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The physical and mental demands of football management are vast and often underappreciated in the unpredictable and volatile environment of professional football.

The responsibility and importance of protecting countless years of history and preserving a long-standing reputation of a club can weigh heavily, and fundamentally requires a talented and trusted person by your side as an Assistant Manager.

A fresh chapter awaited the women of steel after Iain Robinson was unveiled as the Head Coach of Motherwell Women last month. From the first day at the helm, Robinson immediately recognised the perfect candidate to stand by his side.

On the books of Queens Park, David Brownlie burst onto the footballing scene at an early age before joining Rangers at 14 following the conclusion of the 2011-12 season.

After spending four-years in Glasgow, Brownlie departed for Ross County in 2016. A brief loan-spell with Elgin City followed before joining Airdrieonians on a permanent basis.Brownlie continued to rack up appearances across the Scottish footballing pyramid, with tenures at Stranraer, East Kilbride and Linlithgow Rose before concluding his playing career in the Glasgow Southside with Pollok FC.

After departing Newlandsfield, Brownlie sought to utilise his vast experience, and integrate himself as a football coach, achieving his UEFA C-License in 2022 before upgrading to the UEFA B-License in 2024. Brownlie will then undertake his UEFA A-License qualification process this year.

“After hanging up my boots, I knew I wanted to stay in the game,” Brownlie said.

“Having worked under various Managers, I was fascinated by their approach and thoughts towards football. Some were similar, but others varied and saw the game in a completely different way.

“I wanted to implement my own style and philosophy on the game, so I started the process of attaining my coaching badges whilst working towards my degree in Football Coaching and Development from Edinburgh Napier University.”

Graduating after the summer of 2023, Brownlie sought to experience his first academy coaching role, joining the Rangers academy before soon settling into the position of coaching the girls U17/18s academy team alongside Iain Robinson.

“Myself and Iain really adapted seamlessly into working alongside each other,” Brownlie added.

“We’ve both shared a similar vision for how we want our teams to be structured in and out of possession, and having both coached at the academy level, we both shared a real desire to support the development and progression of the next generation of players.

“That foundation has been absolutely vital for us going forward, and we have really stuck to our principles after joining Queens Park Women and then here at Motherwell.”

With Robinson replacing the then departing Head Coach Craig Joyce in Glasgow after being headhunted to become the head coach of Queen’s Park, he sought to bring Brownlie alongside in the dugout.

“After working throughout various stages of academy football, walking into the Spiders and experiencing the Scottish Women’s Premier League felt like an exciting chapter.

“We understood and recognised the difficult nature of the league, with the constraints of part-time football competing against full-time professionals on a weekly-basis, but we wanted to build a team that stuck to our style of play of dominating the ball and seeking to play through the thirds whilst building from the back.

“Despite the tough nature of the league, we felt we were able to really develop the structure of the team, and put in place a strong core identity at the club.”

In their final season in charge, Robinson and Brownlie had the Spiders sat comfortably in the final promotion-playoff position in the Scottish Women’s Premier League 2 table, one point shy of Boroughmuir Thistle in second, with ambitions of restoring the club’s top-flight status.

However, the sudden departure of Paul Brownlie after several years at the helm of Motherwell Women presented an irresistible opportunity in ML1.

“It was an opportunity we simply couldn’t turn down,” Brownlie added.

“From the outside looking in, Motherwell on a part-time status were able to achieve some really impressive accolades over recent years, and we were keen to try to take that forward.

“They had competed amongst the full-time sides and achieved a top-six finish whilst working closely alongside their youth academy which from both our backgrounds is something that we felt was absolutely vital.”

Motherwell Women return to action following the winter break this weekend, when they welcome title-chasers Celtic to K-Park. Brownlie expects a difficult contest, but has been encouraged by the performances on the training pitch.

“We’re expecting a very difficult game with Celtic, but we have been really encouraged by what we’ve seen behind the scenes,” Brownlie noted.

