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[tab:Match report]

Phil McGhee at Fir Park

Motherwell clocked up a fifth consecutive home league win thanks to a Stephen McManus goal midway through the first half.

But having missed a number of great chances to kill off Hibs in the first half, ‘Well fans were nervously left on the edge of their seats for the final ten minutes of play as ten man ‘Well held on after Shaun Hutchison was ordered off.

Stuart McCall had warned that it would be difficult to lift both sets of players after their respective midweek League Cup defeats, and both teams had quiet spells before that nail-biting finish.

And although it was an unusual time for a kick off on a Sunday, at least the players and 3864 fans were blessed with glorious sunshine, especially compared to the monsoon conditions 24 hours previously.

‘Well fans, though, were more hopeful that the inclusion of James McFadden, for his first start in five games, and Lionel Ainsworth would also help lift the gloom following Wednesday’s cruel defeat to Aberdeen.

However it was Hibs, perhaps stung by Pat Fenlon’s midweek resignation, who started the brighter and Paul Heffernan had a hat-trick of chances inside the opening 15 minutes, the third forcing Gunnar Neilsen into his first save.

Ironically an enforced early substitution, with Simon Ramsden limping off to be replaced by Fraser Kerr signalled an improvement in the home side.

Ainsworth suddenly found space on the right and his pace and crosses posed problems for the visitor’s defence. After 21 minutes the winger’s trickery earned a corner and when Ainsworth delivered the ball to the front post McManus powered home a header for his first goal for the club.

‘Well’s confidence suddenly rose and the Hibs goal had a charmed life until the interval with their keeper Ben Williams having an amazing escape after 31 minutes. John Sutton slipped the ball in for Henri Anier whose low drive went through the ‘keeper’s legs, clipping his heel to deflect the ball along the goal line and beyond the post.

Anier had another great chance seven minutes later when he delayed his shot but with the Williams grounded the Estonian striker rattled his shot off the ‘keeper’s legs.

Stuart Carswell was next to curse his luck when he raced on to Ainsworth’s angled pass but having nudged the ball past the ‘keeper the ball trundled inches past the post.

Then, just before the break, Keith Lasley’s volley took a deflection to dip agonisingly over the bar as somehow Hibs reached the interval only a single goal behind.

After their midweek mugging, their was a fear the ‘Well might pay for those first half misses but in truth the Edinburgh toiled until 58 minutes when another injury forced Motherwell to make another change in their back four. Stevie Hammell came off worst in challenge with Tom Taiwo and was replaced by Zaine Francis-Angol.

Although Hibs had more of the play after that, until the closing stages, the home goal faced only one threat,when Nielsen dived low to his left to push Liam Craig’s drive round his post.

However, the composure in the home defence was transformed after 86 minutes when Hutchison tripped Heffernan right on edge of the penalty box and although Motherwell survived penalty claims they were down to ten men when the defender was shown a straight red card.

There was then some frenetic defending from the Fir Park men as the referee added five additional minutes of play.

The ‘Well goal survived, though, as James Collins sliced a great chance wide before Nielson brilliantly leapt to his left to beat away a Heffernan snap shot to earn a clean sheet and his side another home win.

[tab:As it happened]

Ally Reilly at Fir Park

Not a classic and not the usual goalfest but a well ground out win and a big three points!

FT: Motherwell 1 – 0 Hibernian

94mins: Corner to Hibs…last chance surely?

93mins: Gunnar to the rescue with a great save from Heffernan!!

90mins: 4 minutes added on. #nervy

90mins: Collins should have burst the net to equalise but fires wide!

89mins: Corner to Hibs….Thompson’s delivery headed away by Sutton

88mins: Motherwell’s wall stands strong and the free-kick is cleared to safety

88mins: Hibs Sub, Maybury off for Collins

Free-kick in a dangerous position now for Hibs..

86mins: RED CARD: Hutchinson off for denying a goal scoring opportunity,

81mins: Anier hits the deck outside the box after Hanlon appeared to block him. No free-kick given!

