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Head Coach – Joelle Murray

The defending champions have endured a turbulent run of results following the departure of Head Coach, Grant Scott to Celtic.

A five-nil victory over Hamilton being the exception, ending a run of five straight league fixtures without a win. A Scottish Cup defeat to Celtic and a Sky Sports Cup defeat to Glasgow City have also heightened their demand for a response this weekend.

Nicole Kozlova broke the deadlock for City last weekend, with Chloe Warrington doubling the visitors advantage in the Scottish capital. Joelle Murray’s side responded in the second-half, with Kirsten Reilly curling home a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area, but couldn’t find the decisive leveller.

Team line-up

American shot-stopper, Noa Schumacher is the preferred option in the Hibernian goal, with the 26-year-old keeping her seventh clean sheet of the season in the five-nil victory over Hamilton a fortnight ago.

Former Motherwell defender, Lauren Doran-Barr has maintained her place in recent weeks, starting alongside Scarlett heron, Ellis Notley, and Rachael Boyle in the backline. Goalscorer Kirsten Reilley returned to action last weekend after serving her one-match league suspension against Hamilton Accies.

Rosie Livingstone also returned to the side last weekend, replacing Hannah Jordan, who made her first start of the season against Hamilton following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with injury.

Strikers Eilidh Adams, Tegan Bowie, and the experienced Kathleen McGovern are likely to maintain their place in the squad.

League position  

The defending champions are looking increasingly unlikely outsiders of restoring their ScottishPower Women’s Premier League crown this campaign. Hibs sit fifth in the SPWPL table, 14-points shy of leaders Glasgow City, and nine-behind city rivals Hearts in second.

Hibs final two pre-split fixtures this campaign will be against current bottom-six opposition, with Motherwell the visitors this weekend, and Aberdeen on the 22^nd February.

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

Tawanda Maswanhise, Elijah Just, Lukas Fadinger and Paul McGinn are all up for nomination in a month where the Steelmen won four out of five and kept four clean sheets.

Maswanhise makes a serious claim for your vote, scoring in every game – six goals from five games.

Elijah Just also had attacking returns, with three assists and one goal.

Lukas Fadinger registered his third goal in claret and amber, and provided the assist in the win over Ross County.

His defensive contributions also led to four clean sheets, which is why the captain Paul McGinn also stakes a claim for your vote.

To vote, head over to the Motherwell Facebook page.

Games in January

• Motherwell 2 – 0 St Mirren
• Hibernian 1 – 1 Motherwell
• Motherwell 1 – 0 Ross County
• Motherwell 4 – 0 Kilmarnock
• Livingston 0 – 2 Motherwell

We are proud to announce our continuing partnership with the Scottish Government’s mental health campaign Mind to Mind, an initiative encouraging individuals to look after their mental wellbeing.

Recognising that everybody has a unique experience and perspective when it comes to mental wellbeing, the Mind-to-Mind website, hosted on NHS Inform, features over 30 videos of people talking about their own mental wellbeing challenges as a way to help others who may be going through something similar.

Covering topics including dealing with anxiety and panic, coping with money worries, handling stress, feeling lonely or isolated, lifting mood and moving through grief, each contributor shares practical advice on what has worked for them. The website also features commentary from a range of professionals and signposts where people can access further help and support.

“This is an important message,” Paul McGinn said.

“Life can be difficult and we all experience hard times. With the continued messaging around being open about how you’re feeling and making it clear that people should talk more, mental health and how you’re feeling mentally can become a comfortable topic of discussion.

“Speak up, speak out, be heard.”

As a club, we’re encouraging all of our supporters to take care of their mental wellbeing by visiting the website with all the details here.

Motherwell take on Aberdeen in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup on Saturday 7 February. 

Kick off is 7:30pm.

How to Follow the Game

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.

The match will be shown live on Premier Sports.

What else is happening?

Supporters Buses are now full.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell’s midweek match against Dundee was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. It’s been two losses in their last 17 matches, and the Steelmen have registered 18 clean sheets in all competitions this campaign.

Tawanda Maswanhise moved to the top of the goalscoring charts in the Scottish Premiership, with the Zimbabwean international scoring his 12th and 13th league goals this season in the win on Saturday.

Elijah Just’s assist moved him to joint top of the assist table for the league too, with the forward on six for the league season.

Opposition Report

Aberdeen’s midweek fixture with champions Celtic was also postponed. Their hunt for a new manager continues, but that hasn’t stopped the Dons from being active in the January transfer window.