“The players have really bought into what we’re trying to do, and they are a very close-knit group, so it has been a very easy and enjoyable process working alongside them.

“Celtic have qualities all over the pitch, both defensively and in the final third, but we have talent in the dressing room that can cause Celtic problems.

“We head into the game this weekend with confidence, and are looking forward to seeing as many Motherwell fans as possible in the stands.”

Matchday 16 of the 2025/26 SWPL campaign awaits the women of steel this weekend, as they travel North to the Granite City, visiting Aberdeen at Balmoral Stadium on Sunday.

Motherwell will be looking to kickstart their hunt for the final top-six place after encountering a closely-fought two-nil defeat to title-chasers Celtic last weekend.

The women of steel will be determined to rejuvenate their recent run of form, after suffering four successive defeats.

The Tale of the Tape 

Motherwell 

Head Coach Iain Robinson will be keen to secure his points since taking charge of the club, whilst simultaneously closing the deficit to closest-rivals Montrose who occupy the final top-six place in the Scottish Women’s Premier League table.

Motherwell have maintained a strong record against the Dons, earning five straight victories, whilst going back-to-back at Balmoral Stadium. The women of steel have showcased their clinical edge in this fixture, netting 18-times in their last five meetings, whilst conceding only four.

Motherwell will head into Sunday’s fixture with a strong line-up, with recent debutants Emma Thomson and Sophie Townsley both impressing against Celtic at K-Park last weekend.

Aberdeen

The Dons will also be motivated to conclude their recent winless run, after eight consecutive defeats. The hosts have scored three-times during that record, whilst conceding 24 in their own half.

Ticket Information 

Tickets can be purchased through the matchday turnstiles at Balmoral Stadium. Both cash and card payments are accepted.

• Adult – £10.
• Concession (Over-65s and Under-17s) – £5.
• Under-11 – FREE TO ENTER.

Additional Information – no pets allowed within K-Park.

Matchday Travel 

• Sunday 25^th January 2025, kick off 2PM.

Jens Berthel Askou discusses the latest transfer rumours surrounding his players, whilst also explaining by he has brought new striker Eythor Bjørgolfsson to the club. 

Askou praises the recent home form his team have produced since October, encouraging that run to continue this weekend against Kilmarnock.

Oscar Priestman explains his reasoning behind moving to Scotland from Australia last summer. The midfielder explains what playing in Scotland has been like in comparison to his Australian football. 

The 22-year-old discusses what life has been like in terms of adjusting to his new chapter.

We can confirm our fifth round match against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup will take place on Saturday 7 February. 

Kick-off is 7:30pm at Pittodrie. The match will be shown live on Premier Sports.

Both clubs were offered a night time kick off on Sunday 8 February but were in agreement that this was not a viable option for both sets of fans. We are aware that there are no trains travelling to Aberdeen past Dundee on the weekend of 7/8 February.

We sympathise with our supporters who will no doubt be wanting to travel and support the players in a crucial match. The club are running supporters buses that will be leaving Fir Park at 2:30pm and travelling directly to the stadium.

The price for a seat on the bus is £25, and you can buy online by clicking here.

Ticket details for the match have also been confirmed.

The confirmed pricing is:

• Adult – £23
• Concession – £18 (Over 65/Under 21)
• Under 18 – £12
• Under 12 – £6
• Wheelchairs: £13 & free PA
• Disabled: Age appropriate rate & free PA

You can buy your match tickets by clicking here.

Please note that postage will only be on until Tuesday 3 February at 4pm. This match will be physical tickets only.

This year’s club Annual General Meeting will take place on Wednesday 25 February. 

The AGM will take place in the 91 Lounge at Fir Park, commencing at 6:30pm.

Papers will be issued in advance of the meeting to all Club shareholders week commencing 9^th February.

It’s been almost a year since Jordan McGhee signed a pre-contract with Motherwell ahead of the 2025/26 season. Having put pen to paper on a deal, McGhee was excited for the next chapter in his career and was ready to pull on the claret and amber for the new season. 