79mins: Corner to ‘Well….Ainsworth swings it in and Williams gathers

78mins: Maybury and Anier booked for a little bit of afters after Anier is fouled

75mins: Hibs sub, Vine on for McGivern

73mins: Motherwell sub, McFadden off for Vigurs

70mins: Hibs on top for most of this half to be fair. ‘Well gone quiet.

68mins: Corner to Hibs as they ramp up their search of an equaliser…

66mins: Nielsen tips Craig’s shot past the post. Was maybe going to sneak in at Nielsen’s right-hand post

64mins: Hibs sub, Zoubir on for Taiwo

63mins: Hutchinson booked for a challenge on Stevenson

59mins: Hutchinson does enough to divert Robertson’s shot out for a corner.

58mins: Motherwell sub, Hammell limps off for Francis-Angol

56mins: Sore one for Hammell. Looks in some pain after a boot on the ankle from Taiwo.

Hammell whips it in but it’s easily headed clear by McGivern

52mins: McFadden does well to win a free-kick 30 yards out…

48mins: Ainsworth drags his shot just past the post after Lasley played him in, just inside the box

Second half underway

HT: Motherwell 1 – 0 Hibernian

45mins: Anier gets on the end of Sutton’s flick on but his volley from just inside the box is straight at Williams

43mins: Taiwo gets enough on Lasley’s shot on goal to take it over the bar. From the corner, Williams punches clear

39mins: Inches past from Carswell! Good effort with the outside of this boot whistles just past the post

39mins: Golden opportunity for Anier from Nielsen’s long ball. Ball got caught under his feet and Hibs get back to block

37mins: Kerr does well to slide in and block from Robertson after he weaved his way through our defence into the bpx

34mins: Hammell gets a decent ball into the box from the left but Williams gets in ahead of Sutton to gather well

32mins: Just past from Anier! His shot had enough power to squirm past Williams, however the stopper got enough on it to put it wide

22mins: McManus bullets in a header from Ainsworth’s corner!! 1-0

GOOALLLL!!!

20mins: Shot on target from Anier, straight at Williams on his left foot though

16mins: Ainsworth goes inside Hanlon then outside and gets a ball in across goal. No takers, though

15mins: Motherwell sub, Kerr on for Ramsden. Looks like he’s pulled his hamstring.

14mins: Another chance for Heffernan! Just 12 yards out he shoots straight at Nielsen

11mins: Heffernan passes up another good chance. Wild attempt on goal from just inside the box curls well wide

8mins: Heffernan just past the post from Thompsons cross. Was a good chance!

4mins: First attack of the day for ‘Well. Ainsowrth swung in a cross but it was to deep for Anier and goes out for a goal kick.

1min: Carswell and Lasley kick us off! #COYW

[tab:Reaction]

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall:

Coming Soon

Hibernian caretaker manager Jimmy Nicholl:

Coming Soon

[tab:Man-of-the-match]

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Extended highlights from Fir Park as Motherwell crash out the SPFL League Cup at the hands of 10-man Aberdeen.

-WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

The seventh domestic Steelmen Matchday Magazine of 2013/14 is on sale when Hibs visit tomorrow (Sunday).

But what is inside the 68-page issue?

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

The manager reflects on a difficult week at the club following disappointing defeats at the hands of St Johnstone and Aberdeen and talks about what is required to get back to winning ways against mangerless Hibs.

The skipper chats about bouncing back from Wednesday’s Cup exit and what the team still hopes to achieve this campaign.

The feature interview is with legendary fullback Stevie Hammell. The Scotland International talks candidly about how disappointed he was to lose against Aberdeen and insists there is still loads to play for between now and May.

“Hammy” also features as the fifth of a souvenir poster collection in the centre pages.

But that’s not where the features stop!

There is a 14-page section dedicated to our visitors, Hibernian. Ray Morrison introduces the Easter Road side and there is a player-by-player breakdown of who is likely to line up for the Hibees.

