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Regan Charles-Cook has joined the club on a two-year deal, subject to international clearance. 

A name that will be familiar to many Motherwell fans for his time spent at Ross County, winger Charles-Cook has returned to Scotland following a three-year spell in Belgium with Eupen.

“With Regan joining us, we’ve added another exciting attacking player with a history of producing chances and scoring goals both in the UK and abroad,” manager Jens Berthel Askou stated.

“He thrives in 1v1 situations in wide areas as well as being confident within the opposition’s structure. We are delighted to welcome him and excited about him bringing even more qualities and competition to our squad.”

The 28-year-old’s career started in the youth ranks at Arsenal before switching to Charlton Athletic in 2013. He went on to make his professional debut in 2015 for The Addicks. This would be the first of nine appearances for Charlton during his five-year stay, where he went on loan with Solihull Moors and twice with Woking.

Scoring four goals in 13 with Moors and netting five in 26 over two spells with Woking, the loan moves had provided Charles-Cook with ample first-team experience, and by the summer of 2018, it was time for him to move on a permanent deal to Gillingham.

He enjoyed a successful two years with Gillingham in League One, making over 50 appearances. His second season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but interest in the winger was high that summer.

Ross County was his chosen destination, as he moved to Scotland for the first time in his career to play under Stuart Kettlewell. Making his County debut in a 1-0 win over Motherwell on the opening day of the 2020/21 season, he played 32 games in his maiden season in the SPFL Premiership.

Those performances earned him international recognition for the first time in his career. A call-up to the senior Grenada side in June saw him make his first appearance for his country against Honduras in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. This was the first of 13 appearances for his national side.

It was in his second season that Charles-Cook really hit some impressive numbers. The league’s joint-top goalscorer for the season with 13 goals in the Premiership saw him nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award and helped Ross County reach the top-six for the first time since 2016.

Following this impressive campaign, it was no surprise that a number of clubs were linked with the Grenada internationalist. He opted for a move to the Belgian top-flight KAS Eupen in 2022.

During his first two seasons, he scored ten goals in the top-flight. Eupen were relegated to the second tier, but Charles-Cook continued to be a key player for the side and, latterly last season, took the captain’s armband. With 91 appearances in total in Belgium, Charles-Cook now returns to Scotland for a second time, looking to pick up where he left off.

“I know this league very well,” Charles-Cook added.

“It’s been a mental 24 hours to get to this point, but I’m so happy to be signed for this club. I’ve met some of the boys, and everyone has said how well things have been going so far. The lads seem great.

“The manager and I had a long conversation, and it’s hard not to be impressed when he talks to you. Everyone is talking about the way the team has been playing, and to get the opportunity to be a part of that system is appreciated.

“I’ll get straight to work to get match fit as soon as possible.”

Our quarter-final match with Aberdeen will take place on Saturday 20 September. 

Kick off is 3pm.

Broadcast arrangements will be confirmed in due course.

Calum Ward has grasped his chance with both hands since and says he’s enjoying the amount of minutes he’s currently getting. 

Ward has adapted well to the new system being implemented by the manager, and is learning with every minute played this season.

Jens Berthel Askou is pleased from the buy-in seen from the number of supporters who have been following the team home and away so far this season. With 300 new season ticket holders, 6000 home fans against Rangers and 1500 away fans against St Johnstone, he is not surprised the away end is sold out already for Saturday’s match against Hearts. 

The manager discusses the thought process of bringing Callum Hendry to the club, future incoming transfers and the state of play regarding the current injured players at the club.

Tom Sparrow is set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury in the extra-time win against St Johnstone last weekend. 

Manager Jens Berthel Askou confirmed the Welshman is ruled out for the upcoming matches in his press conference earlier today but has more positive news regarding other members of the playing squad.

“Tom picked up an injury against St Johnstone,” he said.

“He’ll most likely not be involved in the next two games.

“Liam Gordon is back in full training and ready to participate. Jordan McGhee is back in full training. Slattery is back from suspension and ready to play.

“Johnny Koutroumbis won’t make it for the weekend, but we’ll assess him next week. He’s on the pitch again doing his rehab. We’ll see about next week; that’s more likely.”

The manager was also asked about the long-term absentees and how their recovery is getting on.

“They’re still a bit away from getting back,” he explained.

“We try to involve them with the stuff we do; they’re around us doing their rehab, and they’re in all the meetings. The squad is fantastic in terms of keeping everyone a part of what they do, including all the fun stuff away from the pitch.

“We’re hopeful they will go through the rest of their recovery as well as they can. They’re following the plan as they should.”

Get to know our new striker Callum Hendry with these quick facts. 

Fact 1

Hendry already knows a few faces in the dressing room. Liam Gordon is one of his best mates from their time spent at St Johnstone together, and the striker is also close with Elliot Watt, who was a teammate at Salford City.

The forward says that the two of them would be his best men at his wedding.

Fact 2

From his time in Scotland, Hendry is more than familiar with Motherwell. He made his debut for St Johnstone back in 2017 in a match against the Steelmen at McDiarmid Park.

