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“We are in the business of winning games. We played well, but they had the hard edge ability to win the game.”

Motherwell put in a shift but were undone by their own mistakes in a 2-0 loss at Hearts.

Goals from Andy Halliday and Ellis Simms, both as a result of the visitors being caught on the ball, were the difference.

Liam Shaw and Ross Tierney made their first starts at the expense of Liam Donnelly and Kaiyne Woolery, with Callum Slattery also replacing Sean Goss in midfield.

Motherwell started strong, but were almost punished in bizarre circumstances when Kelly was adjudged to have picked the ball up from a team-mate’s pass.

From the resulting indirect free-kick just inside the area, the wall did its job to prevent an early lead for the hosts.

The first big Motherwell chances arrived within the first 15 minutes.

First, an O’Donnell cross from the right made Shaw stretch and send a header over the crossbar.

Then, after great linkup play between Tierney and Van Veen, the Dutch striker arced a effort from 20 yards agonisngly just past the right post.

Motherwell were playing with great purpose but they were to be disrupted on the half hour mark, when injury to Barry Maguire forced him off.

Goss replaced him in midfield but was unfortunately at the heart of the build-up to Hearts’ opener.

The Englishman was dispossessed in his own area on the right side, with the hosts punishing him to maximum effect, sweeping the ball left for Halliday to fire home.

Motherwell though should have been level at the break.

Roberts spent the half terrorising his opposite full back and sent in a wicked cross from the left. Van Veen was on the end of it, but steered his header back across goal and wide.

The Dutchman then had another shooting chance from a free-kick in stoppage time, but sent his effort from 25 yards over the bar.

Motherwell again started brightly but would rarely trouble Gordon’s goal.

The punishment for that would arrive just before the hour mark.

Shaw was dispossessed in the centre circle, allowing a wave of Hearts players to break forward. The ball eventually would come in from the right, with Ellis waiting to tap home at the back post.

Van Veen, Amaluzor and Roberts had chances but ‘Well couldn’t engineer a way back into the match, and left the capital empty handed.

Joe Efford has signed for Motherwell.

The American forward moves from Belgian side Waasland-Beveren for an undisclosed fee.

“We are very happy to bring Joe to the club and add to our attacking options,” manager Graham Alexander said.

“He has a great work ethic, real pace and goal scoring abilities from either side of the front three.

“He’s at a great age and after speaking with him, I know he is highly motivated to succeed at Motherwell.”

The 25-year-old, who will wear the number 20 jersey, has signed until the summer of 2023.

His move remains pending the receipt of a working visa, although a governing body endorsement has been awarded.

Efford opted out of a college scholarship to forge a professional career in Europe, spending a short spell in Romania before a move to Spain with Real Mallorca.

After two seasons with the Segunda Division side, he moved to Greece with third tier side Ergotelis.

His scoring form in 2018/19, netting 11 in 27 league matches, got his side promoted, where he then netted 11 in 19.

His performances earned him a move to the Belgian top flight in 2020 with Waasland-Beveren.

Darragh O’Connor has joined Queen of the South on loan.

The central defender switches to the Championship side for the remainder of the 2021/22 season.

Irishman O’Connor joined from Leicester City in the summer, making four appearances in the Premier Sports Cup at central defence, and then once as a substitute in the cinch Premiership.

We wish Darragh all the best and will continue to monitor his progress with Queens.

The Motherwell boss looks ahead to taking on Hearts in the cinch Premiership on Saturday, as the team look to rack up more points to keep up the pressure.

Our Scottish Cup fifth round tie with Aberdeen will be played on Saturday 12 February.

The game at Fir Park has not been selected for television, and will kick off at 3pm.

Tickets are now available to buy online or from the Fir Park ticket office.

Our prices, agreed between both clubs, are:

• Adults: £18
• Over 60s, full-time students and 16-18 year-olds: £12
• 15 and under: £6

Home fans

Season ticket holders can purchase their own seat for the match.

To get yours, just log in to your account at tickets.motherwellfc.co.uk.