We continue our opposition manager section by speaking directly former Hibs boss Pat Fenlon. The Irishman chatted to us before he left the club about working under pressure in the Easter Road hot seat.

Our guest journalist for this edition is The Scotsman’s Patrick McPartlin. Pat picks up the pieces from Hibs’ midweek Cup exit and takes a philosophical look at the Hibees season so far.

Graeme McGarry’s ‘Us and Them’ makes a welcome return as we catch up with Hibs legend Mickey Weir. The pint-sized winger, who also made a huge contribution at Fir Park, talks about the prospects for his two former teams.

The big features keep coming…

Press & Media Manager Alan Burrows returns in ‘The Last Word’ and the next round of new quiz, MFC Eggheads, is the goalkeepers derby between Lee Hollis and Gunnar Nielsen.

But wait, there’s more!

Our match reports section takes a look back at Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat by Aberdeen in the League Cup Quarter Final

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.

We also take a statistical look at the match official and detail how your local club can get more involved at Fir Park.

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 – CLICK HERE

Pictures from the 2-0 defeat by Aberdeen in the SPFL League Cup Quarter Final at Fir Park.

Snaps courtesy of SNSPix

[svgallery name=”aberdeen301013″]

A downbeat Stuart McCall admitted he was at his lowest ebb as the Motherwell manager after his team crashed out the League Cup tonight.

The hosts started brightly and should have taken the lead in the third minute, only for John Sutton to have a perfectly good goal ruled out for offside, despite replays showing he was at least a yard on.

Aberdeen were then reduced to ten men when Joe Shaughnessy was sent off for a lunging tackle on Zaine Francis-Angol.

Motherwell picked and probed for the next seventy minutes but came up against a stubborn, resolute and organized Aberdeen rearguard.

There was almost a sense of inevitability when Dons substitute Andy Considine headed home the opening goal with eight minutes left on the clock.

Jonny Hayes added a second deep into injury time as ‘Well pushed for a leveler to compile a miserable night in Lanarkshire.

[pullquote]I am so disappointed to lose but we will need to pick ourselves up quickly for our match here on Sunday against Hibs[/pullquote]

McCall, who looked visibly deflated, told MFC TV: “It’s the lowest I’ve ever felt since I’ve been at the club.

“Obviously we were very poor at Ibrox last term, we’ve lost a couple of poor ones to Aberdeen, Inverness and St Johnstone but I can’t remember feeling this sick after a match. We had a great chance to get into a Semi Final.

“I am beginning to sound like a broken record but another huge decision has gone against us [Sutton ‘offside’ goal]. From my position, it looked offside but if the assistant is looking along that line, I can’t understand how he can get it wrong. It’s not a difficult call for him; it is basic. He’s not even raised his flag until the referee has buzzed him?

“Full credit to Aberdeen though, they defended brilliantly with ten men. We haven’t created enough although we’ve had countless balls into the box but just couldn’t’ get anything from it.

“The difference in the match comes down to we’ve crashed the bar with a header, they’ve put it under the bar and into the net. I am so disappointed to lose but we will need to pick ourselves up quickly for our match here on Sunday against Hibs.”

-WATCH HIS INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

[tab:Match report]

 Phil McGhee at Fir Park

Motherwell crashed out the League Cup after losing 0-2 to Aberdeen in a frustrating night at Fir Park.

Aberdeen were reduced to ten men after just twelve minutes but they held off Motherwell’s domination,to grab two goals in the last seven minutes and take their place in the semi-final draw tomorrow.

The Fir Park side used the extra man advantage fairly well in terms of possession but although they bombarded the Dons’ goal with a series of crosses, Jamie Langfield was well very well protected by a stubborn Dons defence.

Motherwell will feel hard done to though after the match officials ruled out a perfectly good John Sutton goal after just three minutes. Television replays would show it was an extremely poor decision by John Beaton; the Motherwell striker at least a yard onside.