Seven new signings arrived at Pittodrie during the window, with nine players departing. Peter Leven looks set to continue in the dugout for the time being.

It’s two wins in Aberdeen’s last ten matches, and with current top goalscorer Jesper Karlsson’s loan ending, the likes of Marko Lazetić and Kevin Nisbet will be looking to step up in his absence.

Our match against Dundee has been postponed due to a waterlogged park.

All relevant details for the rescheduled match will be published in due course.

We are disappointed that despite an early pitch inspection scheduled for 2:30pm, a decision wasn’t made until this after 4pm. We can only apologise for the inconvenience.

Matchday 17 of the 2025/26 SWPL campaign awaits the women of steel this weekend, as they head to the Scottish capital to face defending champions Hibernian at Meadowbank.

Motherwell will have their sights set on redemption after an incredibly frustrating defeat to Aberdeen at Balmoral Stadium a fortnight ago. The Dons capitalised in the closing minutes of the game to deny Head Coach, Iain Robinson his first point since taking charge in ML1.

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

The Tale of the Tape 

Motherwell 

Head Coach Iain Robinson will be keen to break their recent winless run, whilst simultaneously earning Motherwell’s first victory over the hosts since an exceptional 2-3 victory at Meadowbank in 2022.

Rangers loanee Mia McArthur could make her first start in the Scottish Women’s Premier League after making her debut as a second-half substitute against Aberdeen.

Victory could be a vital result for the women of steel, who seek to close the narrow four-point deficit to Montrose, who occupy the final top-six place, with four sides keen to avoid being caught in a relegation dogfight.

Hibernian

The defending champions have endured a turbulent run of results following the departure of Head Coach Grant Scott to Celtic. A five-nil victory over Hamilton being the exception, ending a run of five straight league fixtures without a win. A Scottish Cup defeat to Celtic and a Sky Sports Cup defeat to Glasgow City have also heightened their demand for a response this weekend.

Ticket Information 

Tickets can be purchased through the matchday turnstiles at Meadowbank or through Hibernian’s ticketing platform HERE. Both cash and card payments are accepted.

• Adult – £8.
• Student – £5
• Concession (Over-65s and Under-18s) – £4.

Aaron Thomson has received a call-up to the Scotland Under 17 squad.

The young defender will be in the squad for friendly matches against Norway and Poland in Spain later this month.

• Scotland v Norway
• Wednesday 18 February
• 10am kick off (UK time)
• Pinatar Arena, Spain
  

• Scotland v Poland
• Saturday, 21 February
• 10am kick off (UK time)
• Pinatar Arena, Spain

Tom Sparrow was delighted to see Stephen Welsh return to the club on transfer deadline day, and is now excited for the remainder of the season.

The utility man believes the full squad will play a part in a crucial segment of the season.

Manager Jens Berthel Askou was pleased to see the loan deal for Stephen Welsh be finalised right before the deadline, and believes his return to the squad could play a big part in the final four months of the season. 

The Motherwell Boss reveals there was late interest in star man Tawanda Maswanhise, but the club stood firm to keep their forward and everyone can now focus on the remainder of the season.

Stephen Welsh has returned to Fir Park on loan for the remainder of the season from Celtic. 

The 26-year-old centre-back made his debut for the Steelmen in September and went on to make 17 appearances before being recalled in January.

“We welcome back Stephen with open arms, knowing that he has unfinished business to attend to here with us,” Jens Berthel Askou stated.

“The dialogue with Celtic has been good and transparent all the way through, and we are absolutely delighted that we found a solution that sends him back to Fir Park to continue his development with us.”

Rock solid at the heart of our defence, Welsh helped Motherwell keep seven clean sheets in eight games and played in the 1-1 draw at Easter Road before getting the call to return to Celtic.

Having gone back to his parent club, he featured against Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup and was a late substitute in Celtic’s win over Falkirk on Sunday.

But Welsh is now back in the claret and amber and will spend the rest of the season in ML1.

“It’s not been an ideal situation, but I’m so pleased there’s been a resolution,” Stephen Welsh said.

“I just want to play football, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time here for the first half of the season. The staff, the players and the fans are all so aligned, and as a player, it’s the perfect environment to play your football in.

“I’ll need to work to get myself back into the team now. The boys have done unbelievably well since I’ve been gone, which has been great. I’m buzzing to get back here, and I can’t wait to pick up where I left off.”