| 2 | Celtic | 34 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 26 | 70 |
| 3 | Rangers | 34 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 34 | 69 |
| 4 | Motherwell | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 24 | 57 |
| 5 | Hibernian | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 51 |
| 6 | Falkirk | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | -5 | 46 |
It’s time to vote for your G4 Claims player of the month for December.
Calum Ward, Elliot Watt, Paul McGinn and Stephen Welsh are all up for nomination.
To vote, head over to the Motherwell Facebook page.
Stephen Welsh’s deadline day move to Motherwell was met with delight and excitement from the Motherwell fans. The 25-year-old Celtic defender arrived in North Lanarkshire with experience of playing with the Scottish Champions, winning trophies and ample experience on the big stage.
With a new style, Welsh’s upbringing in the Celtic academy has probably prepared the defender for the possession-based football the Steelmen currently play. And as we move into January, Welsh looks back fondly on his time at Motherwell so far.
“I saw the plan and vision the manager had,” Stephen Welsh explained.
“He explained it all to me in our first conversations, and when you look at the quality on the pitch and the good guys we have in the dressing room, it’s not really a surprise to see it’s working so far.
“I think we’re fully deserving of our league position. The club didn’t get top-six the last couple of seasons; right now we’re on track for that, but we’re not really looking behind us or anything. It’s just looking to see how many points we can get and see how far we go.”
Having played over 60 games for Celtic and scoring his first professional goal against Motherwell, Welsh is more than familiar with the Scottish football landscape, with perceptions and expectations for every Scottish club. So does it surprise him to see Motherwell picking up so many positive results, clean sheets and points, playing the way they do?
“It’s maybe a little bit surprising, but when you have a manager and coaches that implement style and get it over to the players in the right way, you can see how good it is,” the defender stated.
“You can see a few teams in the league struggle, maybe because they don’t have a proper style or way of playing. What the manager and coaches have done is they laid it out to the players; everyone knows exactly what we’re doing. Every single player in every position knows exactly what they should be doing.
“Honestly, if you put a forward player back one position, they would know exactly what they’re doing because we all work together every day. So, you could say there’s maybe a bit of surprise about our league position, but if you’re in the building every day, you’re not surprised. You see training, you watch how hard the boys work and how the manager operates, and it’s just worked.
“It’s been a great few months for me. I’ve loved every minute of it, and I hope it continues. The manager said he signed me because I’ve played this way ever since I was a young boy. I was told when I was young that I needed to play on the halfway line and that I needed to be good on the ball. If you’re not good on the ball, you’re not going to play for Celtic. I feel I’ve managed to bring that into the team.
“We need to be good on the ball, and we need to be brave, and having midfielders like Elliot [Watt], Lukas [Fadinger] and Oscar [Priestman], they always want to be on the ball, which is a dream for a centre-back. But also, the boys around us centre-backs, the full-backs and also Liam [Gordon] and Paul [McGinn] – have been outstanding. They’re probably not as used to being on the ball because they’ve maybe not played this way before.
“You need a manager who is going to come in and implement a style and ensure everyone knows their roles. I always think it’s a bit of a myth in Scottish football that Scottish centre-halves can’t play this way. But see, if they’re coached in a certain way, they absolutely can. We’ve got the forward players who can hurt teams; we’re just missing a few goals just now. That’s all we’re needing; Apostolos [Stamatelopoulos] and Callum [Hendry] have been magnificent for us.
“I’m sure come the second half of the season, their luck will change because we’ve had so many chances. I’d be worried if they weren’t getting any chances. We’re coming in after a game, and Callum and Apostolos are saying they should have scored a couple each! It’s a good sign, and I can see it every day in training; they’ll come good.”
Whilst the demands and expectations weigh heavy on the players individually, their spot in the starting 11 is never guaranteed due to strength and depth within the team.
“We’ve got boys on the bench that’ll come on and change a game,” Welsh added.
“It’s about competition, but it’s also a bit of security. You know that if one of the boys doesn’t have a good game, on the 60th minute someone will come on and change the game. You can see the depth we’ve got, but that comes from the training every day. The boys coming on know exactly the way we want to play, and it can only be a good thing to have the competition. Your position is never secure.”
Welsh arrived on deadline day on a loan deal until the end of the season. And every Motherwell supporter can see the desire and determination from Welsh to influence games in a positive way. The old cliché tells us to never fall in love with a loan player.
But when the defender is a consistent performer, it’s hard not to appreciate him. The interesting thing is, Welsh is also feeling the love for his temporary home.
“I’ve loved every minute so far,” he smiled.
“What helps is you’ve got a good football team, but we’ve got good people around the club too. Outside of training, it’s a great group of people I work with. They all bring positive things to the team, and I think everyone could think of a player who joins on loan and maybe doesn’t give it 100%.
“That simply wouldn’t stand in this changing room. You won’t play, you won’t be involved in matches, and it should be like that. You have to work hard, and that’s how it should be. The football has been great, but it starts with being good mates. On the pitch, you’ll help each other out, and off the pitch, you’re friends.
