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It’s getting down to the final stages of the William Hill Premiership season, with European football in touching distance for Motherwell.

And with Hibernian picking up three points ahead of kick-off in ML1, the Steelmen knew the pressure was on to get a result. As over 12,000 fans entered through the turnstiles, making it the highest Fir Park attendance since 2005, Motherwell unveiled their colours and tifos in all three home stands to mark the club’s 140th anniversary.

The match got underway, and thanks to a Stephen O’Donnell block inside five minutes, neither side could break the deadlock in the early stages. Motherwell struck first after a Stephen Kingsley own goal, but Lawrence Shankland levelled before the break.

Motherwell couldn’t find the all-important winner, although O’Donnell did score but was just offside. A point gained and a point closer to European football, Jens Berthel Askou’s side are so close to achieving their return to the European stage for the first time since 2022.

Jens Berthel Askou has been nominated for the SFWA Manager of the Year award. 

The Motherwell manager is up against Derek McInnes, John McGlynn and Martin O’Neill for the accolade.

No Motherwell manager has ever won the award.

Following their PFA Player of the Year nominations, Elijah Just and Tawanda Maswanhise have both been nominated for the SFWA Player of the Year awards.

No Motherwell player has ever won the award.

Winners will be announced on Sunday 17 May.

Our home game against Celtic will be shown live via our pay-per-view streaming service for £15.

Kick off is 8pm on Wednesday 13 May at Fir Park.

You are able to watch the match online.

Motherwell fought to acquire three-points in the final matchday on the road, as the women of steel sought off Montrose to earn three-points on the North-East coast.

 Tegan Browning powered Motherwell into the ascendency, dispatching an expertly placed header moments before half-time, with Carla Boyce rifling home a quickfire second shortly after, leaving Motherwell with a comfortable advantage at the break.

Former Motherwell striker, Kaela McDonald-Nguah halved the deficit in the early stages of the second-half, beating Rebecca Cameron with a strike from distance.

Montrose continued to threaten, but the game would ultimately be decided shortly after the hour mark, with defender Jade McLaren seeing red after a violent kick-out on Jenna Penman, who already laid on the surface after the preceding challenge between the pair.

Despite not utilising the one-player advantage in the second-half, Motherwell’s resolute defensive display held firm, as they sealed three-points at Links Park on Sunday.

Head Coach, Iain Robinson named two changes to their starting XI, with Tegan Browning and Mia McArthur replacing skipper Gill Inglis and Keri Halliday.

Despite the hectic nature of the game, and both sides threatening the opposition goal, neither carved out a dangerous opportunity until Cameron brilliantly parried McDonald-Nguah’s long-range strike onto the Motherwell crossbar.

Motherwell responded in the final minutes of the first-half. A whipped delivery across the face of goal sailed invitingly into the path of Tegan Browning, who re-directed her headed effort across the face of goal before nestling comfortably into the bottom-left corner.

Almost immediately from kick-off, Motherwell had a second. Player of the Year, Carla Boyce escaped her marker in the Montrose final third before coolly slotting her strike past the goalkeeper to ensure a two-goal cushion at the break.

Montrose responded well in the second-half, with McDonald-Nguah continuing to threaten. The striker shifted the ball onto her stringer right-foot, and drilled a powerful effort past Cameron, despite the keeper getting a touch before it found the bottom-corner.

Montrose were soon reduced to 10, as the red mist of Jade McLaren boiled over, when the experienced defender lashed out at Penman, who lay on the Links Park surface.

Unfortunately for McLaren, her kick-out remained in full view of the match referee, and linesman, who swiftly brandished the red card to McLaren – who appeared surprised before storming down the tunnel.

Despite intense pressure in the final third, Motherwell were able to hold out for the three points.

Motherwell play their final home match of the season against Celtic on Wednesday 13 May 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 his happening?

Our home game against Celtic will be shown live via our pay-per-view streaming service for £15.

Kick off is 8pm on Wednesday 13 May at Fir Park.

You are able to watch the match online.

We will be marking our 140th birthday on our final home match of the season on Wednesday 13 May.

