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Ross MacLean will spend the season on loan with Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton.

The young midfielder, who has made 20 appearances for Motherwell, joins up with Ray McKinnon’s side as they push for a place in the top flight.

MacLean, 21, made his debut in claret and amber in 2015 against Dundee. His first goal for the club came in the Betfred Cup win away to Ross County in 2017/18, a step on the road to the final.

Everyone at Motherwell wishes Ross the very best at Cappielow and will continue to monitor his development throughout the campaign.

The club has the option to call him back from his loan in the January transfer window.

Seven Motherwell academy graduates will play in Stephen McManus’ under 18s side in the 2018/19 season.

The club’s involvement in the elite level of Project Brave will see a full time under 18s team, headed by the former Scotland captain.

Robbie Hemfrey is a goalkeeper who has represented Scotland at youth international level.

Centre back Yusuf Hussain and full back Jack Brown are defenders, while Stuart McKinstry is an industrious midfielder.

Midfielders Adam Kettings and Reece McAlear, along with striker Cole Starrs, are regulars for Scotland at youth level.

Joining the seven graduates who have been promoted is a new arrival from Hibernian. Dean Cornelius arrived in the summer after ‘Well picked him up following his exit from Easter Road.

“This is an important time in youth development in Scottish football with Project Brave being introduced,” academy director Steven Hammell said.

”Motherwell are one of the elite clubs and have made significant investment towards trying to develop the next crop of first team players.

“We are excited by what the seven boys can offer and wish them the very best as they look to progress their careers with us.”

Under 18s coach McManus added: “This is an exciting time for the club as we welcome our first professionals at this age level.

“I’m looking forward to working with all of them and helping them with their ambitions of being first team players at Motherwell and forging a successful career in the game.”

The following players will leave the club when their contract expires at the end on 31 May 2018.

• Russell Griffiths
• Deimantas Petravičius
• Ellis Plummer
• Luke Watt (Under 20s)
• Dylan King (Under 20s)

The following loans will expire when the summer transfer window opens again in early June:

• Tom Aldred (Bury)
• Nadir Çiftçi (Celtic)
• Stephen Hendrie (Southend United)

Stephen Craigan has offered the following youngsters extended terms with the club:

• Shea Gordon
• Adam Livingstone
• Barry Maguire
• James Scott
• Peter Morrison
• Jason Krones
• Jordan Armstrong
• Shaun Bowers
• Alfredo Agyeman

‘Well boss Stephen Robinson said: “I would like to put on record my thanks to each of the lads leaving the club this week.

“Although Russell, Deimantas and Ellis weren’t regular starters in our first team for whatever reason, they contributed significantly by being great professionals and pushing those who were playing.

“I’d also like to record my appreciation to Tom, Nadir and Stephen, who joined us during the January window and helped us finish the season so strongly.

“We have been working on recruiting new players over the last few weeks. This summer will be different to last, where we made wholesale changes to the squad. We are more concentrated on fine tuning and tweaking certain areas, adding things we think we’re missing and that’s our mission.”

Motherwell Football Club would like to sincerely thank every player who is leaving Fir Park for the last time and wish them all every success in their future career.

A young Motherwell Under 20s ended the season with a 4-2 defeat against SPFL Development League winners Hibernian.

The defeat means ‘Well will finish the season in fifth spot, the same as they achieved in 2016/17.

The young Steelmen made a bright start and created one or two half chances, but nothing that was likely to trouble Maceij Dabrowski.

However, it would be the Hibees who would take the lead after 24 minutes. The unfortunate Shaun Bowers inadvertently headed Fraser Murray’s free kick over his own goalkeeper and into the net.

Hibs had a second just two minutes later with the ‘Well defence at sixes and sevens. Fraser Murray was again the architect, this time dancing through a couple of challenges before squaring it to the unmarked Josh Campbell, who fired home from close distance.

The hosts’ tails were up and had a couple of chances to score again, one from Innes Murray in particular forcing Peter Morrison into a smart save. However, from the resulting corner, Kevin Waugh rose unopposed at the back post to head home from a yard out.

There would have been harsh words in the away dressing room at the interval, but things went from bad to worse for ‘Well shortly after the restart.

Sean Mackie collected the ball on the halfway line, hared forward and danced round a couple of challenges, before curling a cracking effort into the far corner with Morrison at full stretch.

There was a danger the roof could cave in, but to their credit, the young Steelmen dug deep.

They got themselves a goal just before the hour. Great wing play by Semple was rewarded when Kyle MacDonald impressively headed his cross past Dabrowski.

‘Well then passed up a series of chances to further reduce the deficit with Semple, Hastie and Turnbull all failing to take opportunities.

