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Highlights from today’s SPFL Premiership clash against Partick Thistle where ‘Well ran out 1-0 winners.

-WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS ON MFC TV–

Stuart McCall was pleased to see out a 1-0 win over Partick Thistle but says there is plenty of work still to be done.

John Sutton’s first-half goal earned Motherwell their first home win of the season and derail Partick’s unbeaten start to the campaign.

‘Well had dominated the first hour of the match without looking under any threat at all but a failure to kill the game gave the visitors hope.

Stuart Carswell’s withdrawal through injury and Kallum Higginbotham’s introduction swung the match for Alan Archibald’s men.

But, for all their possession, Lee Hollis was protected fantastically well by his back four who were rock solid throughout.

[pullquote]They put us under some pressure and gave us a few scares but overall Lee Hollis has had very few saves to make and we could have finished it off.[/pullquote]

McCall said: “I was delighted with the win especially the first half as we stopped them playing.

We knew a second goal would kill them off and their ‘keeper has had a couple of terrific saves.

“However when you don’t get a second the game is still there to be won and give credit to Thistle who made a right good go of it in the final 20 minutes.

“They put us under some pressure and gave us a few scares but overall Lee Hollis has had very few saves to make and we could have finished it off, especially the chance that fell to Keith Lasley who should have scored from eight yards.

“But it was another clean sheet for us and the two wins, of 1-0, out of four games and if that is the way it has to be then fine.”

-WATCH HIS INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

Pictures from the 1-0 win over Partick Thistle in the Scottish Professional Football League Premiership at Fir Park.

Snaps courtesy of SNSPix and Craig Foy Photography.

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Phil McGhee at Fir Park

Motherwell claimed their first home win of the season thanks to John Sutton’s first goal since returning to Fir Park at the summer.

But after dominating the first sixty-five minutes and passing up a number of chances to finish off a plucky Thistle, ‘Well were left hanging on to their narrow lead as Alan Archibald’s men threw everything at the home goal in the closing stages.

Motherwell started with Henri Anier partnering John Sutton in attack and the pair gave Thistle defenders a torrid time. Given time to bond the build and movement of both will hopefully give defences some difficult afternoons this season.

As it was after an uneventful opening twenty minutes, the pair were involved in producing the only goal of the game.

Anier worked hard to keep possession on the left before feeding into Zaine Francis-Angol. His touch and turn set up Sutton who swept the ball low and hard into the net from eight yards.

Shortly after Stephen McManus had the chance to make it 2-0 from a Stevie Hammell’s free kick. But, unmarked, he headed the ball weakly into Scott Fox’s hands.

The ‘keeper then came to Partick’s rescue after 32 minutes. James McFadden’s cross was cleared only as far as Anier and his low volley was destined for the bottom right hand corner until Fox leapt to palm the ball away.

The Thistle defence looked a little ragged and another McFadden cross caused mayhem until Aaron Muirhead booted the ball away from inside the six yard box as his keeper dived to pounce on the loose ball.

With the Maryhill side holding our for the interval, Anier had another double attempt at goal his first blocked by Conrad Balatoni before slamming the rebound low but straight towards the keeper.

Motherwell continued to press for another goal from the start of the second half and produced a series of chances.

Sutton laid the ball off for Anier who pulled his shot wide from 20 yards before McFadden headed Simon Ramsden’s cross over the bar.

McFadden, looking much more like himself, then had two attempts on goal. A terrific volley from Sutton’s cross before a run and shot from 25 yards had the home crowd rising in anticipation of a goal.

Fox then kept his side in the game with another superb save after 66 minutes. Anier unselfishly played the ball in front of Keith Lasley and he really should have scored but from 10 yards he allowed the ‘keeper to block with an outstretched leg.

That gave Thistle hope for the final 20 minutes, especially when Anier was withdrawn and replaced by Fraser Kerr and Stuart Carswell was forced off with an ankle knock.

When Thistle brought on their third former ‘Well player, Ross Forbes, the home fans probably though that the script had been written for late equaliser. Forbes quickly got into the thick of the action and from his cut back, Stephen McManus blocked in the 6 yard box with Thistle screaming for a penalty.

Kallum Higginbotham also looked determined to impress and he had a couple of efforts blocked as the ‘Well defence stood firm.

In the end, the win was not as convincing as it perhaps should half been. It will give the players a much needed confidence boost as they await the arrival of Kilmarnock for the late kick off next Saturday.