Once logged in, your reserved ticket(s) will be in your account menu and will be uploaded to your card. You will not be required to collect a physical ticket.

The deadline for reserving your own seat is Wednesday 9 February at 5pm. After this, your seat will go on general sale.

If you don’t have a season ticket, match tickets can also be bought from tickets.motherwellfc.co.uk. Pay at the gate is not available. Alternatively, call 01698 333333 or email tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk.

Away fans

Aberdeen fans are asked to buy directly from their club.

Hospitality

Combine the full experience of a match day along with exceptional and great value hospitality at Fir Park. We have a fantastic offer for the Scottish Cup fifth round match.

Centenary Suite

Enjoy a two-course meal with half-time refreshments served with a pay bar facility. Our package includes main stand seating and is priced at £45 per person, and £16 for children for a kids main meal.

Cooper Box

Our Cooper boxes offer a relaxed, informal setting with stunning views of the Fir Park pitch. Enjoy snacks and drinks from the comfort of a box with indoor seating with access one hour before kick-off for £48 per person.

Our package includes:

• Two complimentary drinks served to your box pre-match (includes bottles of beer, cider, small bottles of wine and soft drinks – must be pre-ordered)
• Cash bar available at half-time and post-match in the Cooper Bar (open for one-hour post-match)
• Traditional half-time refreshments
• Matchday programme and teamsheet

Our dress code for all areas is smart – no jeans, trainers or colours, please.

To book, please phone our hospitality team on 01698 338003 or buy online here.

Live streaming

Information on live streaming will be made available shortly.

Covid-19 information

Covid-19 certification is not required.

We ask all attending fans to take a lateral flow test prior to coming to Fir Park.

Lifelong Motherwell supporter Amy Anderson is loving life after making her dream move to join the women of steel.

The former Hamilton captain has been decked out in claret and amber for as long as she can remember and is now living the dream on a weekly basis – turning out for the club she loves in SWPL1.

She is playing a big role, too. On Sunday she captained the side for the second time since arriving last summer, as they recorded a 2-1 victory at Accies to move back into the top half of the table – keeping the women of steel on course for their highest ever league finish.

“I’ve loved every minute of being here, I’d not worked with Paul (Brownlie) or Leanne (Crichton) before signing for Motherwell, but had played with some of the girls,” Anderson said. “I feel in the six months I have been here, I’ve become a better player.

“Paul sold me on joining the club, I’d heard a lot of good things about him and a number of players that he has coached are now playing for the national team.

“I felt Motherwell was a step up from Accies and the calibre of the players they were signing showed that. I wanted the chance to play with quality players like Leanne Crichton – I’m a midfielder as well and was looking for the opportunity to be playing beside her, which I’m lucky enough to do so at the moment.”

Sunday’s victory was Motherwell’s first of 2022, having drawn twice with Partick Thistle 2-2 in the space of seven days earlier this month. The first meeting with the Jags came in the Scottish Cup and in the end Brownlie’s side suffered an agonising penalty shootout defeat to exit the competition at the first hurdle.

Anderson admits their cup defeat came as a big disappointment and demonstrated there is still room for improvement in the latter stages of the season.

“Obviously the cup was disappointing, but as soon as it happened, we focused on putting it right in training,” she reflected. “Against Partick the following week we put in an improved performance although we were denied the win by an unfortunate mistake.”

During her brief time with Motherwell, Anderson has already experienced a few bucket-list moments, including her first goal in claret and amber and captaining the side, though she still has one more target in her sights.

This season Motherwell have put down roots at Alliance Park, the home of Lowland League side Caledonian Braves after years of flitting between various venues in the local area.

Anderson hopes that having a settled home ground will bring more consistent results, but admits the opportunity to play at Fir Park would be a dream come true.

“The manager has made me one of the vice captains this season, and I didn’t actually realise Gill (Inglis) was missing the game,” she recalled. “He phoned me on the morning of the game and said ‘you are captain today’, that was for the game against Celtic – I was quite taken aback, but it felt amazing to be fair.