As the Steelmen get set to face Celtic at Fir Park in their final match in ML1 this season, it will be 130 years since our first match at Fir Park, which came against the same opponents back in 1895.

The night will involve special activity to mark our anniversary.

Mrs Baillie’s Fanzone is closed for this match.

The Cooper Bar will be open from 5pm for food and drink to home fans only. It will also be open for one hour post-match.

All hospitality is sold out.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

Motherwell picked up a vital point against league leaders Hearts last time out. A Stephen Kingsley own goal broke the deadlock before Lawrence Shankland equalised.

That result continued Motherwell’s strong home form during the 2025/26 season, with Falkirk being the only team to record a victory in ML1 so far this season.

The Steelmen will be looking for that form to continue on Wednesday night against title-chasing Celtic, as they look to register their second win over Celtic this season.

Opposition Report

Celtic piled the pressure on Hearts with a 3-1 win over Rangers on Sunday afternoon. Daizen Maeda scored his 13th and 14th goals of the season in the match, but Benjamin Nygren remains top scorer on 20 for the season.

Celtic came away from Fir Park empty-handed in December, as they suffered their first defeat to the Steelmen since 2015.

Permutations

Motherwell can clinch Conference League football on Wednesday. As it stands, the Steelmen are four points ahead of Hibernian with two games remaining. Motherwell face Celtic, and Hibernian travel to Ibrox on Wednesday night. Results in both matches could play a part in whether Motherwell seal a return to the European stage for the first time since 2022.

Motherwell Win v Celtic

A win on Wednesday night would confirm European football, regardless of the result in Govan.

Motherwell Draw v Celtic

A Motherwell draw would also confirm 4th spot, as long as Hibernian fail to win at Ibrox. If Hibernian win, then it will go down to the final day with Motherwell two points ahead of Hibernian.

Motherwell Lose v Celtic

Motherwell could lose on Wednesday night and seal 4th place in the table.

A Hibernian draw would see the Hibees three points behind the Steelmen. In this scenario, goal difference would come into play, and as it stands, Motherwell are nine goals better off. With the Steelmen losing, their goal difference would lessen by at least one, meaning they could be eight goals better off going into the final game.

If Motherwell lose and Hibernian win in Glasgow, the gap would close to just one point going into the final match. With a nine-goal gap currently, it would likely mean Hibernian would need to win against Motherwell on the final day to overtake Jens Berthel Askou’s side.

Jens Berthel Askou gives his thoughts on Motherwell’s 1-1 draw with league leaders Hearts. 

Motherwell moved a point closer to European football next season with a 1-1 draw against league leaders Hearts on Saturday night at Fir Park. 

A Stephen Kingsley own goal had the hosts ahead after 25 minutes, before Lawrence Shankland equalised right on the stroke of half-time.

Fir Park was bouncing ahead of kick-off, with 12,306 fans in attendance, which was the highest attendance since 2005. Motherwell fans brought colour to the stands to celebrate 140 years of Motherwell Football Club.

Regarding the Motherwell side, Jens Berthel Askou opted to change personnel for the crunch match against Hearts. The Motherwell manager made three changes, with Ibrahim Said, Liam Gordon and Oscar Priestman brought into the side. Tom Sparrow dropped to the bench, with Paul McGinn and Lukas Fadinger missing out all together.

With the action underway, Elijah Just raced forward as Motherwell looked for a strong start.. His cross found Slattery diving to head the ball towards the bottom corner, forcing Alex Schwolow to dive low to his left and palm the ball to safety.

Four minutes later it was ‘Well’s turn to prevent the Tynecastle side opening the scoring.

Jordi Altena’s dipping drive was palmed away by Calum Ward at full stretch, leaving Lawrence Shankland to stroke the ball into the net from six yards. O’Donnell had other ideas, sliding across to block the net-bound effort with a sensational recovery.

After that burst of action at either end, play was largely limited to the middle of the park, with the Steelmen keen to test the Hearts’ defence on the break.

