Motherwell

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell: "Very simply, we didn't see it coming.

"Again we've conceded three amateurish goals and we didn't carry a threat at all at the top end of the pitch.

"That goes up there as arguably one of the worst performances and worst reactions to going behind in a game of football.

"Every single one of us came up short on the non-negotiables."

"I don't have an excuse this week, I can't blame travel issues, the weather, the referee, the time, whatever. This simply falls on me and us to be a better representation of this football club."

Adam Binnie
BBC Sport Scotland

It took Motherwell 49 minutes for the hosts to register their first shot on target, one of only two they mustered in the match.

Stuart Kettlewell tried nearly every attacking combination available to him, bringing on Tony Watt and Robinson at half-time before introducing Moses Ebiye later on.

Motherwell had no issue progressing the ball into the final third but looked devoid of ideas when they arrived there.

The attacking players were wasteful, the midfield lacked inspiration and the wide men were restricted to hopeful deep crosses into the box.

Perhaps the manager's greatest frustration will be that his side failed to test Jordan Smith in the opposition goal after his errors in midweek.

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Motherwell have lost Tom Sparrow for a month because of an ankle injury but hope to have Tony Watt available after a back spasm ruled him out against Ross County.

On-loan Hibs winger Jair Tavares is ineligible while Stephen O'Donnell (hamstring), Paul McGinn (thigh), Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson (both knee), Ross Callachan (hamstring) and Jack Vale (calf) remain out.

Hibs have Jordan Obita back from suspension while Lewis Miller and Kieron Bowie (hamstring) remain out.

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Tawanda Maswanhise aims to get back among the goals for Motherwell after travel disruption derailed his momentum.

The Zimbabwe forward scored in three successive games for the Steelmen before netting his first international goal to book his country's place in next year's Africa Cup of Nations.

However, his return from international duty was delayed until last Friday and he only had time for a quick change before catching the bus to Dingwall, where he had to make do with an appearance off the bench in Well's 2-1 defeat.

Now Maswanhise aims to show his true self when Hibs visit Fir Park on Saturday.

"There were delays from connecting flights so I got back late and the gaffer spoke to me about not starting," he said.

"I only had a couple of hours and then up the road. It was literally just a change of clothes and then up the road.

"It was a bit of a shambles, but you have just got to deal with it and look forward to this weekend. Hopefully I can continue my form and last week is out the window now."

Despite the travel problems, Maswanhise is still on a high from his goal in a 1-1 draw with Kenya that elevated his status in Zimbabwe.

"It's a massive, massive, massive achievement," the former Leicester player said. "People now look up to me back home so hopefully I can do more for my nation.

"Everyone was lively. We hadn't qualified for a few years and it's a big achievement for the whole nation. We got a lot of love."

The Scottish FA is poised to pay tribute to former Motherwell and Rangers winger Davie Cooper when the national side play Greece on 23 March - 30 years to the day since he died at the age of 39. (Scottish Sun), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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• Hibs have dropped 16 points from winning positions in the Scottish Premiership this season, at least twice as many as any other side (Dundee, Dundee United, and Kilmarnock all closest with 8). Motherwell, meanwhile, are one of just two sides yet to drop a point from a winning position in the competition this term (also Rangers).

• Motherwell have only lost one of their last six league meetings with Hibs (W3 D2), a 3-0 defeat in May last season. Their three wins in those last six are as many as their previous 18 against Hibs in the Scottish Premiership beforehand (W3 D6 L9).

• Hibs have only lost one of their last seven away league games against Motherwell (W3 D3), going down 2-1 in August 2023.

• Motherwell have won three of their last five home league games (L2), as many as their previous 18 games beforehand (W3 D7 L8).

• Hibs are winless in nine league games (D4 L5), the longest ongoing such run in this season's Scottish Premiership. Away from home, Hibs have won just one of their last 16 league matches (D8 L7), beating St Johnstone 3-1 in April last season.