“Getting the chance to wear the armband again for the Accies game at the weekend was brilliant, it was a big game against my former club and we were buzzing to get the win.

“I hope the chance to play at Fir Park is not too far away, I think with what Paul is doing behind the scenes and the support from Alan Burrows, that day might not be too far away – it would be a dream to walk out on to the pitch for a match.

“The only time I have stepped on the grass was with the Under 13s, we came on at half-time after we’d won a trophy, to do it with the first team would be amazing.”

As a youth player, Anderson was involved with Motherwell’s Under 13s team, before moving on to Glasgow City in a move which she felt best suited her football development.

On returning to the club, she has been impressed by the changes that have been implemented to the women’s setup, with young players having a clear pathway to the first team.

The Motherwell Girls’ Academy recently hosted an academy trial session at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility and a glowing endorsement for the progress being made followed as Ciara Duff, Jemma Hughes, Paige McAllister and London Pollard were all called up for the Scotland Under 19s women’s training camp.

“I was with the academy until Under 13s, though at that time Motherwell didn’t have a structure in place and that meant I had to move away,” she added. “Moving to Glasgow City allowed me to come on as a player and I got a few Scotland caps at Under 17s.

“It’s good to see some of the younger players receive recognition at Under 19s and hopefully they will be selected for the games as well, it would be great for Motherwell players to represent Scotland again.

“The four players that got selected deserve it, a lot of them only came to Motherwell this season and it shows the level of ambition they feel the club can give them, as well as a belief that the club can help them keep progressing through the international setup as well.”

In recent years, the success of the Scottish national team and increased coverage of the domestic game has helped increase the focus on the women’s game in Scotland.

Crowds continue to slowly rise, while the misconceptions and negative stereotypes are being more and more eroded from the game.

However, it comes as Stenhousemuir players were targeted for abuse following their Scottish Cup tie with Rangers.

Anderson admits these stories are frustrating to read, and believes they come from a place of ignorance.

“The people that make these comments tend to never have watched a game,” she said. “To comment on something as pathetic as that is really embarrassing.”

Sat alongside her dad Gary, Amy takes her usual seat in the Davie Cooper Stand.

The midfielder has been obsessed with all things ‘Well for as long as she remembers and credits her dad for his influence.

That is not to say it has always been as straightforward however, during her five seasons with Hamilton, Gary was faced with a predicament – could he bring himself to cheer on the Accies?

“The club means everything to me, as soon as I was old enough my dad had me in a Motherwell strip,” she added. “Not long after my first shirt, I had one with my name on the back and then I got my first season ticket – I’ve sat in the Davie Cooper Stand ever since.

“I think Motherwell might be punching above their weight again, but the quality we have middle to front can definitely hurt teams – if we can keep up the form we are in then we can certainly challenge for a European spot.

“My dad is a diehard ‘Well fan, he can be a bit cringy sometimes, but he’s really enjoying watching me play for the club.

“He used to say he didn’t like shouting ‘Come on Accies’, but felt like he had to because I was in the team. When I joined Motherwell he got the home strip with my name on the back – he was delighted.”

A huge influence on her career, Anderson will be forever grateful for her dad’s support.

Whether it be a home game at Alliance Park or long away trip, he is sure to be there to support his daughter and afterwards he will share his critique of her performance, focusing on both the positives and the negatives.

“My dad showed massive support to me, if we are playing Aberdeen he’ll try get the day off work to come, if it is a midweek in Edinburgh, he’ll do everything he can to be there,” she smiled.
“I appreciate his support so much, he doesn’t miss a game for me.

“When I come home he’ll tell me what I did well and tells me what he thinks I could improve on – he wants me to be the best version of myself – that drives me on every time I play.”

Hearts lie in wait next in the cinch Premiership.

Kick-off at Tynecastle on Saturday is at 3pm.

Get your tickets now

To buy tickets, visit the Fir Park ticket office. We are open on Saturday from 10am to 12pm.