And the visitor’s rearguard was exposed after 24 minutes when Motherwell took the lead. Tawanda Maswanhise and Longelo had a quick exchange on the left touchline before the latter fired a low ball across Schwolow’s goal. With Said waiting behind him, Stephen Kingsley could only divert the ball over his own goal line to stun the Hearts’ fans behind the goal.

As the Motherwell players contested every ball, giving Hearts no time in possession, the huge Edinburgh following had little to get excited about until three minutes from half-time.

Once again Altena hammered the ball towards Ward, and this time when the keeper’s block rebounded to Shankland eight yards from goal, the Scotland striker made no mistake, calmly smashing the ball home to level the scores.

The injury to Hearts’ Marc Leonard meant Alexandros Kyzirdis replaced him for the second half, and his pace down the right wing posed Motherwell an early threat.

However, it was a sweeping move from the home side after 53 minutes that almost restored their lead. Half a dozen passes stemming from Watt in the middle of the park ended with the overlapping O’Donnell sliding the ball behind the Tynecastle goalkeeper only for an offside flag to halt the goal celebrations.

Another Hearts injury saw Craig Halkett replaced by Frankie Kent, whose first touch conceded a corner. When the visitor’s defence failed to clear it, Callum Slattery’s cross picked out O’Donnell, who could only guide his header over the bar.

There was a nervous wait for Motherwell fans in the 67th minute with a VAR check after Longelo and Kyzirdis collided in the penalty area. But after being called to the monitor, referee Steve McLean waved play to continue.

With 77 minutes on the clock, the Fir Park boss made his first change of the evening, replacing Said with Johnny Koutroumbis.

It was Hearts’ turn to sweat over a potential penalty check when Maswanhise was tripped as he headed into the box, but again the referee stood by his on-field decision.

With five minutes remaining the Steelmen made a double substitution, with Calum Hendry and Regan Charles-Cook given the chance to find a winner.

In a dramatic eight minutes of added time the Fir Park men looked in more control, but neither side could create an opening that would earn them three points.

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

Motherwell Subs: Connelly, Sparrow, Koutroumbis, Ross, Halliday, Nicholson, Charles-Cook, Booth, Hendry.

“I’ve been lucky. There’s thousands in the stadium every week and their dream was to be a football player. I’ve been able to do that.”

Andy Halliday explains why the time is right to hang up his boots for the final time at the end of the season.

Andy Halliday has today announced that he will retire from professional football at the end of the 2025/26 season.

The 34-year-old has taken the decision to retire from playing as he begins the next chapter of his life.

“I feel that time is right for me to step away from the playing side of the sport I adore,” Andy Halliday said.

“There have been some ups and downs along the way, but when I look back on my career, I have zero regrets. So many players may not get to experience some of the things I’ve managed over the years, and for that, I’m grateful.

“Being a footballer isn’t easy. It’s required a lot of sacrifice over the years, which is all part of what I signed up for, but for my loved ones, I owe them my deepest thank you. I simply wouldn’t have been able to get to where I got to without them. Their support has been incredible on this journey, and I don’t know what I would have done without them all.

“I want to thank my teammates and staff at Livingston, Middlesbrough, Walsall, Blackpool, Bradford City, Rangers, Hearts and Motherwell for being a part of my journey. I’ve met some friends for life through this sport, and at every club I hold the fondest of memories that will stick with me. Thank you.

“Despite this announcement and my appreciation for all the kind messages I’ve received recently, I don’t want any distractions for the boys as they look to finish this incredible season on a high. We’re all desperate to close out as strongly as possible and gather as many points as we can, starting tomorrow against Hearts. Thank you to the Motherwell fans for their support all season long, and let’s get stuck into these last three games.”

A professional career that spanned 18 years, Halliday burst onto the scene with Livingston in Division 1, making his debut in April 2008 against St Johnstone.

Following his debut, Halliday continued to impress in his early years for the Lions and scored his first professional goal in a 2-2 draw with Ross County in May 2009.

His big breakthrough year came in 2009/10 when Livingston were playing in Division 3. Playing 34 games, he scored 14 goals as an 18-year-old, and his dazzling displays caught the eye of many clubs. Middlesbrough would be his chosen destination, where he would spend five years, making 42 appearances in total.

