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Alfred Johansson is the new manager of Motherwell Football Club.

The 35-year-old Swede becomes the 31st manager of the club.

“We are delighted to welcome Alfred to the football club,” chairman Kyrk Macmillan said.

“Following the same data-driven process that we undertook to appoint the previous two managers of the football club, we believe Alfred is an excellent fit here at Motherwell. The data plays a key role to ensure the game model aligns with how we want to play and continues our evolution, but the process is also blended with ensuring we bring good people to the club.

“We met with Alfred on a number of occasions, and he stood out as the best candidate to continue our journey at the club. It became evident from our conversations that there was a clear alignment between both parties, and we have built a strong relationship already. Identifying and appointing someone that fits with the type of people we want to work with is equally as important.

“There is a strong belief that Alfred has the correct characteristics to lead and deliver on his ideas. He is a determined and ambitious young manager who wants to continue the success we had last season.

“It was important for the squad that we completed our detailed process of recruiting a new manager, but we were also conscious of time. With the players back in for pre-season this week, Alfred can begin working with his new squad ahead of a busy and exciting period for the football club.

“We were delighted with the connection our fans had with the team last season and we hope to take that even further this campaign”

Johansson arrives off the back of a two-and-a-half-year stint as manager of Norwegian top league side Rosenborg.

His coaching career began in Sweden, where he started out working with the youth squads at Enköpings SK in 2011 before serving as academy manager at Djurgårdens IF until 2015.

His strong academic results gave Johansson a strong grounding to begin his journey in football, despite not playing the game professionally.

He then moved to FC Copenhagen to work as youth manager and chief analyst for the under-19 squad. A brief spell back home in Sweden with AIK’s under-17 squad in 2018 was followed by a return to the Danish capital to take up the position of youth manager.

Impressing by guiding the Under 17 squad to the top of the DBU U17 Drenge Ligaen, he progressed to work with Copenhagen’s Under 19 squad in 2022, which saw Johansson build a strong, talented group that could compete at European level, defeating the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United in the UEFA Youth League.

He then was appointed manager of Rosenborg in 2023 at the age of just 33. In his maiden season in professional management, he guided Rosenborg to a fourth-place finish in the Norwegian top-flight, securing a return to European football after a 12-month absence, by winning over half of their league matches.

In a strong first season that saw Johansson pick up the league’s manager of the month award in August, he guided Rosenborg to the cusp of Conference League league phase football, defeating Banga Gargždai and Hammarby in the second and third rounds. After defeating Bundesliga side Mainz at home in the first leg of the playoff round, the Germans won on home turf to progress to the next round in the second leg.

For the 2025 league campaign, Johansson and Rosenborg finished seventh in the standings, keeping 11 clean sheets in the process, the second highest in the division and also picked up a second manager of the month accolade.

Johansson departed the club seven league games into his third season in May 2026. Managing 131 matches in his tenure in Norway, Johansson accumulated 71 wins and 21 draws.

He will now begin work ahead of pre-season, with all football staff remaining at the club.

“This is a huge honour for me,” manager Alfred Johansson said.

“To work at this football club and to lead is a privilege. I’ve analysed the club closely, and the direction that it’s going in is of huge importance to me. Last season was hugely successful, and I want to be able to carry this success forward. The squad of players we have is exciting, and we will get to work straight away.

“There is no time to waste with European football next month and the league season starting in a few weeks. I can’t wait to get to know all the players and staff at the club, but most importantly, I’m looking forward to meeting the supporters. I’ll see you all very soon.”

Our 2026/26 William Hill Premiership campaign will start with a trip to Easter Road to face Hibernian. 

Kick off is at 4:30pm on Sunday 2 August with the match being broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Our first home game of the season is on Saturday 8 August against Falkirk.

The festive period is jam-packed once again, with the return of Boxing Day fixtures to the schedule. We travel to Celtic Park on Saturday 26 December for a 3pm kick-off before travelling north to Aberdeen on Wednesday 30 December to round off 2026.

Our final match prior to the split is against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on Saturday 10 April.

All fixtures are subject to change.

Motherwell discovered this afternoon that they would be facing Havnar Bóltfelag of the Faroe Islands in the second round of the UEFA Conference League. 

Otherwise known as HB Torshavn (HB), Motherwell and HB have already met in European competition.