The Saints won on the day 4-1, with Trevor Carson, Carl McHugh and Charles Dunne all being sent off.

Hendry has also scored against Motherwell on four occasions in three different matches, with each game ending in a 2-1 win for St Johnstone. The pick of the bunch was a 90th-minute goal from a volley in March 2022.

Fact 3

Hendry comes from a footballing background, with his father being former Scotland international and Premier League winner Colin Hendry.

Hendry turned out for the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Rangers, Dundee and Manchester City in a hugely successful career that saw him represent his country 53 times, which saw him play at Euro ’96 and the 1998 World Cup.

Motherwell are on the road for the third time in three weeks on Saturday 23 August, travelling to Tynecastle to take on Hearts.

Kick off is 3pm.

How to follow the game

All tickets for the match have been sold.

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’s Fortunes

Motherwell remain undefeated under Jens Berthel Askou in competitive matches. Saturday’s 1-0 win over St Johnstone saw Motherwell book their place in back-to-back Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals.

Lukas Fadinger netted his second goal of the season, with Motherwell keeping two clean sheets in two matches for only the second time since January.

Opposition Report

Hearts appointed Derek McInnes as their new manager during the summer break, as the Jambos kicked off a new era at Tynecastle following significant investment from Tony Bloom.

McInnes and Hearts have made a strong start to the season. Saturday’s penalty shootout defeat to St Mirren was their first taste of defeat this season.

Scoring 22 goals in all competitions so far this season, the new-look Hearts side have started strongly. After nine new arrivals, arguably the best bit of business conducted over the summer was securing the services of Lawrence Shankland for another campaign. The skipper has already scored four goals this season in all competitions.

Stuart Findlay followed Derek McInnes from Rugby Park to the capital over the summer and has scored four goals this season, including a last-minute winner against Dundee United in Hearts’ last league outing.

Elijah Just has been included in the New Zealand squad for their double header in September. 

New Zealand has two friendly matches lined up, facing Australia back-to-back.

The first match takes place on Friday 5 September, with the second match scheduled for Tuesday 9 September.

Just has 36 caps to his name already and will be looking to add next month.

• Australia v New Zealand 
• Friday 5 September
• Kick Off 10:45am
• GIO Stadium, Canberra, Australia 

• New Zealand v Australia 
• Tuesday 9 September 
• Kick Off 8am
• Go Media Stadium, Aukland, New Zealand 

With 1500 Motherwell fans making the trip to McDiarmid Park, there was a sense of optimism in the air as the Steelmen took on Championship leaders St Johnstone for a place in the quarter-final of the Premier Sports Cup. 

Having reached the semi-final last season, Motherwell fans were dreaming of a return to Hampden, but the task would not be a simple one, with St Johnstone winning all their games so far this season in all competitions.

With both sides trying to keep the ball on the ground, the match made for a good watch, with both sides having chances.

After 90 minutes, the feeling for frustration was apparent within both camps as neither side could break the deadlock, and we would head into extra time. In the first period, more chances came for Motherwell, but nobody could convert.

As penalties loomed, up popped Lukas Fadinger with the big moment of the afternoon, curling the ball past the keeper to book a spot in the last eight.

Striker Callum Hendry has joined the club on a two-year deal from MK Dons for an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance.

The former St Johnstone, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen man is well-acquainted with Scottish football, having played over 100 games in the top-flight and domestic competitions.

“We are delighted to welcome Callum to Motherwell FC,” Jens Berthel Askou said.

“His energy, intelligence in finding space, and strong finishing qualities will bring real value and competition to our squad.

“Callum arrives with a wealth of experience from both the EFL and the Scottish Premiership. His positive character and professionalism make him an excellent fit for our culture.

“He joins us with great hunger and desire to make his mark, and we are excited to see him help drive the team forward. We look forward to getting him on the pitch and watching him contribute to our continued growth as a club.”

Hendry started out within the youth setup at Blackburn Rovers before moving north to St Johnstone in 2017. From then until 2022, Hendry represented the Saints 94 times, scoring 22 goals in all competitions.

During his stay in Perth, he went on loan to Aberdeen, Brechin City and Kilmarnock, scoring goals during his short stints at all clubs.

Having been recalled from a successful loan spell at Kilmarnock in January 2022, Hendry found the back of the net on eight occasions in 21 games, including a crucial finish in the final of the Premiership play-offs against Inverness CT that helped maintain St Johnstone’s Premiership status.

This form earned the forward a move to Salford City in the summer. During his two-year stay, he scored 23 times in less than 80 games for the club before moving to MK Dons in 2024. Scoring four goals in 32 games, he now moves back to Scotland to join up with Jens Berthel Askou and the rest of the squad.

“It’s great to be back in Scotland,” Callum Hendry said.

“This move has been in the offing for a while, and I’ve been really keen to get signed so I can focus on playing football. I know some of the guys in the dressing room, and everyone seems like really nice people around the place.

“I can now get a good week of work under my belt before Saturday’s game.”