As the game progressed into the latter stages there was a sense, certainly amongst the huge and noisy travelling support, that having absorbed all the pressure that ‘Well would be dealt the sucker punch.

And yet it started so promisingly for the home side. With two changes to the side which lost at Perth, Zaine Francis-Angol taking the wide left berth in place of Iain Vigurs and Henri Anier coming in to partner John Sutton in attack, the home side pressed from the start.

And the Estonian striker almost made an immediate impact sending a shot skidding narrowly past the post within the first two minutes.

A minute later ‘Well looked to have opened the scoring after Ryan Jack rattled a clearance off Stuart Carswell. As the ball rebounded back into the box Sutton lifted it over Langfield and under the ‘keeper’s bar. But as the ‘Well players ran away to celebrate referee John Beaton noticed his assistant’s belated raised flag indicating that Sutton was offside.

The referee was again the centre of attention after 12 minutes. Joe Shaughnessy’s challenge on Francis-Angol was high and, after consulting his other assistant, the Dons’ full back was shown a straight red card.

As Motherwell continued to probe for the opening goal Aberdeen reinforced their defence bringing on Andy Considine for striker Calvin Zola.

That gave the home almost total control from the middle of the park but apart from a couple of Lawson shots which were drilled wide of goal, Langfield was untested.

Having been under the cosh for 40 minutes Dons made their first threat on the home goal when Jonny Hayes’ cross into the 6 yard box forced Gunnar Nielsen into his first save palming the ball out for Shaun Hutchison to boot clear. Then on the stroke of half time, a terrific block from Stephen McManus deflected Niall McGinn’s drive wide of the post.

The second half resumed with ‘Well again pressing towards Langfield’s goal and the Dons were lucky to survive strong appeals for a penalty after Mark Reynolds tripped Anier at the corner of the box.

With Lionel Ainsworth on for Lawson the Dons goalmouth was peppered with crosses from both wings but Langfield remained untested until the hour mark.

Francis-Angol elected for a low cut back in front of the in-rushing Stuart Carswell and his low drive was brilliantly blocked by the ‘keeper.

The Dons though looked content to soak up the pressure and hope for a goal on the break and after 68 minutes Stuart McCall changed his attacking options bringing on Bob McHugh for Anier.

Three minutes later ‘Well came within inches of the opener when Ainsworth’s outswinging corner perfectly met the incoming Hutchison only to see his powerful header thump back off the crossbar.

However, despite watching their side have all the possession, ‘Well fans were rather subdued as the game moved into the final stages while the Dons fans optimistically roared on their players.

And 7 minutes from time the large travelling support was rewarded when Aberdeen grabbed the all important first goal.

McGinn’s low drive forced Neilsen into his first save of the half diving to block low at his post with Vernon’s follow up turned behind for a corner. As the Dons’ rearguard moved up for Hayes’ corner you sensed danger and as the ball curled into a packed 6 yard box Considine leapt highest to nod the ball home.

In injury time, with all bar one ‘Well player in the visitors box for yet another corner, Dons raced to the other end of the park where Hayes rifled a shot high past Nielsen to make sure of their semi-final place.

[tab:As it happened]

 Ally Reilly at Fir Park

FT: Motherwell 0 – 2 Aberdeen

92mins: Aberdeen break and make it 2-0

90mins: Corner Motherwell…. Only 2 minutes added on

85mins: Aberdeen change, Robson on for Pawlett

83mins: GOAL! A sickener as Aberdeen go 1 up. Considine the scorer

82mins:: Excellent stop by Nielsen who denies Jack at his front post

80mins: Anderson booked for clattering into Lasley

78mins: Corner to Aberdeen….. McManus clears the danger.

71mins: Hutchy heads off the bar from Ainsworth’s corner!!

67mins: Motherwell sub, Anier off for McHugh

60mins; Great chance! Francis-Angol cuts it back to Carswell who on his left foot can only fire straight at Langfield from 16 yards

58mins: Good spell of pressure. Aberdeen defending well though and clearing each cross as it comes in.