Back in 1994, Motherwell were drawn against HB in the Preliminary Round of the UEFA Cup. Playing the first leg at Fir Park, Alex McLeish’s side cruised to a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Tommy Coyne, Paul McGrillen and Stevie Kirk.

After a strong result in the first leg, the squad travelled to the Faroe Islands, and after just 20 minutes, Kirk and Billy Davies had extended the Steelmen’s advantage to five before skipper Andreas Hansen pulled one back to deny Stevie Woods his clean sheet. Kirk scored his second of the match ten minutes later before Alex Burns rounded off a 4-1 win on the night.

A second tie between the two sides almost occurred in 2020 when HB were Motherwell’s potential opponents in the first qualifying round of the Europa League, Glentoran came out 1-0 winners of the tie with the Faroese side instead and progressed.

But the connection with the Faroese side doesn’t stop there.

André Olsen is HB’s current manager, a name Motherwell fans probably won’t recognise. But one connection between the Fir Park dugout and the one in the Gundadalur Stadium is Jens Berthel Askou. Askou managed HB through a successful spell, winning the league and league cup in 2020, and was named manager of the year for these achievements.

HB missed out on their 25th league title last season, finishing runners-up to winners Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag. HB hasn’t won the Faroese top-flight since 2020.

Now 13 league games into the 2026 season, HB have won four and drawn three of their matches as they sit sixth in the table.

Their top scorer is Storm Bugge Pettersen, who currently has six goals in all competitions. But someone who has two goals this season is former Motherwell player and fan-favourite Moses Ebiye, who moved to the Faroe Islands in April.

Former Motherwell goalkeeper Gunnar Nielson came out of retirement for one match in April this to take up a spot on the bench for HB, the side he came through the academy at. He didn’t feature.

HB play their home games at the Gundadalur Stadium, which is roughly a 45-minute journey from the main airport and has a capacity of 5000. The National Stadium in the Faroe Islands, Tórsvøllur, is also in Gundadalur.

HB are European regulars, having played in Europe, including this season, eight years in a row and 15 of the last 19 seasons. They have recorded notable wins over Red Bull Salzburg in 2010 and Maccabi Haifa in 2021 and drawn at home against the likes of Brøndby, Hajduk Split and HJK Helsinki in recent years, and a notable draw with Malmö in 2011.

The Faroese side have progressed through two European ties since 2014, a 6-3 aggregate win over Lincoln Red Imps from Gibraltar in 2014 and a 6-0 win over FK Budućnost Podgorica from Montenegro in 2021.

A reminder to all supporters that although we expect the first leg of our tie to be played at Fir Park, we encourage everyone to not book travel or accommodation until UEFA confirms match information.

All ticket and match information will be confirmed in due course.

We will face Havnar Bóltfelag of the Faroe Islands in the second round of the Conference League. 

The first leg will take place on Thursday 23 July, with the second leg taking place on Thursday 30 July.

As we have been drawn first, we expect the first leg to be at Fir Park. However, UEFA will confirm dates and venues of matches in the coming days.

We urge supporters not to book travel or accommodation until all match information is absolutely confirmed. These will be communicated as soon as we have all information confirmed.

As we edge closer to finding out who our European opponents will be, let’s take a look at how the draw works. 

We enter the second qualifying round for the UEFA Conference League, with the draw taking place on Wednesday 17 June in Nyon. Motherwell and Hibernian are in the draw.

Due to our club coefficient, we are unseeded in the draw. Hibernian are seeded. Seeding is not determined by position in the league table but is instead calculated using club coefficient ranking.

As the second-round draw takes place before the first qualifying round is completed, there is a chance we would have to wait until the first qualifying-round ties have taken place before we know our opponent. This means when our draw is completed, it could be ‘Motherwell v Team A or Team B.’

As we are unseeded, we will be drawn against a seeded opponent.

You can view seeding and potential opponents online by clicking here. Scroll down to the ‘CO-Q2: 2nd Qualifying Round section’. Teams with a ‘*’ next to them are seeded clubs of the first qualifying round that are assumed to progress to the second qualifying round.

All seeded teams in the second qualifying round draw are currently potential opponents. However, on the morning of Wednesday 17 June, UEFA will group all teams, and our potential opponents will be narrowed down to five. These will be communicated once they are known.

These groupings are loosely determined by geography to try and limit extensive travel, but there are no set guidelines on this.