At the Riverside, Halliday enjoyed three loan spells at Walsall, Blackpool and, latterly, Bradford City. His loan at the Valley Parade was made permanent at the midway stage of the season, and Halliday ended up scoring against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a memorable 4-2 win in the FA Cup which saw his side go on a fairytale run to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Having made 32 appearances in his time with Bradford, Halliday opted to move back home to join Rangers in 2015, with the Gers looking to seal their place back in the top flight for the first time since 2012 at the second time of asking. His start at Rangers couldn’t have been any sweeter as he netted on his debut against Hibernian at Easter Road, with his side winning 6-2.

Rangers went on to lift the Scottish Championship title and thus were promoted back to the Premiership in what was a lively season that saw the Ibrox side defeat their rivals Celtic in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup before losing in the final to a last-minute header against Hibernian.

In his five-year stint in Govan, Halliday represented Rangers over 150 times and scored 18 goals. A brief spell in Azerbaijan in 2017 was the only short time he spent away from Ibrox during that time. The Covid-19 pandemic struck, and Halliday departed the club in May 2020 to travel along the M8 to sign for Hearts, who had just been relegated.

He lifted the Scottish Championship for the second time in his career at Tynecastle, with Hearts earning promotion back to Scotland’s elite at the first time of asking. Halliday played over 100 games for the Jambos during his two-and-a-half year stay in Edinburgh, as he helped his side finish third and fourth in the Scottish Premiership to secure European football.

In January 2024, Halliday arrived in ML1 seeking regular minutes on an initial loan deal with Stuart Kettlewell’s squad. He scored his first goal for the Steelmen in a 5-0 rout against Ross County at Fir Park and played 14 games between January and the end of the season.

His contract was made permanent in the summer of 2024, and Halliday would go on to win the Players’ Player of the Year vote for the 2024/25 season for his consistency and availability throughout the season. Halliday wouldn’t miss a game for the entirety of the season, playing 46 matches across the campaign, 42 of which were starts.

He may not have featured as heavily under Jens Berthel Askou this season, but Halliday was named as vice-captain by the Motherwell manager for the 2025/26 season, citing his experience and leadership qualities as his reason why he chose Halliday in his leadership group.

Ahead of the match against his former side Hearts tomorrow night at Fir Park, both clubs will come together to present Halliday with some gifts to thank him for his service to both clubs.

From now until the end of the season, Halliday will continue to train and continue to be available for selection, and when the time comes, we congratulate Andy for an exceptional playing career and wish him well in his future.

Matchday 23 and the final weekend on the road of the 2025/26 Scottish Power Women’s Premier League campaign awaits the women of steel this weekend, as they travel North to face Montrose at Links Park on Sunday.

With top-flight safety secured for the forthcoming season, and aspirations of finishing at the top of the split still firmly within reach, Motherwell head to Montrose knowing a victory could put them within touching distance of finishing above the Gable Endies.

Four successive victories have put Motherwell one-point shy of this weekend’s opposition.

The Tale of the Tape 

Motherwell 

Back-to-back victories in the Lanarkshire derby strengthened Motherwell’s grip on derby day, with the women of steel extending their record to seven straight victories over Hamilton Accies.

Motherwell have propelled themselves back into contention for finishing best of the rest, as they aim to finish at the top of the split. Player of the Year, Carla Boyce will be available for her first game since lifting the accolade at the Motherwell FC Player of the Year night this month.

Goalkeeper Emma Thomson will miss out after being recalled by parent club Hearts.

Montrose

Despite scoring fewer, and conceding more than the women of steel this season, Montrose have maintained a one-point advantage over Iain Robinson’s side, with two-games left to play.

Aside from last weekend’s narrow Scottish Cup Semi-Final defeat to Rangers, Montrose have won their last two SPWPL fixtures – defeating Aberdeen twice.

Sunday’s opposition will be focused on mounting a response, after suffering a five-one defeat when the sides last met in March.

Ticket Information 

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

• Adult – £10.
• Concession (Over-65s and Under-17s) – £7.

Follow our live matchday coverage on the Motherwell Women X (formerly Twitter) account.