, 2026 started at Fir Park for Motherwell as they looked to kick on again against St Mirren.
Looking to extend their unbeaten run at Fir Park to seven games, Motherwell lined up on the front foot as they looked for an early breakthrough.
Tawanda Maswanhise returned from international duty and made an instant impact, scoring his 14th goal of the season in the first-half.
Motherwell’s authority on the match didn’t lessen in the second period, with Elliot Watt converting from the edge of the box to make it 2-0.
Another clean sheet, another win: Jens Berthel Askou’s side strengthened their hold on fourth place as they travel to Hibernian, who are two points behind, next weekend.
Tickets for our Scottish Cup Round Four match against Ross County on Saturday 17 January are now on sale.
You can buy tickets online now.
Pricing for the match is below.
| Category | Pricing |
| Adults | £15 |
| Concession (13-17, 18-21, Students and Over 65s) | £10 |
| Children (12 and under) | £5 |
Season Ticket holders have until Wednesday 14th January at 5pm to secure their own seat.
Cooper Box Package
Price per person – £45
To book, please phone hospitality on 01698 338003 or email: hospitality@motherwellfc.co.uk.
The Cooper Bar and Centenary Suite will both open at 12 noon for this match. Drinks and food will be available for purchase in both suites and will re-open for one-hour following the match.
