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Stephen Robinson spoke of the benefits and pitfalls of the international break on Friday, as he spoke to the broadcast media.

The Motherwell boss said the time off allowed him to work with his squad on improving play and fitness. But it came at a cost, with injury to Charles Dunne.

On the benefits of the break

“We got a chance to continue working on things we’ve been doing over the early part of the season. We’ve worked hard on things.

“We’ve worked to get people fitter as well. It was something we spoke about before we broke up.

“But all in all, it’s been very good. Very positive and very refreshing with the attitudes. Because the week when you don’t have a game is very hard sometimes when you’ve got nothing to aim for.

“But the attention to detail the boys have taken on board, and the application, has been superb.”

On Charles Dunne’s injury

“Unfortunately we’ve picked up an injury with Charles Dunne. We are still waiting to assess how bad that is.But he will be out for a period of time.

“We’re not sure how long yet. We are still waiting for the scan results to come back. But we will deal with that.

“We’ve brought big Bevis in as well. He was training with us anyway, so it sped up that process.

“It’s a groin injury [with Charles]. It’s similar to what he did last year against Stranraer right at the start of the season.

“We don’t want to put any timescale on it on how serious it might be yet. But it will be a period of time.

“It will be a minimum of a month, we think, already. We will get that confirmed hopefully today.”

On facing Hearts

“Hopefully Hearts will face a different team than what they faced against us. That was, as you say, the blip in our season so far.

“We didn’t take the game to them. We had too many people that underperformed. We didn’t play with a tempo. We played in front of them a lot. We didn’t hurt them at all. We passed the ball about with lots of possession.

“So that’s things I think we’ve improved on over the last few weeks. There’s an end product to our game. There’s balls going down the sides into strikers. There’s more penetration in our game. That’s something I think Hearts will have to look at.

“We’ll face, I’ve said it time and again, arguably the third strongest squad in Scotland. They are a huge club with a massive fanbase.

“It’s somewhere I love going to play football. It’s a great stadium with great atmosphere. So we will face a hard task with a strong Hearts squad.”

On Liam Donnelly’s form

“I’m delighted for [Liam Donnelly]. We’ve worked hard with Liam.

“He hated me last season because I kept pushing him and pushing him and telling him it wasn’t good enough. Now he’s finally believing why we pushed him.

“A boy with tons of ability. It has come to the fore now but it’s come to the fore because of how hard he has worked and what condition he has turned up in this season and how hard he has pushed himself in training.

“For me he has got his just rewards. Another international cap and hopefully he’ll be involved in future squads.”

Motherwell have signed Ugandan international defender Bevis Mugabi on a short-term deal until January, subject to international clearance.

The 6ft 3in centre back, who can also fill in at full back, has agreed a deal until January after impressing on trial over the last week.

Mugabi, 24, is a product of Southampton’s youth academy, signing for the Saints at the age of 16 at the expense of an offer from Celtic.

He left for Yeovil Town in 2016, making 39 appearances in his rookie season at Huish Park, prompting then-boss Darren Way to give him a new two-year extension.

Mugabi left the club at the end of that deal back in June of this year, having played 102 games across three seasons, netting five times.

“I’m excited for a new challenge at Motherwell,” said the new signing. “I can’t wait to get started.

“I spoke to some of my old team-mates who had played in Scotland, including Alex Fisher.

“They told me it was a great opportunity, with Alex telling me how great a place Motherwell was.”

Although born in London, it was around the time of his move to Yeovil when he received his first call-up from Uganda, by the virtue of his parents, who were born in the capital Kampala.

However, he would have to wait two years before making his first appearance for the Cranes, deputising against São Tomé and Príncipe in Namboole.

He has gone on to earn a further six caps, including several appearances in this summer’s Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt when he lined up against Mo Salah, Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly and Britt Assombalonga amongst others.

“We’ve an injury concern over one of our centre backs, so Bevis comes in to shore up the gap that might leave,” ‘Well boss Stephen Robinson said.

“He’s an experienced player with a lot of games under his belt in England.

“He’s big, strong and will give us another option at the back.”

Motherwell head to face Hearts in the Ladbrokes Premiership on Saturday.

The Edinburgh club play host to the Steelmen, having already won at Fir Park earlier in the campaign.

The story so far

Craig Levein set about turning his squad around in the summer, bringing in seven new faces and also tying down Steven Naismith on a permanent basis.

Craig Halkett arrived from Livingston, and was joined by Conor Washington, Loic Damour and Glenn Whelan.

The loan signings of Joel Pereira from Manchester United and Ryotaro Meshino from Manchester City followed, but the former will miss out at the weekend.

Jamie Walker returned to the club after a year away at Wigan Athletic, but has since been sidelined by injury.

With four league games played, the Gorgie club sit second bottom of the table with two points gained against Hamilton Academical and Ross County at home.

Cup progression, however, was secured at Motherwell’s expense last month, setting up a last-eight tie with Aberdeen at home at the end of September.

Form guide

With nine games played, Hearts have won three, drawn four and lost two in all competitions.

In the Betfred Cup, wins over Cowdenbeath and Stenhousemuir came with draws with Dundee United and East Fife, with a bonus point gained in the match with the Terrors. Victory over Motherwell then followed.

Two home games with Hamilton and Ross County yieded the two league points gained so far, with defeats coming at Aberdeen and Celtic.

Team news

Out injured: John Souttar, Joel Pereira, Steven Naismith.

Doubtful: Michael Smith

Suspended: None

Allan Campbell and Barry Maguire featured as Scotland’s Under 21s came from behind to beat Croatia 2-1.