The location of the first leg, as in will we play at home or away, will also be determined in the draw. The first team out of the hat will play at home in the first leg. Please note, however, this could be subject to change in the scenario of teams from the same area playing in European competition at the same time.

The draw for the third qualifying round takes place on Monday 20 July, prior to the first leg of the second qualifying round matches. This means that our opponents, should we progress to the next round of the Conference League, will be known. Ahead of the third qualifying round draw, UEFA will group our potential opponents like the second qualifying round draw.

In the draw, UEFA use the coefficient ranking of the highest club involved in every tie. In theory, should we be drawn against a team with a high coefficient ranking in the second qualifying round, and we progress, we will take their ranking. To be seeded in the third qualifying round, we would likely have to defeat a side with a very high club coefficient ranking so it is likely if we progressed to the third qualifying round, we would be unseeded once again.

All dates for all rounds and draws can be found on the UEFA Conference League website.

We recommend all supporters wait until official confirmation from UEFA on dates and venues before booking travel.

Ahead of the squad returning for day one of pre-season, we can confirm we will be travelling for a seven-day camp in Denmark.

The squad will depart on Monday 29 June and will return on Monday 6 July.

During their stay, the squad will undertake an intense seven-day programme in West Jutland. The squad will face newly crowned Danish champions AGF Aarhus in a friendly match on Sunday 5 July.

The match will take place at AGF Aarhus’ training ground and will be open to a limited number of spectators. Kick off is at 2pm local time.

We also want to confirm that our recruitment process to appoint a new manager is at an advanced stage. The club will not comment any further on this process.

Despite there being a managerial vacancy at the club, football staff have been working throughout the summer to ensure a comprehensive pre-season schedule is in place for the players returning.

Behind-closed-door pre-season fixtures have been arranged ahead of the commencement of our upcoming Conference League fixtures in late July and the William Hill Premiership in August, with these games taking place in the lead-up to these matches to ensure all players are fully prepared for the competitive action.

We hope to have a friendly match at Fir Park this summer once again, and once this is confirmed, all details will be published as soon as possible.

The 2025/26 season may only recently concluded, but next season isn’t too far away. Here are all the key dates you’ll need to know. 

Conference League draw

Motherwell fans can look forward a European tour this summer, with the Steelmen confirming their place in the second qualifying round of the Conference League.

The draw for the second qualifying round will take place on Wednesday 17 June, with ties taking playing on Thursday 23 July and Thursday 30 July.

We are unseeded in the draw.

First-team return from pre-season date

The first-team squad will return from their summer break on Thursday 18 June.

Premiership fixture release date

The William Hill Premiership fixtures will be released on Thursday 18 June.

Premiership matchday 1

The first Premiership matchday takes place on Saturday 1 August.

Season Ticket Early Bird

Monday 1 June 5pm.

Season Ticket Seat Relocation

You have until Monday 15th June at 10am to secure their seat.

Women’s Fixtures

The Women of Steel will discover their schedule for their league campaign on Friday 26 June.

A look at our final loan report for the season. 

Aston Oxborough

Aston Oxborough and Dunfermline have been an exciting journey this season.

Since our last report, Oxborough has played five games, taking his appearance count to 15 for the season.

Rounding off the league season with a 2-0 win over Queen’s Park and a 0-0 draw with Arbroath, the Pars secured a spot in the promotion playoffs. In the first leg of the quarter-final, Dunfermline beat Arbroath 1-0 and then travelled to Gayfield for the second leg.

Oxborough conceded a penalty kick in the latter stages of the match with the game at 0-0, but the shot-stopper made amends by saving the spot kick.

Dunfermline was eventually eliminated from the playoffs following a narrow defeat to Partick Thistle over two legs with Oxborough missing for the second leg due to a temporary recall.

Dunfermline then took on Champions Celtic in the Scottish Cup final. Despite a brave performance, the Pars lost out 3-1.

• Appearances: 15
• Clean Sheets: 7

Jack McConnell

Jack McConnell didn’t make his debut for Cowdenbeath after joining the Lowland League side in January; however, he gained valuable experience during his six-month stay.

Cowdenbeath finished 11th in the table.

• Appearances: 0

Scott Williamson

Scott Williamson didn’t feature in the latter stages of the season for Cowdenbeath due to injury but did make 18 appearances in total this season.

With 14 starts to his name, Williamson was trusted in his first season playing men’s football and accumulated a large amount of minutes played this season.