But what followed was a chain of events that led to McGhee being sidelined and unable to make his debut for his new club. He suffered a gruelling six months that took its toll on the 29-year-old. But staying strong and determined during the dark, lonely mornings in the gym by himself as his teammates were catching the eye of everyone in Scotland for their impressive displays, he fought to come back stronger than he was before.

Finally, his moment and reward arrived against Hibernian when he was able to come on as a substitute and register his first appearance for the club.

“It was an amazing moment, obviously,” he smiled.

“Obviously, it hasn’t been an ideal start to my career here at Motherwell, and it’s not gone how I’d have wanted it to so far, but I worked hard, and I just want to thank everyone in the club from top to bottom for being there for me and supporting me.

“That includes physios, coaches, manager and then obviously the players have been top class with me. They’ve all been understanding. Hopefully this is me over it all, and I can kick on from here.

“It’s probably been the worst six months of my life. I picked up the first injury and then lost two people in my family within the same week. Then, I got back and then needed to get surgery on a new injury. It’s been rough, but with the team doing so well on the pitch, it takes a bit of the darkness away. You’re coming into training, and everyone has a smile on their face, and you’re in a really good changing room, so it helps out a lot.

“I’ve got a great family at home with great friends, and I can rely on them all. It’s the same for every player; if you don’t have that strong network around you, it can be a dark place, and that’s why when it’s boys that are coming up from England or further, it’s imperative you make them feel welcomed because they may not have that strong group of people around them.

“I’ve had the same friends since I was young, and it’s something I’ve used throughout the low points in my career, as well as the high.”

Things looked a bit different at Fir Park when McGhee signed his pre-contract. Stuart Kettlewell was manager, St Johnstone had just knocked the Steelmen out of the Scottish Cup, injuries were plaguing the squad and results were proving difficult to come by.

Between January and the end of the season, Kettlewell would depart the club, and Michael Wimmer would become the new manager and also leave.

“There was a lot of change going on at the club, but it didn’t really faze me because I was always going to have change,” McGhee answered.

“I was coming from Dundee, a place I’d been at for six years and know inside and out. I knew I needed a fresh challenge, and once I knew Motherwell were interested, it was more a case of ‘Let’s get this done straight away.’ I knew all about the club, and I’ve got family who are Motherwell fans and stay in the area. So, it puts a bit more on it for me as well.

“It was always going to be change, and it was something that I was really looking forward to. The Gaffer has got his own style of play that I’m used to coming through at Hearts, so I’m looking forward to getting myself fully fit and keeping buying into his philosophy.”

With those managerial alterations at the club, McGhee was somewhat relieved when he first met Jens Berthel Askou and began to understand what would be expected from him.

But McGhee was always excited about joining the club, no matter who was in charge.

“There’s always the risk when it’s a new manager coming in, but my pre-contract was more of a club thing, really,” he explained.

“I knew this was the correct place for me to sort of develop as a player. I felt I could use my experience to benefit the club, and my playing style would suit the team. I spoke with the last two managers, and both came across really well, and then the gaffer came in. Everyone hit it off with him straight away, and it’s made it easy to buy into his philosophies, and we’re reaping the rewards on the pitch.

“I had initial conversations with Brian [Caldwell] about coming to Motherwell. The plans for the club were explained to me, and you can see that coming to fruition with the things going on off the field, and it’s something I buy into. Giving back to the community is important, and me being from the area, I know the history here. There’s always someone worse off than you, and this club is good at giving those the helping hand they need.”

Now back playing, the focus turns to the of the Scottish Cup and league campaigns for Motherwell, and McGhee is looking for a second cup run this season due to his absence for the semi-final match against St Mirren in November.

“The Premier Sports Cup campaign was great for the club, but it was horrible for me, I won’t lie,” McGhee added.

