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Jens gives his verdict as Motherwell earn a point thanks to a late Stephen Welsh goal.

Ten-man Motherwell grabbed a late equaliser for a point, which was the least they deserved after dominating Rangers for most of the game.

The Ibrox men had a goal advantage after Nico Raskin’s fifth-minute opener and a man advantage for the final 13 minutes after Lukas Fadinger was shown a red card after VAR’s intervention.

In between, though, Danny Rohl’s men were second best for large parts of the game as Butland pulled off a string of saves to keep his side ahead.

In his first game since returning from Celtic, it was perhaps appropriate that Stephen Welsh grabbed the late equaliser with his first goal for the club to earn them a point and extend their unbeaten run at Fir Park to nine games.

Motherwell were boosted by the return of Elliot Watt, who returned to the starting 11 for the first time since the 3rd of January. There was also a spot on the bench for Regan Charles-Cook, who returned, having been missing since the 20th of December.

Stephen O’Donnell was placed at right-back to replace the injured Johnny Koutroumbis, with Stephen Welsh making his second debut, having returned to the club for a second loan spell on Deadline Day.

Emmanuel Longelo was also restored to the 11, with Tom Sparrow dropping to the bench, as did Oscar Priestman.

After two postponed games due to unplayable pitches at Dundee and Aberdeen, Motherwell finally got their first match in February, although the Fir Park playing surface had also deteriorated due to the inclement weather.

Jens Berthel Askou immediately inserted Stephen Welsh into his back four after the defender returned to extend his loan period from Celtic. That allowed Stephen O’Donnell to move to right full-back, with Emmanuel Longelo starting on the opposite side.

There was also a return from injury for playmaker Elliot Watt, as the Well line-up had a familiar look about it.

And the Steelmen could have been ahead after only five minutes when the full backs combined at the opposite end. O’Donnell’s deep cross found Longelo beyond the back post, and his drive at goal was blocked by Jack Butland, only for Longelo to see his second attempt go wide.

From Butland’s goal kick, Mo Diomande carried the ball towards the home box before playing the ball through to Raskin, who calmly slotted it past Calum Ward and ended his impressive shutout record.

The Fir Park side responded terrifically to that setback as they set about pressing the Ibrox side deep into their own half. That resulted in Gers conceding numerous free kicks around their penalty area.

After Callum Slattery had one effort blocked, Elliot Watt bent his free kick around the wall and left Butland scrambling across his goal to push it round his post.

The pressure on the keeper’s goal continued. O’Donnell’s superb pass over John Souttar allowed Tawanda Maswanhise his first opening, but after dragging the ball away from goal, from a very tight angle, he rattled the ball off Butland’s post.

O’Donnell had a great spell down the right and then diverted Elijah Just’s free kick back across goal where Paul McGinn and Welsh, from under the crossbar, couldn’t force the ball into the net.

Despite commanding the bulk of the play around the Rangers’ box, the visitors nearly sneaked a second goal 10 minutes from the break. Youssef Chermiti found himself free 16 yards from goal, but Ward stood firm to push the striker’s fierce shot away.

Watt, after a hectic and hard-working first half, remained in the dressing room at the interval, with Oscar Priestman taking his place in front of the back four.

While Rangers looked content to defend their slender lead, Motherwell continued to be patient in possession and build up towards the visitor’s goal.

After 62 minutes, Slattery tried to force his way through a packed box before being blocked, but appeals for a penalty only earned him just a yellow card.

Four minutes later Just worked his way into the box on the right before his drive forced Butland into a smart save at his near post.

Having put in a superb shift for 68 minutes, Said and O’Donnell made way for Tom Sparrow and Eythor Bjorgolfsson.

That should have set up the home side for a grandstand finish, but 13 minutes from time, after reviewing Lukas Fadinger’s tackle on Mickey Moore, referee Steven McLean upgraded his yellow card to a red, leaving the home side with 10 men for the remainder of the game.

The ‘Well boss made his final change of the evening, bringing on Sam Nicholson and Regan Charles-Cook to keep pressing for an equaliser.

It almost arrived when McGinn’s deep cross found Bjorgolfsson in the six-yard box, and his downward header sent the ball high towards goal, forcing Butland to palm it behind for a corner.

Rangers failed to clear the danger, and Nicholson’s raking long ball found Bjorgolfsson, who nodded the ball back into the six-yard box, where Welsh knocked the ball beyond the ‘keeper and into the far corner for a richly deserved point.

Motherwell Team: Ward, O’Donnell, McGinn, Welsh, Longelo, Fadinger, Watt, Slattery, Said, Maswanhise, Just. 