• Appearances: 18
• Assists: 2

Kofi Balmer

Kofi Balmer’s loan spell at Bristol Rovers couldn’t have gone much better. Making 23 appearances in total, Rovers went on a stunning run of form to charge up the table.

Winning 14 of their last 16 matches in the season, Rovers finished 14th in the table on 62 points.

Balmer also picked up the Goal of the Season award for his wonderful strike against Walsall.

• Appearances: 23
• Goals: 2
• Assists: 2
• Clean Sheets: 7

Jay Gillies

Jay Gillies earned some valuable experience and playing minutes with Cumbernauld Colts this season.

The defender played seven times across the campaign, scoring one goal, which came against Broxburn.

Gillies and Cumbernauld Colts finished sixth in the Lowland League standings.

• Appearances: 7
• Goal: 1

Ewan Wilson

Ewan Wilson played 21 matches this season at Raith Rovers.

Raith Rovers narrowly missed out on a playoff spot. His minutes were sporadic towards the end of the campaign, but he did feature in the dramatic win over Ross County in the final game.

It’s been another season of learning for Wilson, who will now return to Motherwell for the start of pre-season.

• Appearances: 21
• Assists: 1

Campbell Forrest

Campbell Forrest has played three matches for Hamilton Accies since our April report.

Playing nine games for Accies this season, Forrest was involved in the end-of-season playoffs for the League One side as they fought to retain their League One status.

Those three appearances came from the bench, with Forrest featuring in both semi-final matches against Forfar. Hamilton progressed to the final and beat Clyde over two legs to stay in League One next season.

• Appearances: 9
• Assists: 1

Olly Whyte

What a season for Olly Whyte, who rounded off his wonderful campaign with a win in the promotion play-off against Alloa Athletic. Although losing the second leg, the Warriors managed to secure their spot in the Championship for the first time in their history.

Overall, Whyte made 47 appearances for Stenhousemuir and scored ten goals in all competitions. Whyte missed one game all season for Gary Naysmith’s side.

• Appearances: 47
• Goals: 10
• Assists: 1

Dylan Wells

Dylan Wells finished on ten appearances for Stirling Albion this season, having missed the majority of the campaign.

In those ten appearances, Wells scored one goal and assisted four times.

Stirling finished 8th in League Two this season on 38 points, 14 points clear of bottom-of-the-table Edinburgh City.

• Appearances: 8
• Assists: 3
• Goal: 1

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos’ and Sydney FC’s season has concluded.

Sydney finished 5th in the A-League, which earned them a spot in the grand finals. Defeating Newcastle Jets over two legs, they could look forward to the grand final against Auckland FC, however the lost narrowly 1-0.

Stamatelopoulos scored against Newcastle Jets in the semi-final first leg, his third goal in Sydney colours.

• Appearances: 14
• Goals: 3

Nathan Lawson

Nathan Lawson enjoyed a successful season with Cowdenbeath in the Lowland League. Scoring three goals and making 23 appearances, Lawson got a taste for first-team football with Cowdenbeath ending their season strongly.

• Appearances: 23
• Goals: 3
• Assists: 2

Topping off an impressive first season with Motherwell, Elijah Just has claimed the G4 Claims May player of the month. 

In a tight final vote of the season, the World Cup bound Kiwi gained enough votes to edge past Callum Slattery, Elliot Watt and Stephen Welsh.

Just impressed in every game as The Steelmen picked up four points in May, drawing with Hearts and defeating Hibernian in a dramatic final day to clinch fourth place.

It could have been more however a late, late Celtic penalty denied Elijah and his teammates what would have been a well deserved point.

July – Tawanda Maswanhise

August – Tawanda Maswanhise

September – Elliot Watt

October – Elliot Watt

November –  Tawanda Maswanhise

December – Elliot Watt

January – Tawanda Maswanhise

February – Tawanda Maswanhise

March – Elijah Just

April – Emmanuel Longelo

May – Elijah Just

It had been one of the best seasons for Motherwell supporters, but it wasn’t finished. A strong campaign prior to April left the Steelmen on the cusp of qualifying for European football for the first time since 2022. 

However, with seven games remaining, the fixtures couldn’t have been any tougher. Matches against Hearts, Celtic, Rangers, Hibernian and Falkirk meant Jens Berthel Askou’s side would have to take on all top-six opposition until the finish line.

Calum Ward and a very special guest sit down to take you through the closing matches of the season.