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Motherwell have suffered another injury blow with midfielder Tom Sparrow set to be sidelined until the new year.

The midfielder played on through an ankle problem in last week's defeat at Ross County and will begin his lay-off when Motherwell host Hibernian on Saturday.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell said: "Tom sustained an ankle injury in the first minute of the game on Saturday, as it turns out.

"So we reckon, based on the scan, that he's going to be out for a minimum of a month, which is a real blow.

"He's obviously pitched in with a couple of goals this season, kind of getting himself up to speed, found himself in our team."

Although Harry Paton is getting up to speed after missing much of the past nine months with two ankle injuries, Sparrow joins a growing list of long-term absentees which includes Sam Nicholson, Callum Slattery and Ross Callachan.

"We have found ourselves in a position where, since the very first game of the season, we've constantly had to work towards the profile of player that we have available," Kettlewell said.

"That hasn't allowed us to play a certain way, week in, week out, have that level of consistency, which I would always look for.

"But within that, there's been some good performances, there's been some good results. So from my side, it's always trying to find the best formula for what you've got available to you."

Kettlewell was unable to start Tawanda Maswanhise during the 2-1 defeat in Dingwall after the in-form goalscorer experienced delays on his return from Zimbabwe duty, while Tony Watt missed the game with a back spasm which has now cleared up.

Kettlewell said: "I think that everybody will understand that Tawanda would have been one of the names at the forefront of my mind going to play against Ross County.

"But he now settles back in and he has a week's training. We'll hopefully get him to the stage where he was at against the likes of Dundee United, where he's grabbing a couple of goals and being a real handful."

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Motherwell are to offer refunds to fans who had a ticket for last Saturday's game at Ross County but were unable to attend.

The Lanarkshire club advised supporters not to make the journey on the A9 to Dingwall because of treacherous weather conditions.

Motherwell say County were "not prepared" to offer refunds, so the Fir Park board and Well Society board have agreed to reimburse fans.

Chief executive Brian Caldwell said: "We felt this was the right thing to do.

"Lots of our supporters were left out of pocket through no fault of their own. We're a fan-owned club and this is a spectator sport.

"We want to ensure supporters feel valued and hopefully this is a small gesture they appreciate."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

It was a disappointing result after the break but won't take the wind out our sails.

Dingwall away is a hard game at the best of times never mind when there's a storm and disruption all over the country.

We can't use those factors as excuses, but it won't have helped either team. Stuart Kettlewell had some harsh criticism directed at him after full-time but it's no time to panic.

I’m not saying we played to the best of our ability by any means, but we are sitting in the top six only four points behind Rangers and one behind Dundee United. We are in a much better place now compared to this time last season.

We have to throw our all at Hibs on Saturday to show this won't be the start of a slump.

We are notorious for giving teams results when they're on a poor run of form, but I am hoping that's not the case against the struggling Easter Road side.

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Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell insists he "doesn't have an ego" following criticism of referee Chris Graham in their 2-1 defeat to Ross County.

Kettlewell was unimpressed with the level of officiating during Saturday's game in Dingwall, particularly the lengthy delay for a VAR check on Zach Robinson's late goal.

"Ross County will enjoy the day because they get three points, but I doubt anyone enjoyed that game of football," the Motherwell manager said.

"There was never a flow allowed to the game because of the fouls given.

"I don't have an ego in any shape or form, I just want to see a game of football played.

"I'm not looking for time-wasting. We can talk about the conditions, but if I was a paying supporter I would be incredibly hurt by that.

"We have to do better in the second half, but there can't be one supporter in the stadium that enjoyed the lack of flow in that game.

"When we score, they look nervy, but we have to wait six minutes to get the game going again which kills any momentum we might have built."

Watch Sportscene analysis of Motherwell's 2-1 defeat against Ross County.

Watch highlights as Ross County win 2-1 against Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on Motherwell's 2-1 defeat against Ross County.