Prices are:

• Adults: £27
• Over 65s: £19
• Under 18s: £14
• Under 16s: £7
• Under 13s: £5

Tickets must be purchased in advance and collected from the ticket office at Fir Park.

There will be no sales or collections at Tynecastle on the day.

Covid restrictions

Please note that Covid-19 certification checks will now be in place at all matches where it is anticipated over 10,000 fans will be in attendance.

You will be required to be:

• fully vaccinated, which will include a booster vaccine for those who had a second dose more than four months ago; or
• able to provide proof of a negative lateral flow test.

We also advise that all fans take a lateral flow test before travelling to the match, regardless of their vaccination status.

Live streaming

You can watch a live stream of Hearts v Motherwell for £15 if you’re in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.

To buy, head to ppv.heartsfc.co.uk.

International viewers can watch through our subscription service at live.motherwellfc.co.uk. Packages start at as little as £12.50 per month to watch all 38 cinch Premiership fixtures.

Tale of the tape

Hearts sit in third spot in the table, seven points ahead of fourth-placed ‘Well.

Motherwell were the victors in the last encounter between the two sides, running out 2-0 winners at Fir Park. Connor Shields and Ricki Lamie got the goals.

Last time at Tynecastle, goals from Stephen Kingsley and Liam Boyce secured the same scoreline for the hosts.

Form guide

Motherwell’s 0-0 draw with Hibernian on Wednesday night made it one win, one draw and one defeat since returning from the winter break.

Hearts lost 2-1 at home to Celtic on the same night, following on from wins against St Johnstone and Auchinleck Talbot since the break.

Motherwell face off against Edinburgh side Spartans on Sunday 30 January at Alliance Park. 

Kick off is 4pm. 

Come and Watch

Tickets for the game are priced at £5 for adults while children go free. 

Entry is paid at the gate. 

Tale of the Tape

Motherwell and Spartans have played each other once this season so far.

At Ainslie Park, the game ended 0-0 with Motherwell playing 20 minutes with ten players after Paige McAllister was dismissed. 

Both sides have ambitions of finishing fifth place this season, with only a point separating the two sides. 

Spartans have picked up three wins from the last six games against Motherwell, with the other three ending in draws. 

Form Guide

Both sides played fixtures midweek, with Motherwell falling to a narrow loss to top-four side Hibernian 1-0. 

Motherwell have picked up four points from a possible nine, with a victory against Hamilton and a 2-2 draw against Partick Thistle. 

Spartans drew 1-1 with Hearts midweek. Since the return from the winter break, they have beaten Morton Girls in the Scottish Cup 11-0. 

They staged a remarkable comeback against Aberdeen, where they won 3-2 and lost to Glasgow City 4-0

Despite a hearty and robust Motherwell performance, Hibernian came away with maximum points on Wednesday night at Penicuik Park.

In a game of very few opportunities, Kirsty Morrison’s second half strike was enough to give the Hibees three points in a 1-0 win.

Hibernian controlled most of the possession in the opening exchanges without really creating a clear cut chance.

Siobhan Hunter had an effort from distance but was well over Khym Ramsay’s crossbar.

Motherwell grew into the game as the half went on and London Pollard had the best chance for the women of steel.

On 35 minutes, the striker was put through on goal, however put her effort wide of the mark.

Hibernian looked to start the second half with a bang, Morrison got down the right wing before crossing into the box looking for Amy Gallacher. However, it just evaded her.

The home side broke the deadlock on 54 minutes.

Alexa Coyle turned and drilled a low cross into the danger area and Morrison finished to score the only goal of the game.

Leanne Crichton had an opportunity to get Motherwell on level terms. The midfielder had a go from a free-kick from 25 yards, which went agonisingly wide from the post.

The away side pushed for an equaliser in a much improved second half performance, but were unfortunate not to draw level in the final stages of the game.

Motherwell now turn to Spartans on Sunday back at Alliance Park, with an opportunity to go four points clear in fifth place.