| 7 | St Mirren | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 10 |
| 8 | Aberdeen | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -3 | 8 |
| 9 | Motherwell | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -4 | 8 |
| 10 | Hibernian | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 7 |
| 11 | Falkirk | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -4 | 6 |
Going from the highs of qualifying for the playoff round in the UEFA Conference League, to the elimination of the Premier Sports Cup against Stenhousemuir was something manager Alfred Johansson said we should be annoyed at.
The early signs have all been positive and this result is one that should hurt, but one we must move on quickly with our tie against SC Freiburg ahead of us on Thursday.
Motherwell exited the Premier Sports Cup at the first hurdle following a 1-0 defeat to William Hill Championship side Stenhousemuir.
Euan O’Reilly was the hero for the Warriors, scoring in extra-time to set up a quarter-final tie with Hearts.
Following their terrific result in the UEFA Conference League against HJK Helsinki on Thursday night, Alfred Johansson opted for rotation throughout his side. Making eight changes in total, Matty Connelly, Luca Ross, Jamie Knight-Lebel, Ewan Wilson, Olly Whyte, Mikey Booth and Willy Vogt all came in, with latest summer signing Joe Hodge making his debut in the middle of the pitch.
Over 1600 Motherwell fans were in the away end but would have been less than enthused with the early stages of the match. Marvin Bartley’s Stenhousemuir had a succession of corners in the first 20 minutes, with Connelly dealing with all the crosses into the penalty area, but the Steelmen were struggling to string together their usual fluid football on the sticky, dry surface.
The first notable attempt came after 20 minutes when Michael Anderson tried his luck with a left-footed effort from just inside the box, to the relief of Motherwell, who made an effort straight at Connelly, who gathered.
Motherwell’s first shot on target arrived after 36 minutes. Ibrahim Said showed his magic down the right-hand side and set Booth away; the ball came to Whyte, who struck cleanly but was straight at Darren Jamieson.
Just before the half-time mark, Said once again burst forward using his power and pace; he decided to shoot from distance but was well over the bar.
Motherwell made two changes at the half time interval, bringing on Emmanuel Longelo and Alex Lowry in place of Said and Wilson.
Despite the changes, Stenhousemuir started the brighter of the two sides in the second-half. Sam Young got himself on the end of a cross into the box in the back-post area; the knockdown caused an alarming moment in the penalty area with the ball ricocheting multiple times before Connelly gathered.
The Steelmen ventured forward after 54 minutes. There was nice build-up play involving Lowry, Vogt and Longelo which ended in Tawanda Maswanhise having a shot from 20 yards out; the strike skimmed off the turf and went wide of the target.
Gus Stevenson went close after the hour mark, as the Stenny man got on the end of a cross but volleyed over the bar. But Motherwell kept probing, and Booth found himself unmarked in the penalty box. He leaped to head towards goal from Regan Charles-Cook’s cross, but the youngster didn’t find the desired connection, with Jamieson comfortably catching the effort.
Knight-Lebel was next to have a chance on 78 minutes; the centre-back was able to rise above his marker, but his connection on the cross wasn’t clean. Vogt went close a minute later when he tried to curl the ball into the corner following good work from Ross and Lowry; the summer signing didn’t get enough curl on the strike, and it went wide.
Stenhousemuir really should have broken the deadlock with seven minutes of normal time remaining when Stevenson found himself 1v1 with Connelly as he raced towards goal, but he got it all wrong, and the chance disappeared.
Motherwell themselves had one more chance to win it in regulation time when on the counter-attack, Charles-Cook was slid the ball on the right-edge of the box, but the recovering Warriors backline managed to slide and block his strike before Lowry’s attempt trickled wide of the post.
With no goals in 90 minutes, the match went to extra-time and the home crowd were up on their feet as they thought Lewis O’Donnell had opened the scoring after his strike from distance beat Connelly, but the ball came crashing off the inside of the left-hand post before going across the line and away from goal.
It was Stenhousemuir again who went close in the first-half of extra time when Matty Aitken was free at the back-post, but he somehow missed the opportunity.
As the second-half of extra-time began, the momentum was most definitely with the hosts, and after 109 minutes of football, the deadlock was finally broken. A long throw-in fortuitously found itself with O’Reilly who, with appeals of handball, brought the ball down on the right-edge of the box and slotted it past Connelly to give his side a deserved lead.
There would be one more talking point when in the 111th minute, Charles-Cook looked to be clipped in the box with his back to goal, but referee Colin Steven didn’t blow for a foul despite heavy claims from all Motherwell players and staff around him.
In the end, the rest of the half passed without any major chances for Alfred Johansson’s side, who suffered their first competitive defeat of the season.
Motherwell Team: Connelly, Ross, Girdwood-Reich, Knight-Lebel, Wilson, Whyte, Hodge, Booth, Maswanhise, Vogt, Said.
Motherwell Subs: Paulsen, Moormann, Fadinger, Lowry, Charles-Cook, Koutroumbis, McAllister, Weir, Longelo.
The post-match thoughts of Alfred Johansson.
The former Rossvale Assistant manager has been appointed as the assistant coach of the club.
Branks will immediately as Iain Robinson’s number two.
“I’m delighted to be here at Motherwell,” Branks said.