“The last 12 months have been really good for me. 2024 was a tough year because when you’re not fancied by a manager, it’s not easy. You come into training every day, work hard and nothing happens. There’s not much you can do. I was over in Belgium earlier in the year, and it was similar to here. When I was in there, it didn’t feel like a loan move.
“There were a lot of English-speaking players, which helped, and I was open to going back again because I loved it there. But the manager here phoned me a couple of times, and I understood what the plan was here. At the time, the team just drew every match. And I watched the games back, and I couldn’t believe they hadn’t won a game. I honestly thought they should’ve been right at the top of the table at that point.
“But that’s the level of this league. I think it gets looked down upon, to be honest; every team has got something. We struggled away to Livingston, for example. We managed to get a last-minute winner, but it was anything but easy.”
With over 65 games in a Celtic jersey, numerous pieces of silverware to his name and international experience with the Scotland youth sides, the 25-year-old may be one of the more experienced players in the setup. Despite his age, the defender has endured the highs and lows of football, and that experience could be invaluable when it comes to working with younger players.
“We’ve got some young boys in the squad, so I feel old for sure,” he laughed.
“I think the experienced boys really help. We’ve got McGinn, Gordon and O’Donnell, who play big roles in the dressing room. They’re proper leaders. You’ve got the young, hungry lads, but you’ve got the experienced heads too. The boys are on each other every day in training, which can only be a good thing.
“As long as you listen, especially to the senior players and coaching staff, it’s a massive positive. In the last 10 or 11 games, we’ve been on a good run. But where I come from, and the club I come from, it’s not a good run. It’s the standard. That’s how we should be looking at it.
“We shouldn’t be looking at games thinking we can maybe pick up some points. The next game, we need to win this game. That’s the pressure that comes with that. I know how it feels to go on these runs and go ten or 15 games unbeaten and be up at the top of the table. It’s good to have that experience in the team, and I’ve won some things. That’s the standard for us; it’s not just a good run.
“My target is to keep training every day, preparing for the next game and working towards our next target as a team. You could probably look at the points we had last season; we’re looking to reach that and keep going. I feel like we’ve played the teams ahead of us in the table and deserved more points than we got.
“I firmly believe we’re one of the best teams in this league. We play the best football, we’ve got the best coach and the best defensive structure. We had a good clean sheet run, so it’s not just a myth about our structure. It’s not just luck; it’s by design. That’s the standard now; we need to get better than where we are and look forward.”
Now we’re past the halfway stage in the 2025/26 William Hill Premiership campaign, we can confirm the demand for half season tickets was a new record for the club.
Having sold more half season tickets than we have at any stage since we first launched the initiative, we think it’s right to offer our supporters a further incentive to come to Fir Park as we push towards the split.
Going ten league games unbeaten at one stage, reaching the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup and now eight points better off than this time last year, this Motherwell team have produced some wonderful moments on the pitch already this season.
But the job is far from over, and we are asking our MFC family to get down to Fir Park as often as they can this season. We are launching a five-game package for supporters for the remaining home fixtures pre-split, excluding the midweek match against Rangers.
You can buy online now by clicking here.
Pricing for this package is as follows:
| Category | John Hunter Stand | David Cooper Stand | Phil O’Donnell Stand |
| Adults | £113 | £118 | £135 |
| Concession (over 65 + students) | £65 | £71 | £77 |
| Young Adult | £17 | £17 | £17 |
| Juvenile | £6 | £6 | £6 |
Thinking this sounds like something you want to buy?
It’s nice and easy to purchase and doing it online is the most efficient and straight-forward way to buy.
You can click here to buy online.
If you are on the home page of the ticketing website, you can click on ‘Season Tickets’ at the top right of the page, and this will take you to the Half season ticket purchasing section. We acknowledge this is slightly confusing but we are unable to change this for the time being.
Alternatively, call us on 01698 333333 or email tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk.
After exerting a lot of energy to register a 2-0 win over Celtic just four days ago, 2026 started at Fir Park for Motherwell as they looked to kick on again against St Mirren.
Looking to extend their unbeaten run at Fir Park to seven games, Motherwell lined up on the front foot as they looked for an early breakthrough.
Tawanda Maswanhise returned from international duty and made an instant impact, scoring his 14th goal of the season in the first-half.
Motherwell’s authority on the match didn’t lessen in the second period, with Elliot Watt converting from the edge of the box to make it 2-0.
Another clean sheet, another win: Jens Berthel Askou’s side strengthened their hold on fourth place as they travel to Hibernian, who are two points behind, next weekend.
Tickets for our Scottish Cup Round Four match against Ross County on Saturday 17 January are now on sale.
You can buy tickets online now.
Pricing for the match is below.
| Category | Pricing |
| Adults | £15 |
| Concession (13-17, 18-21, Students and Over 65s) | £10 |
| Children (12 and under) | £5 |
Season Ticket holders have until Wednesday 14th January at 5pm to secure their own seat.
Cooper Box Package
Price per person – £45
To book, please phone hospitality on 01698 338003 or email: hospitality@motherwellfc.co.uk.
The Cooper Bar and Centenary Suite will both open at 12 noon for this match. Drinks and food will be available for purchase in both suites and will re-open for one-hour following the match.