The Motherwell duo were on the park when Connor McLennan netted the winner in the UEFA European Under 21 Championship qualifier.

Campbell again played the full 90 minutes, as he had done in the 2-0 win over San Marino last week.

Maguire made a late substitute appearance, coming on between Scotland’s two goals as Scot Gemmill’s side went joint top of their group.

James Scott was an unused sub, having made his international bow on Friday.

Motherwell had six players involved in international matches on Thursday.

Sixty-three months after making his international debut, Liam Donnelly earned his second cap for Northern Ireland as they beat Luxembourg at Windsor Park.

The 23-year-old midfielder was a 67th minute substitute, replacing Corry Evans, with the hosts already ahead after a bizarre first-half own goal from Luxembourg defender Kevin Malget. Goalkeeper Trevor Carson was named amongst the substitutes.

Allan Campbell started for Scotland as they got their UEFA Under 21 qualification campaign off to a winning start with victory over San Marino in Paisley.

Campbell, Scotland’s most experienced campaigner with 16 caps, played his part, helping to create the second goal for Hibs loanee Glenn Middleton. Scot Gemmill’s side had earlier taken the lead courtesy of  Alessandro Tossi’s own goal.

James Scott, making his debut for the 21s, and Barry Maguire were introduced as late substitutes as the Scots cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory.

Earlier in the afternoon, Jamie Semple came off the bench for the last half hour for Scotland U19s as they drew 1-1 with Japan in Spain.

The midfielder played a crucial part in Scotland’s equaliser, threading a tempting pass through for Kyle Joseph to level things up, with the teams due to meet again on Monday.

Motherwell return to Ladbrokes Premiership action on Saturday, 14 September with a trip to take on Heart of Midlothian.

Stephen Robinson’s men went into the international break on a high, running out 3-0 winners over Hibernian to move up the table.

Now a trip to the capital awaits to face Hearts for the second time this season.

Tickets are available online now or from the Fir Park ticket office. Pre-purchase is required.

Fans who require ambulant or wheelchair access should contact Andy Sim on 07428 225254 or email tickets@mfcdsa.com.

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Motherwell have signed Mark O’Hara on a season-long loan from Peterborough United, subject to international clearance.

The 23-year-old attacking midfielder becomes manager Stephen Robinson’s 11th capture of the summer window.

Renfrewshire-born O’Hara came through the youth ranks as a defender at Kilmarnock and made his senior debut back in 2012.

He would spend four years in the Rugby Park first team, earning Scotland Under 21 honours, before switching to Dundee in 2016, where he was converted to a more advanced role.

After two years at Dens, where he scored 12 goals in 62 starts, he moved across the border last summer to sign for Peterborough United, after racking up 159 games in Scottish football.

He scored four in 14 league games for Posh, before joining Lincoln City on loan in January, helping them to promotion to League One.

“Mark adds something to our midfield that we didn’t previously have,” boss Robinson said of the signing.

“We have been chasing him for a number of windows now, so we are delighted to have him.

“He is already a proven player at Scottish Premiership level, and he’s still very young. He will add to what is already a very competitive midfield.”

O’Hara will wear the number 52 jersey at Motherwell.

“I’m really happy to be here,” he said. “Once I heard of Motherwell’s interest, I was desperate to come here.

“It’s an exciting squad and I can’t wait to get started.”

Craig Tanner has left Motherwell after turning down an offer to extend his contract.

The forward picked up a serious knee injury in March 2018, which ruled him out for almost 15 months.

Although his initial contract was due to expire in June of this year, the club gave Craig a short-term extension over the summer to ensure his rehabilitation was fully complete.

After playing a number of reserve matches recently, ‘Well boss Stephen Robinson was keen to extend that further until the end of the year. But he has chosen to seek a new contract elsewhere.

“We are disappointed Craig has chosen to leave, but we respect his decision,” Robinson said.

“It’s been a long road back to fitness for him and he’d done brilliantly well to get back onto the pitch and playing football again.

“We were keen to continue that push for match sharpness. But Craig has decided he’d rather continue his career elsewhere and we wish him all the very best of luck.”

Tanner leaves after netting nine times in 36 appearances during the 2017/18 season and was a crucial part of the side which reached both the Betfred Cup and Scottish Cup finals.

“I would like to thank the gaffer, his coaching staff and of course the medical team for everything they have done for me,” said Tanner. “They have helped me through this difficult period on and off the pitch.

“I would like to thank the fans for their continued support from the first day to the last.

“You all have helped me stay positive through my injury and I couldn’t put into words how grateful I am for that.

“You have made it a pleasure to be part of Motherwell FC. I wish everyone all the best for the rest of the season. Thanks for the memories.”

Everyone at Motherwell Football Club would like to thank Craig for all his hard work and determination whilst at the club and wish him every success in his future career.

Adam Livingstone has joined Greenock Morton on loan for the remainder of the 2019/20 season.

The 21-year-old left-back, who has made five appearances for Motherwell, heads to the Championship side in pursuit of regular first-team football.

The club has the option to recall Adam from his loan in January.

“Adam is a boy who I believe has very good attributes,” manager Stephen Robinson said of the move.

“But he needs first team football and Morton will provide that at a good level.

“We have had a lot of success in loaning out our younger players, such as Barry Maguire and Jake Hastie, who have benefitted.

“We are hopeful Adam will gain valuable experience in a first team environment. It will help him develop further and offer something reserve football can’t.”

Sherwin Seedorf, Liam Donnelly and Jermaine Hylton all score as Motherwell head into the international break on a high with a home win over Hibs.