However, they did finish strongly when Semple latched onto a pass from substitute Stuart McKinstry to finish low past the goalkeeper.

It was the end of the scoring, the end of the game and for ‘Well, the end of another decent season at Development League level.

Extended highlights as Motherwell Under 20s make it two wins from two games against Celtic in the SPFL Development League this season.

Stephen Craigan gives his post-match thoughts as the young Steelmen make it two wins from two against Celtic in the SPFL Development League.

Motherwell Under 20s sealed a 100% record against Celtic in the Development League this season with a 2-0 win in Lennoxtown.

A Jake Hastie brace put the hosts to the sword on an afternoon when the young Steelmen controlled the encounter at Celtic’s training complex.

Stephen Craigan included goalscorer Hastie and left wing back Adam Livingstone in the starting 11, despite the duo playing for their development loan clubs just two days earlier.

But that did not deter from hunger and energy displayed by the entire side as they continued their push for a strong end to the season.

It was the dream start for the Fir Park youngsters, who went in front inside three minutes.

Bursting forward from the right, Hastie cut in on to his favoured left foot before curling a low effort past Ross Doohan in the Celtic goal.

Liam Brown went close to scoring two goals in five minutes with spectacular efforts. The first was a volley from the edge of the area which flashed wide and the second a thunderous strike which rose narrowly over the bar.

The determination and fitness of Craigan’s side proved too much for the home side to handle and some intense pressure from Hastie and Jamie Semple robbed the ball from the Celtic back line, but Semple failed to test Doohan with his effort.

The young striker went similarly close before the break, and he was again at the heart of it early in the second half.

A clever ball down the left flank was picked up by Semple, who did well to breeze beyond his man before bursting through on goal. With one defender between him and the keeper, the Scotland Under 17 international failed to pick out the run of Turnbull, who surely would have made it 2-0.

Soon enough, it was two and it was Hastie again.

Punishing some slack play by Stephen Welsh at the back, Semple slipped in Turnbull who struck at goal from a narrow angle. Doohan got a hand to it but the ball spilled perfectly for Hastie to double the lead.

Celtic’s woes were compounded in the 80th minute when Kieran Campbell picked up a second yellow for a foul on Shea Gordon, as the youngsters held on for a clean sheet and another impressive victory.

Watch as Adam Livingstone’s first half strike secures all three point for Stephen Craigan’s youngsters.

Under 20s boss Stephen Craigan reflects on his side’s 1-0 victory over Partick Thistle in the Development League.

Motherwell Under 20s recorded a well-deserved victory against Partick Thistle in the Development League.

Despite creating a hatful of chances, the youngsters only managed to win by a solitary goal against the struggling Glasgow side.

The youngsters controlled the majority of their clash at Forthbank Stadium and nearly found the back of the net after just five minutes.

As the ball fell nicely on the edge of the box, Davie Turnbull flashed an effort towards the far post on the bounce, but it flashed wide.

James Scott went closer elven minutes later when he anticipated a great run and cutback from strike partner Alfredo Agyeman, but the former saw his instinctive prod rebound off the post and in to Thistle keeper Jamie Stevenson’s grateful arms.

The breakthrough finally arrived eight minutes before the interval.

Shea Gordon found Scott with a decent ball in to the box but the ball ricocheted off a Thistle defender before falling for Livingstone at the back post. Motherwell’s number three made no mistake, thundering home from a tight angle to give the Steelmen a deserved lead.

The second half brought with it a lot more action, as ‘Well dominated the visiting Jags but couldn’t muster a well-deserved second goal.

Livingstone nearly grabbed his second of the game with a stunning effort, but it was matched by a stunning save from Stevenson, whose fingertips denied the defender from finding the top corner in style.

That moment sparked a five-minute frenzy in which the Glasgow outfit somehow stayed within one goal of their far superior hosts.

It was Livingstone involved again, who on another day may have had a hattrick. The youngster crashed the bar with another effort off his left foot, but it looked set for Shaun Bowers to finish on the rebound, but his low drive towards the bottom corner was turned off the line by the backtracking Lee Duncanson.

A few minutes later, there were huge calls for a penalty as Gordon found himself bundled to the deck as he shaped for a shot on goal from eight yards, but the referee waved play on. The ball was half-cleared only as far as Liam Brown, who whipped a right-footed effort towards the top corner, beating the keeper but also the post as it flew wide.

The Fir Park youngsters saw out the majority of the game comfortably, and looked to have doubled their lead right at the death. From a Turnbull corner, Jordan Armstrong got up well to nod beyond Stevenson but he was deemed to have fouled the stopper in the process.

Turnbull went close with a header a minute later, but again Stevenson kept out his former teammates on an evening when it should have been a lot more than just 1-0.