“I’ve been in quarter-finals numerous times in my career and then have been drawn against the Old Firm and then didn’t make it through. But it was a dark time for me, as I wasn’t back from injury, but to see the boys, the staff and the fans all putting in so much effort to get there was brilliant, and hopefully we create those memories again, and I can be a part of it and go another step further.

“Motherwell have had a good record in the cup competitions in recent seasons. Why can’t we do it again? Let’s go out there and create more memories. Ross County are a good team, and I watched their game last Friday night. League position may suggest that they aren’t doing the best this season, but the squad is competitive, and you can see they’ll be up for the fight.

“We’ll take this game like we do all games and go in looking to give it everything. It’s a game we need to win if we want to get into the next round, but they have some really good players and got a new manager bounce last week, so we need to keep doing what we’re doing and prepare properly mentally and physically, and hopefully we can get the job done.

“Your aim is to win the game no matter what competition it is; it can be friendly, cup or league. There’s no fallback for these games; it’s not something we can fix the following week, so it’s do or die in these types of matches. Everyone in this squad has that competitive streak in them, so no matter what game it is, we want to win.”

With his eyes firmly fixed on kicking on for the remainder of the campaign, McGhee feels that having watched every match in the stand so far, he has a strong understanding of the system and feels he will be able to add to the squad.

Familiar with a possession-based approach from his days at Hearts early in his career, the utility man is ready to get stuck right into the action.

“I grew up at Hearts, and our youth team manager at the time placed a lot of emphasis on not playing long balls and playing out from the back,” McGhee explained.

“Obviously came through the Scotland ranks too, playing games against European sides that try to play the way we play, so I’ve played centre-back in this style and have since played full-back and midfield. I don’t necessarily see myself in a single position; I’ll do the job wherever the manager needs me. As the weeks go by, the manager and I will end up working out where I’m needed most, but I’d imagine it’ll probably change week to week.

“I’m happy to play anywhere for this club, and I’ll give my all. The style is a big jump from what the club has been used to, but the way the manager came in, he produced presentations and adapted training to help us. It’s not a surprise it’s clicked this early because of that. Everyone goes out on a Saturday and knows exactly what they’re doing. Nothing has really changed since day one; he set out his stall, and that’s what we’ve stuck with to this point. Everyone at the club bought into it.

“We need to make sure we’re on it for the rest of the season to keep things moving forward.”

Striker Eythor Bjørgolfsson is our first signing of 2026, joining Motherwell on a two-and-a-half-year deal subject to international clearance.

The 25-year-old has arrived in Scotland following his departure from Swedish side Umeå FC, where he netted 15 goals in 29 appearances.

“Eythor’s profile has been identified by our recruitment department as a strong match for us,” Jens Berthel Askou stated.

“Watching him extensively, getting really good recommendations through our network in Scandinavia and looking at his standout data, we strongly believe that Eythor will be a valuable and strong addition to the team.

“He’s taken a different route than most younger Scandinavian talents, but his determination, resilience and steady development have led him to an exciting time in his career. We are delighted that he has chosen Motherwell FC, Fir Park and Scottish football to be his next stage.

“We look forward to seeing the output of his physicality and strong presence in the box in combination with our ability to produce chances.”

Born in Jessheim, Norway, Bjørgolfsson began his career with Norwegian side Ullensaker/Kisa IL Youth before moving to the United States to join the Kentucky Wildcats at the age of 18, where he also furthered his education.

Scoring five goals in his freshman year, which consisted of three starts and 19 appearances, he continued to thrive in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, taking his goal count to 24 for the Wildcats in total. He netted ten goals in his senior year.

Successful loan spells with Lardo FC and Vermont Green aided Bjørgolfsson in being drafted by MLS side Seattle Sounders in December 2022. Scoring six goals in ten games for Vermont Green, his career continued to travel in an upward trajectory as he made his Seattle Sounders debut against LA Galaxy in the U.S. Open Cup in May 2023 and spent most of the 2023 season with Tacoma Defiance, Seattle’s second team, where he continued to find the back of the net regularly.