54mins: Corner to ‘Well…..Ainsworth’s delivery headed out for a Motherwell throw

48mins: Carswell booked. Looked frustrated at the penalty shout and hacked down McGinn

47mins: Strong cause for a penalty there as Anier is barged to the ground in the box. Not given!

46mins: And there’s been a change, Ainsworth on for Lawson

46mins: Second half underway!

HT: A largely frustrating first half. ‘Well with the bulk of the ball but no cutting edge against a well organised 10 men

HT: Motherwell 0 – 0 Aberdeen

45mins: Sub just before the whistle for Aberdeen. Vernon on for the injured Robertson.

45mins: Almost a disaster there but McManus gets across to slide clear from McGinn after he dispossessed Hutchinson

45mins: Aberdeen sitting in deep. Difficult to find a way through so Hutchinson drives forward and tries his luck. Well over.

40mins: Third corner of the game for Motherwell….Aberdeen break and Hammell has to scoop McGinn’s cross to safety

36mins: Half chance there for Sutton. Just couldn’t get enough on his header from Ramsden’s ball in and it floats over the bar

32mins: Another corner to ‘Well…..punched away by Langfield

30mins: It’s a set-piece, which saw the ball laid off to Lawson who scuffs his shot harmlessly wide

30mins: First corner of the game goes Motherwelll’s way….

26mins: Hutchinson booked for a crunching tackle, much to Aberdeen’s disgust

20mins: Early change for The Dons, Considine on for Zola

13mins: RED CARD: Shaughnessy walks for a terrible tackle on Francis- Angol!!!!

10mins: Decent start for ‘Well. Had the bulk of the ball, and playing some OK stuff.

4mins: Controversy! Sutton has the ball in the net but while celebrating, ref chalks it off for offside

2mins: Anier hits a shot on the turn from 20 yards which flashes just wide

1min: Quarter final is now underway. #COYW

[tab:Reaction]

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall:

“I can’t remember being this low and then to go into the dressing room and see the laptop and John Sutton’s goal, which was onside, has just absolutely topped the night off.

“Full credit to Aberdeen, the way they defended with 10 men, they were outstanding.

“I was going to say the difference was we hit the bar from a set play and they scored from a set play but it’s even more galling. Sutton is a foot onside.

“The linesman didn’t put his flag up (initially), the delay was the fourth official telling him it hit (Keith) Lasley but it doesn’t matter who it hits because it’s onside.”

“But St Johnstone deserved their victory.”

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes:

“They have really answered up when the odds were stacked against them. We said to the players at half-time that they needed organisation, guts, character, everything you need to win the game, but the biggest thing was having a belief.

“To go so long with 10 men was always going to be a concern and with Clark going off as well, we only had one defender on the bench.

“It was gutsy, real guts and determination and a bunch of boys determined not to accept anything other than us getting into a semi-final.”

[tab:Man-of-the-match]

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Motherwell’s home match with Celtic has been moved to Friday 6th December (7.45pm KO) for live coverage on BT Sport.

The match was originally scheduled for Saturday 7th December but has been moved back a day.

Another match switched is our January 4th fixture against Inverness Caley Thistle at Fir Park. The game will take place on the same day, but it will now kick-off at 12.45pm live on Sky Sports.

>> CLICK HERE FOR A FULL UPDATED FIXTURE LIST

Steelmen skipper Keith Lasley says the ‘Well squad are desperate to bounce back from their McDiarmid Park disappointment on Sunday.

The Fir Parkers crashed to a 2-0 defeat in Perth, arguably their worst showing of the season so far.

The veteran midfielder admitted the players were quick to acknowledge they had fallen below their usual stands and are keen to put it right in Wednesday’s League Cup Quarter Final against Derek McInnes’ Aberdeen.

Speaking to MFC TV, he said: “The match gives us a good opportunity to put right some of the wrongs from Sunday.

“It was not an acceptable performance from our point of view and we’ve got to hold our hands up and admit it just wasn’t good enough.