Here's what some of you said:

George: Stuart Kettlewell never seems to learn that certain obvious weaknesses need to be rectified and a settled more sold team structure established. This notion that we can always get out of difficulties by bringing on the cavalry late on is archaic. Get the starting line-up established which mainly involves a striking partnership and coherent midfield.

Grant: Really poor, no point in saying we can't play Tawanda Maswanhise from the start, as we will soon be missing him when he goes to the African Cup of Nations. Get Filip Stuparevic back from Morton, where he has been banging them in.

Eddie: A poor performance. Even when we win it's not entertaining. The blame is firmly at the managers door.

Andrew: Shambolic, this result is why the current management team will never secure a European position or indeed a top-six spot. I would like them to explain the thinking behind the starting XI and the tactics afforded. Once again instead of pressing on in the league we fall woefully short, just like the Dundee game a few weeks back.

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• Ronan Hale has scored five goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), more than any other Ross County player.

• Lennon Miller has assisted four goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), more than any other Motherwell player.

• Ronan Hale attempted six shots in this game, the joint-highest total for a Ross County player in the Premiership this season.

• Motherwell have scored in their last three games in the Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of six games from 10th August 2024 to 5th October 2024.

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell: "Frustration. I feel sorry for the fans who came up, the game had little quality and a nature the support can't enjoy, stop-start constantly.

"We were comfortable in the first half but fashioned one real chance. It was always going to be a game with very little in it. When they scored the two goals we became ragged and scrappy.

"We played into the drama and the stop-start nature. That's our responsibility."

Were you in Dingwall on Saturday or following the match elsewhere?

Either way, we want your views on the game - have your say, external.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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Almost a year ago to the day, manager Stuart Kettlewell said a sobering 3-0 loss in Dingwall was the "sorest night" of his career.

It came amid a long winless run and felt like it could have been the end of his Well tenure, but his team have made huge progress since despite another defeat in the Highlands.

But there are still concerns about his side's creativity in open play. Nine of their 16 goals this term - including Zach Robinson's late header - have come from set plays.

In Dingwall, they had almost 60% of the ball but generated an expected goals (xG) tally of just 0.78.

In-form Tawanda Maswanhise was named on the bench because he returned late from international duty, but that meant the attack lacked the Zimbabwe forward’s raw pace and flair as fellow striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos was left isolated.

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George Harmon returns for Ross County but Will Nightingale (knee) and Max Sheaf (thigh) remain out.

Motherwell defender Liam Gordon returns from suspension but the Steelmen remain without Stephen O'Donnell (hamstring), Paul McGinn (thigh), Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson (both knee), Ross Callachan (hamstring) and Jack Vale (calf).

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Harry Paton credited the togetherness of Motherwell's squad for helping him through the "toughest time" of his professional career.

The midfielder was out for nearly four months after suffering an ankle injury during Motherwell's 3-1 win against Clyde in the League Cup in July.

The Canada cap, 26, made his return off the bench against St Johnstone before the international break and is now targeting a starting spot.

As Motherwell prepare to visit Ross County on Saturday, Paton said: "It was unfortunate getting injured. I'll be honest, it was probably the toughest time in my football career, being out, getting the first operation on my ankle.

"But we have such a strong group here and they were able to help me out as much as I could help them out as well, in behind the scenes doing fitness and stuff.

"We've got a great staff here as well, the medical department. I've got to tip my hat to them for getting me back the way they did.

"I'm just looking forward to playing again and hopefully can get my spot in the team and just keep working hard.

"We've got a really close changing room and that's what I love to do - be out playing. So when I can't do that I just keep myself going and just wait for my chance and just stay healthy. That's the main thing."

• Ross County have won just one of their last 10 league meetings with Motherwell (D3 L6), a 3-0 victory in December 2023.

• Motherwell have won five of their last seven top-flight trips to Ross County (L2), as many as their first 13 such visits beforehand (W5 D3 L5).