Motherwell Subs: Connelly, Gordon, McGhee, Sparrow, Priestman, Ross, Nicholson, Charles-Cook, Bjørgolfsson.

The quarter-final tie between Dunfermline and Aberdeen or Motherwell will take place on Saturday 7 March.

Kick off is 7:30pm and the match will be live on Premier Sports.

North Lanarkshire Child Protection Committee and Motherwell Football Club are supporting Safer Internet Day 2026.

We’re committed to helping children and people stay safe online.

The Public Protection website includes online safety information and resources for children, young people and families, to help everyone stay informed in an increasingly digital world.

Explore the online safety resources by clicking the links below.

I’m A Parent or Carer: Click Here.

I’m A Child or Young Person: Click Here.

Tawanda Maswanhise is your G4 Claims January player of the month. 

The forward’s excellent displays during the month make him your player of the month.

Scoring six goals in five matches, the Zimbabwe international moved top of the goalscoring charts in the Scottish Premiership.

Well done, Tawanda.

Paul McGinn believes Rangers will be full of confidence going into Wednesday night’s match and think his own side can take inspiration from their home form this season. 

The Motherwell Captain thinks that the new signings at Rangers have improved the side and he knows it will need to be a big performance to get the three points on Wednesday.

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos has joined A-League side Sydney FC on loan until the end of the season. 

The 26-year-old will make the journey back home until the end of the current season.

“With Eythor’s arrival and Tawanda’s development, Apostolos has found regular game time more and more difficult,” Jens Berthel Askou explained.

“An opportunity opened for him to find sharpness while we feel we are well covered in his position to attack the rest of the season.

“I wish him all the best getting regular game time back in Australia trying to push for the World Cup squad in the summer.”

Good luck, Apostolos.

Manager Jens Berthel Askou is looking forward to Wednesday night’s clash with title challengers Rangers, and says both teams have improved since their last match against each other in December. 

Askou refuses to be drawn into discussion regarding targets for the team this season and instead insists the focus is simply on winning each match as they come.

Motherwell will play their first match of the month on Wednesday 11 February against Rangers at Fir Park. 

Kick off is 8pm.

How to follow the game

• 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 9am – the ticket office is open until kick-off with no pay gate facility.

There will be no online sales as we need to check you have a continuous purchase history.

Supporters can buy tickets by visiting the ticket office at Fir Park.

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?

Mrs Baillie’s Fan Zone isn’t open on Wednesday evening. However, the Cooper Bar 5:30pm.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell’s midweek match against Dundee and weekend Scottish Cup tie against Aberdeen were both postponed due to a waterlogged pitches. 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

Rangers cruised into the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup on Sunday, with a 8-0 win over Queen’s Park at Ibrox. That result means it’s now just one loss in 12 games for the Gers.

Danny Röhl brought four new faces to Ibrox during the January window, with new striker Ryan Naderi getting two goals in his first start.

The Ibrox outfit are firmly in the title race and are now just three points behind leaders Hearts in the table.

The dark clouds that hovered over Meadowbank accurately reflected the women of steel’s frustrations on the pitch, as defending champions Hibernian sealed victory in the Scottish capital.

Motherwell couldn’t bring their recent winless run to a conclusion, as Kirsty Morrison and Kathleen McGovern struck home in both halves in an assured two-nil victory in Edinburgh.

Head Coach, Iain Robinson made four changes from the side that were defeated by Aberdeen in the Granite City a fortnight ago. Skipper Gill Inglis made way for decorated Hibee, Shannon Leishman, with Jenna Penman, Amy Bulloch and Mia McArthur also starting.

The visitors started the brighter of the pair, breaking through the Hibernian backline with ease within the opening phase of the game. Despite the early momentum, Motherwell couldn’t craft an opportunity of note, and the hosts soon regained their composure.

A perfectly-weighted through ball coasted effortlessly through the heart of the Motherwell backline, and fortunately into the path of Morrison, who wrong-footed Emma Thomson before slotting home from close-range.

Motherwell sought to respond in the remainder of the first-half, with midfielder Lucy Ronald coming closest, thwarted by Amy Schumacher who parried confidently over the crossbar.

As the second-half resumed, Joelle Murray’s side put the contest beyond doubt, with Motherwell the architects of their own downfall. Attempting to play through the Hibernian press, Motherwell gifted possession deep into their own third, and McGovern expertly dispatched her strike beyond Thomson.

The women of steel will complete their final pre-split game against league leaders Glasgow City in a fortnight’s time, with this afternoon’s result conforming our place in the bottom-half of the split.