“After the initial conversations I had with Iain, it was clear that we were aligned in our vision for how we want a team to play.
“It felt like the perfect fit for both of us.”
Branks, a holder of a Masters degree in Sports Performance, and a Bachelors degree in Sports Coaching achieved his SFA B-License qualification in 2024.
The former Rosalie assistant spent time working within the Rangers girls soccer academy whilst also supporting former Motherwell midfielder Andy Halliday’s coaching academy, Player2Pro.
Branks built an impressive Semi-Professional playing career – with spells at Petershill, East Kilbride, and Kilsyth Rangers.
“I’m delighted to have Jonny at the club,” Head Coach Iain Robinson added.
“We share the same vision for football and the future of the club, and it was the perfect appointment for our coaching staff.
“I’m really looking forward to working together for the season ahead.”
Mikey Booth has been pleased with the minutes played so far this season, with the midfielder making his Premiership and professional debut in European football so far this season.
The Academy Graduate has loved work under new manager Alfred Johansson and is excited for what’s still to come this season.
As the dust settles on a positive Sky Sports League Cup campaign, the dawn of the Scottish Women’s Premier League beckons for the women of steel, who travel to the Scottish capital to face recently dethroned champions Hibernian at Meadowbank.
Iain Robinson’s side earned automatic qualification to the second round of the Sky Sports League Cup after advancing through the Group Stage alongside Montrose. Despite a disappointing opening weekend defeat, the team responded in scintillating fashion – placing seven past Livingston, before successive victories over Gartcairn and Kilmarnock.
Whilst the women of steel await their opponents, who must secure qualification through a dreaded playoff, for the forthcoming round – Motherwell will kickstart their league season in the Scottish capital.
Motherwell
Nine summer acquisitions, who have come through the doors at Fir Park will be available to make their league debut in claret and amber this weekend.
Saoirse Coyle-Morrow, Mia McArthur, Olivia McStay, Sophie Rutherford, Ellie MacDonald, Morgan Anderson, Lucy Sinclair, Leah Sidey, and Justine Strain have all already made their competitive debuts, with Rutherford, Sinclair, and Anderson all opening their Motherwell account.
Carla Boyce has swiftly resumed her form that earned her the Women’s Player of the Year award last campaign, rattling four past Livingston, with Mason Clark following swiftly behind – totalling three so far this season.
Hibernian
The Hibees have had to wait for their first domestic fixture, with their top-four finish last campaign earning automatic qualification to the next round of the Sky Sports League Cup.
Last season’s defending champions were unable to retain their crown, finishing seven-points shy of bitter-rivals, Hearts, as the title crossed the Edinburgh divide to Gorgie.
The Edinburgh side endured a disappointing defeat in their final pre-season test, with Sunderland taking a two-nil victory back to Wearside.
Ticket Information
Match tickets for our opening day meeting with Hibernian are now on General Sale and will be distributed as digital-only tickets.
Tickets are priced as follows:
Tickets can be purchased Here
LIVE BROADCAST
Our meeting with Hibernian at Meadowbank Stadium will be live-streamed for free on the official Hibernian FC YouTube channel.
Matchday information
Follow our live matchday coverage on the Motherwell Women X (formerly Twitter) account.
Manager Alfred Johansson says the players must quickly shift their focus to Stenhousemuir on Sunday, and cites the difficult matches in the Premier Sports Cup last year that Motherwell played in as evidence for how tricky a match this will be.
Johansson says the fast start and quick connection everyone at the club has made did take him by surprise, but believes there is even more still to come.
The Steelmen knew getting the tie back to Fir Park for the second leg on level terms was a boost, but also knew they still had a huge job to do to secure qualification for the playoff round of the UEFA Conference League.
8,150 Motherwell fans gathered at Fir Park for what was billed to be a huge opportunity to play last season’s Europa League finalists SC Freiburg in the next round.
Motherwell were well on top for the duration of the 90 minutes, with Ibrahim Said lifting the roof off Fir Park, as everyone has the chance to now make more memories in the next round of the competition.
Following our progression to the playoff round of the UEFA Conference League, our William Hill Premiership match against St Mirren has been moved to Sunday 30 August.
Kick off remains at 3pm.
Our William Hill Premiership match against Aberdeen on Saturday 22 August has been postponed due to our involvement in the UEFA Conference League.
Match details for the rescheduled match will be confirmed in due course, but the match will be played September 8/9 or 15/16.
Match and ticket information for our home match against SC Freiburg has now been confirmed.
The match will take place at Fir Park on Thursday 20 August at 7:30pm.
Season Ticket holders have until 12 noon on Tuesday 18th Aug to secure their own seat.
Information surrounding the second leg will be communicated shortly.
You can buy yours by CLICKING HERE.
|
Ticket |
Price |
|
Adults |
£25 |
|
Concession (over 65, 18-22, student and 13-17) |
£20 |
|
Children (12 and under) |
£10 |
Centenary Suite and 91 Lounge:
Price: £60pp
12 and under: £30 (kids ’ meal)
Cooper Box
Price: £60pp
12 and under: £30
Dress code for all areas is smart – no jeans, trainers or colours permitted. To book, please phone our hospitality team on 01698 338003 or email: hospitality@motherwellfc.co.uk.