In March 2024, Bjørgolfsson returned to Norway to join Moss FK in the second tier. Scoring three goals in 18 games, he joined IK Start six months later in the Norwegian top-flight before returning to Moss three months later.

His goalscoring record ensured a number of clubs were interested in securing his signature, with Bjørgolfsson opting for Umeå FC in Sweden, where, despite his side being relegated, he found the back of the net 15 times during the season. Eight of those goals came in his last five games for the club, with the forward finishing on a high by netting a hat-trick in his last game.

“I’m thrilled to be in Scotland and at Motherwell,” Bjørgolfsson said.

“Having watched the previous games, the way the team are playing is something I’m excited to be involved in. There has been so much success here so far this season, and hopefully I can make a quick impact. This is a new adventure for me, and I’m looking forward to my time here at Motherwell.

“I’ve met some of the players and walked around the stadium, and you can feel how special a place it is. I hope this is the beginning of a successful chapter for everyone involved.”

Motherwell return to league business on Saturday 24 January at Fir Park, facing Kilmarnock in the William Hill Premiership. 

Kick off is 3pm.

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?

Beatson Cancer Charity are collecting money via bucket collection at this match.

The beer garden will re-open for this match. Access is from 12pm.

We have been granted a licence by North Lanarkshire Council for the controlled sale of alcohol at this match between 1:30pm and 2:30pm.

These sales will be managed in full accordance with licensing regulations, with appropriate security and stewarding measures in place. The aim of this initiative is to explore how a managed approach to alcohol sales can contribute to a positive and safe matchday experience.

We’d like to remind supporters that alcohol may only be consumed within clearly designated areas and not in sight of the pitch, and all activity will be confined to clearly designated and monitored areas. Regular matchday safety protocols remain unchanged.

We hope this will add to the enjoyment of the matchday experience for supporters, and we appreciate your cooperation and support as we participate in this limited trial.

For queries, contact: Suzanne.Reid@motherwellfc.co.uk.

For the first time in Scotland, alcohol will be available during the half time interval. This will be a 15-minute period commencing from the whistle signifying the start of half time.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell made it eight consecutive clean sheets at Fir Park last time out, as they secured safe passage to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.

Tawanda Maswanhise netted his 15th goal of the season, as the Zimbabwean international continued his impressive season. Motherwell have the upper hand against their opponents but were held to a 2-2 draw earlier in the season at Fir Park.

Opposition Report

Kilmarnock have a new manager in the dugout, as Neil McCann was appointed manager earlier this month, replacing Stuart Kettlewell. An action-packed 1-1 draw with Livingston in McCann’s first game was followed up by a 2-1 defeat in the Scottish Cup to Dundee last weekend.

Killie are on a 16-game winless run in all competitions but have strengthened their squad already this month. The arrival of Kelle Roos between the posts should aid McCann’s limited goalkeeping options.

Tyreece John-Jules arrived on a short-term deal in the first-half of the season, but his strong displays earned him a new deal and his three goals sees him just one behind the club’s top scorers Bruce Anderson, Marcus Dackers, Ben Brannan and the injured Djenairo Daniels.

Esapa Osong has returned to his parent club, Nottingham Forest. 

The forward arrived in the summer on a season-long loan deal, but an agreement between both clubs will see the 21-year-old return to the City Ground.

Osong made 10 appearances during his time at Fir Park.

“Esapa is a lovely young man who has worked hard and curiously since he arrived in the summer,” Jens Berthel Askou said.

“However, we have assessed that he needs more playing time now to accelerate his development even further.

“The communication with Owen Coyle at Nottingham Forest has been excellent all the way through, and we all hope that Saps will keep growing and make a bigger impact going forward.

“We thank him for his contribution, giving us a good start to the season, and wish him all the best taking the next steps.”

We wish Esapa all the very best for the future.