[tab:As it happened]

Alastair Reilly at Fir Park

FT: Motherwell 1 – 0 Partick Thistle

90mins: Forbes booked for dissent. Took a sore one from McManus, who won the ball.

86mins: This is torture. Some unbelievable last ditch tackles from Hutchinson to deny what would have been certain goals.

82mins: Backs to the wall now for Motherwell. Thistle piling on the pressure!

80mins: Motherwell sub, Francis-Angol off for Vigurs.

78mins: Partick Thistle sub, Osbourne off for Forbes.

76mins: Good chance for O’Donnell. Drifted in at the back post and could only poke his effort well past from 12 yards.

75mins: Kerr booked for a late tackle on Muirhead,

73mins: Decent chance for Sutty there, Dropped to his feet from Hutchinson’s header across goal but couldn’t connect properly to test Fox

72mins: Motherwell sub, Kerr on for Anier.

67mins: Lawson find his way into the ref’s book. Cautioned.

67mins: What a chance for Lasley! Anier slipped him in but from 12 yards his shot is diverted wide by Fox’s boot.

65mins: Partick Thistle sub, Doolan off for Baird

63mins: Free-kick in a dangerous area to Thistle after Hutchinson brought down Lawless. Higginbotham fires into the wall.

61mins: Motherwell sub: Lawson replaces Carswell

60mins: Going to be a sub here…..Carswell went down clutching his ankle, Thistle play on for a few minutes much to ‘Well fans annoyance

57mins: Taylor-Sinclair flashes a great ball across the face of goal. McManus does well to swipe it clear!

55mins: McFadden skips past Higginbotham and tries his luck 20 yards out. Not far past!

52mins: McFadden hits one on the swivel 12 yards out. Flashes past the post!!

52mins: Partick Thistle sub, Higginbotham on for Fraser

50mins: First real test of Hollis this afternoon as Osbourne unleashes from 25 yards. Straight into his hands though.

49mins: Great leap in the box from McFadden to meet Ramsden’s cross. Just wide of the post.

48mins: Good headed knock-down by Sutton into the path of Anier, 22 yards out and on his left foot, he fails to hit the target.

46mins: Second half is underway. #COYW

HT: Motherwell 1 – 0 Partick Thistle

43mins: And now O’Donnell is booked for a foul on Anier.

42mins: McFadden booked for a foul on Taylor-Sinclair.

39mins: Eventually cleared by Muirhead but ‘well keep the pressure on, Anier testing Fox from 15 yards. Straight at him though.

38mins: Anier wins another corner as ‘Well seek to double their advantage….

33mins: Hutchinson and Ramsden inches away from connecting with the delivery!

33mins: Good spell of pressure. Anier can’t find the space for a shot so squares to McFadden. He wins a corner….

32mins: Great save by Fox to deny Anier there! The ball fell to the Estonian 15 yards out and his volley was well pushed away from goal.

28mins: Corner to Motherwell…… Set-piece hooked clear a then Thistle win a free-kick in their own half.

21mins: Hopefully that goal has sprung this match to life. McManus with a chance but his header is too far out to trouble Fox

20mins: GOOOAALLLLL!! 20 dull opening minutes then Sutton pops up to divert Francis-Angol’s cross home! 1-0

5mins: Early stages have been a solid midfield battle so far. Neither side on top yet.

1min: And we’re off! #coyw

Pre-Match: Out come the teams, Motherwell in the usual Claret and Amber, Thistle in dark grey and white.

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Motherwell manager Stuart McCall:

“I was delighted with the win, especially the first half as we stopped them playing. We knew a second goal would kill them off and their ‘keeper has had a couple of terrific saves.

“However when you don’t get a second the game is still there to be won and give credit to Thistle who made a right good go of it in the final 20 minutes.

“They put us under some pressure and gave us a few scares but overall, Lee Hollis has had very few saves to make and we could have finished it off, especially the chance that fell to Keith Lasley who should have scored from eight yards.

“But it was another clean sheet for us and the two wins from four so I’ve got to be pleased.”

Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald:

“It is not nice to taste defeat for the first time and it is a sore one to take but we didn’t turn up in the first half.

“Although we were better in the second, ‘Well had a game plan and pressed us in the first half.

“We played the game at our tempo in the second and attacked their goal and probably did enough for a point but we might have been picked off for a second.”

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Motherwell boss Stuart McCall has challenged his players to get back to winning ways.