It’s a top-six battle on Saturday 10 January as Motherwell travel to Easter Road to face Hibernian in the William Hill Premiership.
Kick off is 3pm.
Tickets for this match are sold out. We want to thank everyone who has bought tickets.
Safe travels to Edinburgh.
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.
Motherwell continued their wonderful campaign with a 2-0 win over St Mirren, extending their unbeaten run to seven games at Fir Park.
That victory means it’s been one defeat in their last 13 matches in the Premiership. Now on 36 points, the Steelmen will be looking to move five points clear of Saturday’s opponents with a victory in the capital.
Motherwell recorded a 2-0 win over Hibernian in the first meeting between the sides this season. Matches between Hibernian and Motherwell have been competitive. In the last eight matches in the Premiership at Easter Road, there have been three wins each for either side, with two draws.
Hibernian also come into this match in good form. David Gray’s side have won the last three matches and are unbeaten in their last four outings.
The Hibees have three players joint top of their goalscoring charts. Martin Boyle has found the back of the net eight times this season, although the Australian international missed the trip to Kilmarnock on Saturday, with forward Kieron Bowie also on eight.
Summer signing Jamie McGrath arrived from Aberdeen and has also notched eight goals so far, in an impressive maiden season at Hibs. The midfielder scored from the penalty spot against Kilmarnock last time out, making it two goals and one assist in his last three league matches.
Motherwell started 2026 in perfect fashion, with a convincing 2-0 win over St Mirren in the William Hill Premiership.
Tawanda Maswanhise netted his 14th goal in all competitions in the first half, with Elliot Watt making it two goals in two games to seal the points for the Steelmen.
Despite the heroics of their last outing, changes were still made to the Motherwell team, three in total. Johnny Koutroumbis dropped out of the squad, with Oscar Priestman and Tom Sparrow moved to the bench. Tawanda Maswanhise returned to the starting 11 at the first time of asking, following his return to Scotland from his Africa Cup of Nations heroics with Zimbabwe.
Stephen Welsh was back in action after missing out against his parent club Celtic last time out, with Emmanuel Longelo restored to the starting 11.
The first opening came at the visitor’s end, but after Elijah Just whipped the ball into the six-yard box, neither Ibrahim Said nor Maswanhise could get a decent touch to worry Shamal George.
With 21 minutes on the clock, Calum Ward needed more than a decent touch, rising high to his left to push away Miguel Freckleton’s shot from the edge of the box.
That sparked a response from the Fir Park men, and after holding off a couple of challenges, Callum Slattery fed the ball to Lukas Fadinger, and his thumping left-foot drive was destined for the top corner until the ball was turned over the bar by George.
Slattery then tested the Saints’ keeper firstly with a low drive, which George palmed away at full stretch before he comfortably held Slattery’s tame volley.
Motherwell were finding gaps in the Saints’ box, and when Maswanhise found Just, he should have shot first time, but in an attempt to get the ball onto his left foot, the chance was wasted.
Two minutes later the New Zealander repaid the favour, and Maswanhise, after his stunning goal at AFCON, was in no mood to pass up the chance.
Playing the ball out from their own goal line, Just’s superb pass sent the Zimbabwe striker racing towards George before slipping the ball past the keeper and opening the scoring.
As the home side dominated possession, Saints lost their composure, with three players booked in a crazy two minutes before the break.
Stephen Robinson decided to tighten things up for the second-half moving the experienced Alex Gogic into his back four.
That plan only lasted 12 minutes until the Saints’ defence was breached again. Said’s run and cutback created a great opening only for Maswanhise and Slattery to get in each other’s way. The opportunity appeared to be lost as the ball found its way to Elliot Watt at the edge of the box until his wicked curling drive flew past George and high into the net to make it 2-0.
That forced Saints to change their game plan, but as they chased a goal, Motherwell found more space, with Just, Said and Maswanhise using their trickery and pace to keep the visitors’ defenders on their toes.
The ‘Well boss made his first changes after 73 minutes, replacing the tiring Watt and Maswanhise with Tom Sparrow and Oscar Priestman.
Despite continuing to swarm around the Saints’ box and creating a few more openings, Well couldn’t add to the scoreline, although at the other end Ward will be delighted to extend his home clean sheets to seven consecutive games.
Motherwell Team: Ward, O’Donnell, McGinn, Welsh, Longelo, Watt, Fadinger, Slattery, Just, Said, Maswanhise.
Motherwell Subs: Connelly, Gordon, Balmer, Sparrow, Priestman, McAllister, Osong, Ross, Stamatelopoulos.
Jens Berthel Askou reacts to the 2-0 win over St Mirren, our fourth home win in a row.
Being one of the longer-serving players at the club, Callum Slattery speaks about the success the club is currently experiencing and what it means to him.
Slattery explains the importance of the pre-season for the players getting used to the new system, and how the win over Celtic is a product of that work.
Assistant manager Max Rogers provides team news ahead of Saturday’s match against St Mirren, and also reflects on the huge win over Celtic last time out.
Rogers discusses the mindset within the team as they take on a new challenge this weekend.