• Ross County have failed to score in each of their last three league games, recording just five shots on target (29 shots total), 2.1 xG and only one big chance in those three combined. The Staggies last went four games without a goal in the Scottish Premiership in January 2023.

• Motherwell have won their last two league games (both 2-1), and could win three in a row for the first time since September 2023.

• Tawanda Maswanhise has been directly involved in each of Motherwell's last four league goals (3 goals, 1 assist). Should he score against Ross County, he will be the youngest player to score in three successive Scottish Premiership appearances for Motherwell (22 years, 3 days) since Mika Biereth in November 2023 (20y 266d).

We asked you what's the one thing nobody is talking about in relation to Motherwell - good or bad.

Here's what some of you said:

Edward: All this talk about Lennon Miller being scouted by all the big Premier League clubs and an apparent valuation of £4m. The young man is a shining beacon for our club and should stay at least until the end of the season and take his time deciding where to move to and more importantly will he get game-time at the highest level? Look at what happened to David Turnbull.

Col: It's right to say we are doing well so far this season but our lack of goals from our four centre forwards is a cause for concern. To date they have scored three league goals between them. Theo Bair has been a hard act to follow but nobody is coming close to his level. If money is available in January I'd hope we can strengthen this area of the team.

Alan: Having rejected the recent investment from the USA where are we at with the reported investment coming down the line? Can we survive without it?

Stuart: Very happy with the start to the season, compounded by Miller's progression. We should not sell him to Rangers or Celtic, as I believe he would be wasted there. When he does move on, I would love to see him follow Josh Doig and Aaron Hickey's ambition and go abroad. Look at Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay and others in Italy as well as Spain.

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Motherwell have not had talks with any interested clubs over teenage midfielder Lennon Miller, manager Stuart Kettlewell has confirmed.

Reports have suggested several Premier League clubs, as well as both Celtic and Rangers, have scouted the 18-year-old in recent weeks.

The Fir Park boss says "that may well be the case" but the club have had no formal or informal discussions with potential suitors.

"None whatsoever, not a single thing," Kettlewell said on whether Motherwell have had contact regarding Miller.

When asked if January would be too early for the teenager - who is under contract until summer 2026 - to move on, the Well boss said: "I think he should be here for the next 10 to 15 years.

"All kidding aside, I'm in no control of that. What I'm in control of is picking a fantastic young player, someone who has been incredibly consistent for me.

"How well he does will dictate what happens in the future, but I think we are really bad in this country for just thinking about what's coming next."

Miller has emerged as one of the brightest prospects in Scottish football since he cemented a first-team place at Fir Park at the start of last season.

Now a Scotland Under-21 international at the age of 18, he continues to improve and many feel he is ready to step up to the senior side.

However, in the past week Miller turned out for the Under-19s in their crucial qualifiers and Kettlewell praised the midfielder's "humble" nature to still play at that level.

"He's dipped down to play with the Under-19s and probably played few more minutes than what was agreed," the Well boss added.

"But it just shows everybody he's got a burning desire to be the best he can be. He'll keep his feet firmly on the ground, as will we."

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Manager Stuart Kettlewell has been speaking to the media prior to his Motherwell side's return to Premiership action at Ross County on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• Kettlewell praised teenager Lennon Miller's desire to play for Scotland Under-19s over the international break.

• On speculation surrounding the 18-year-old, the Well boss says "we're bad in this country for thinking about what's next".

• He also confirmed no interest has been registered from other clubs in the midfielder and joked he wants him at the club for "the next 10 to 15 years".

• Kettlewell hopes the bounce game and "team bonding" his players had during the international period brings his group out of the break "firing on all cylinders".

• He says the side have "amassed a good number of points" and made "progression" but is looking to "add quality and consistency" to performances.

• Long-term absentees Sam Nicholson and Callum Slattery are back in training but remain some way off a return to playing.