The Steelmen have lost to both Aberdeen and Inverness CT in recent weeks after an opening day victory over Hibs.

The 40-times capped former Scotland midfielder wants more from his players but is wary of the threat posed by Alan Archibald’s Partick Thistle.

“You challenge yourself to improve every season as a player, coach and manager and that’s going to be the case with us,” he said.

[pullquote]You challenge yourself to improve every season as a player, coach and manager and that’s going to be the case with us.[/pullquote]

“Alright, we’ve not got off to a great start but we have a lot of games ahead of us and I’m happy with the group we’ve got in there.

“We’ll be looking to bounce back this weekend although I’ve been really impressed with Partick Thistle.

“I’m really pleased with the way things are going for them because they play a good brand of football. They’re unbeaten in normal time under Alan Archibald which is a fantastic record and they have a winning mentality.

“I saw their opening game against Dundee Utd and it was a great game. Partick Thistle will bring a big following here on Saturday and I think they’ll be good for the SPFL.”

-WATCH HIS INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

Stephen McManus is expecting a tough encounter against Premiership new boys Partick Thistle at Fir Park tomorrow.

The Jags are unbeaten after three matches, while ‘Well haven’t picked up anything since beating Hibs at Easter Road on the opening day.

The Scotland defender, who joined the Lanarkshire men this summer, has been impressed how Alan Archibald’s men have adapted to life in the top flight.

The 30-year is obviously desperate for ‘Well’s fortunes to improve but is wary of the threat posed by the Firhill outfit.

“They have got good, young, hungry players so they’ve done really well so far,” McManus told the broadcast press at Motherwell’s weekly news conference.

[pullquote]“That’s the way Scottish football is just now, you want young players that don’t have any fear. I think you get that when you are a young player, you look forward to everygame and you are not aware of the pressures.”[/pullquote]

McManus knows some members of the Thistle squad from his days with Celtic and he feels many players have responded positively earlier in their careers.

He added: “I know a few of the lads that are there, Scott Fox and Stephen O’Donnell.

“They’ve maybe had rejection when they were young kids and they have gone there to enjoy themselves and play football. They’ve done tremendously well so far.

“You know what you are going to come up against. It is all credit to the players and the manager, they are all pulling in the one direction.

“The fans at Partick Thistle are a real good bunch of fans. Watching them against Hearts and Dundee United, they really get behind their team. They’ve got a team to be proud of just now.”

-WATCH HIS INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

The second domestic Steelmen Matchday Magazine of 2013/14 is on sale when Partick Thistle visit on Saturday.

But what is inside the 68-page issue?

‘Well boss Stuart McCall and Captain Keith Lasley both return with the regular columns.

Both reflect on a disappointing few matches and how the squad have worked hard to try and rectify in time for the weekend’s match.

The feature interview is with Shaun Hutchinson. The Geordie defender chats in-depth to Press Association’s Gavin McCafferty about creating a home from home in Scotland and picking up after back-to-back defeats.

There is also the second of a souvenir poster in the centre pages for you to collect.

But that’s not where the features stop!

There is a 12-page section dedicated to our visitors, Partick Thistle

We introduces the SPFL Premiership new boys and there is a player-by-player breakdown of who is likely to line up for the Jags

We continue our opposition manager section by speaking directly to Alan Archibald. The Thistle legend-turned-boss chats about trying to continue on their positive start to the new campaign and goes into depth about the three ex ‘Well lads in the visitors squad.

Our guest journalist for this edition is the Herald’s Chris Jack, who follows Thistle for the newspaper.

He talks in-depth about what he expects from the Firhill club this term and what ‘Well are likely to come up against when the teams meet on league duty for the first time in almost ten years.

Graeme McGarry’s Us and Them section also makes a return and features former ‘Well and Thistle defender turned BT Sport pundit Stephen Craigan.

The Fir Park legend recalls his time at both clubs, how his move to Glasgow came about and his hopes for his two former sides in the forthcoming campaign.

The features keep coming…

Braidhurst U14s, fresh from their League and Trophy double, will be presented to the crowd at half-time and we will have a breakdown of their success.

Press & Media Manager Alan Burrows returns in ‘The Last Word’ and the next round of new quiz, MFC Eggheads, pits former Ross County duo Iain Vigurs with Paul Lawson.

But wait, there’s more!

Our match reports take a look back at (okay, briefly skims over) defeats against Aberdeen and Inverness Caley.