[pullquote]One bad performance certainly doesn’t make us a bad team overnight and it’s now a case of refocusing on what we’ve been doing well[/pullquote]

“There was a realisation in the dressing room that it will take a much better performance on Wednesday to try and bounce back from that defeat. We’ve had a good run of performances and results and we feel it was a bit out of character.

“We certainly have no divine right to turn up at games and get the three points. We knew it would be a tough game and we never got to the levels that has seen us lose just once in the last eight games.

“One bad performance certainly doesn’t make us a bad team overnight and it’s now a case of refocusing on what we’ve been doing well.

“We have three big home games in a row now so hopefully we can get back to winning ways in what is a massive game against Aberdeen tomorrow.”

-WATCH HIS INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

Stuart McCall has labeled tomorrow’s match a mini ‘Cup Final’ as ‘Well prepare to take on Aberdeen in the League Cup.

The Dons are many people’s favourites to progress after their win at Easter Road at the weekend – a victory that propelled them into second place in the table.

The Steelmen lost 2-0 at McDiarmid Park on Sunday but the Fir Park boss is pleased to have such a big game to try and bounce back.

Speaking to MFC TV, McCall said: “It’s a fixture that everyone has been looking forward to for some time now.

[pullquote]This is essentially a ‘Cup Final’ for us; it is winner takes all. Like Aberdeen, we are desperate to get through given how open the tournament is now.[/pullquote]

“Aberdeen are playing well at the moment and are proving right most people’s pre-season predictions on how they would fare.

“On the flip side, we can take encouragement from the recent run of home wins – four from four against Partick Thistle, Kilmarnock, Ross County and Hearts.

“They will obviously point to their victory earlier in the season but I think there’s a different set of circumstances and I am not too sure how much that result will play a part.

“This is essentially a ‘Cup Final’ for us; it is winner takes all. Like Aberdeen, we are desperate to get through given how open the tournament is now.

“They will no doubt be backed by a large travelling support behind the goal – it’s the job of our lads in the home stands to match that with vocal and colorful backing.

“Most out with will probably have Aberdeen as favourites not only tomorrow’s match, but also to finish second in the table. We will see. It should make for an interesting battle.”

-WATCH HIS INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

Referee for Wednesday’s League Cup Quarter Final clash with Aberdeen is John Beaton.

John will be handling his second Motherwell match of the campaign so far.

Ironically, his other was when Aberdeen last travelled to Fir Park back in August; Derek McInnes side taking all three points in a 3-1 win.

The game wasn’t without controversy with Beaton, a late replacement for Kevin Clancy, awarding the Dons two spot kicks, although it was certainly a win the visitors deserved for their second half showing.

The 31-year old also took charge of two Motherwell matches last term too. The first was a 1-1 draw with Dundee at Fir Park; Michael Higdon rescuing a point after Nicky Reilly had given the Dark Blues a surprise lead midway through the first half.

His other match that campaign was against Dundee United at Tannadice, the Steelmen running rampant in the City of Discovery, confirming second spot with a superb 3-1 win.

Not only did Michael Higdon open the scoring with a peach from distance, the big striker surpassed Willie Pettigrew’s post-war record for most top-league goals in a single season when he netted the third midway through the second half.

It has been a busy season already for Beaton both domestically and in European competition.

This will be his second League Cup tie of the campaign having already handled St Johnstone’s 3-0 win at Hamilton Accies.

He has officiated three Dons games this campaign and McInnes’ men have won all three (versus Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Partick Thistle).

Abroad, he was the man in the middle for Poland U19s 1-0 home defeat by Armenia as well as Norway U21s’ 2-1 success over Macedonia.

In European action, he looked after BATE Borisov against Celtic’s eventual Champions League opponents Shakhter Karagandy, as well as the UEFA Youth Champions League match between Arsenal and Napoli, the Gunners running out 4-1 winners.

John will be ably assisted by Graham Chambers and Brian Templeton with Euan Anderson on Fourth Official duties.