There’s also a report from the Under 20s most recent match against Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton Accies last midweek.

We have the latest from The Ticket Office, Commercial and Community Departments, and update from the Well Society as well as the latest stats, facts and figures from the 2013/2014 campaign.

Another new feature is the ‘Junior Steel’ kids page that will test the youngster’s quiz minds with puzzles and ‘Did you know’ facts.

The programme is available for £3 and is will be on sale from the Club Shop as well as the usual sellers located in and around the ground pre-match.

You can also order back editions or take a season-long subscription to the magazine by visiting the website of our publishers – Curtis-Sports –http://www.curtis-sport.com/

Referee for Saturday’s SPFL Premiership clash with Partick Thistle at Fir Park is Euan Norris.

The 36-year old will be handling his first Motherwell game of the campaign having taken charge of two last term.

He was the man in the middle for the 1-1 draw with St Mirren at Fir Park last August and also the memorable 3-1 victory over Celtic last April.

It should have been three matches; he was all set to handle our home match with Dundee Utd back in early October but a local electrical fault put pay to the match ten minutes before kick-off. Alan Muir took charge of the rearranged fixture a month later.

Euan will be a familiar face to Fir Park fans having officiated four matches the previous season too.

He started with the 4-2 away success against Dunfermline at East End Park in late August, the 1-0 win at Easter Road in October, the 3 – 0 defeat at Ibrox in January and the 6-0 demolition of Morton in the Scottish Cup in early February.

He also handled two games in the 2010/11 season…

The first, a 0-0 draw with Inverness was instantly forgettable. However, the other was one that will live long in the memory. Celtic were beaten 2-0 at Fir Park; John Sutton netting a brace.

Going back a further year to 2009-10, Euan also handed two matches. He was the man in the middle when Motherwell edged out Falkirk 1-0 at Fir Park. Lukas Jutkiewicz got the only goal of the game, heading home a corner from the left after 18 minutes.

His other game that campaign was also at Fir Park; a stormy affair between Motherwell and Hibs.

The Steelmen won the game 1-0 thanks to a Jamie Murphy goal eight minutes from time but a red card for Liam Miller for a poor challenge on Jim O’Brien midway through the first forty-five marred the match.

Thankfully, FIFA referee Norris usually likes to keep his cards in his pocket with only thirty-one cautions handed out in all those games, with thirteen flashed at a ‘Well players.

He had only produced one red to a player wearing Claret and Amber and that was Shaun Hutchinson for a second bookable offence in that match with St Mirren last season.

Euan will be ably assisted by David McGeachie and Stuart hodge with Crawford Allan on fourth official duties.

The Elite Academy, based at the performance High School at Braidhurst, is the lifeblood of our club.

This is where our future first team players are found and trained and it is where we make our connection to young talented local players.

We want to look at new ideas to raise both funds and awareness for the Academy and we are inviting you to get involved.

We have a reputation of producing fine young players but we are not so good at telling people what we do or coming up with new ideas and new ways to support the Academy.

Like every Academy club, there are many more tournaments we could attend, other items and equipment we would like to buy, but we are unable to afford. So we want to form a group of local people, Motherwell supporters or not, who have some time, energy and ideas who would like to get involved.

We would like to put together a group of people who will help us to organise basic fund raising but also come up with ways to connect with supporters, local businesses and generally create ways for us to network with those who can help the club.

It is not all about collecting money or arranging dinners, however these are undoubtedly important, but we would also like to try new ways to get our message out there.

We need people who will help us build a new strategy for fund raising but we also need people who can organise, be available couple of times a month and who generally think they either have some experience or energy and time to the club. The group won’t be of a formal nature so don’t let any worries around that put you off – it is more important that you care enough to get involved.

To get involved please come to our open meeting on Thursday 29th August at 7pm, Centenary Suite, Fir Park. Gordon Young will tell you more about the Academy and what we do and there will be an opportunity for discussions around how we proceed. We will supply some hot food and soft drinks on the night.

Please email jennifer.reston@motherwellfc.co.uk or drop by the office/phone 01698 333333 to tell us you plan to attend and try to bring along as many friends or family members as you can.

This is not about how the Academy is run, the teams or the players – it is to focus on fund raising and awareness – please get involved if you can.

Highlights from Tulloch Caledonian Stadium as Motherwell slump to a 2-0 defeat to Inverness Caley Thistle in the highlands

-WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS ON MFC TV-