Motherwell

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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It was a tough pre-season for Stuart Kettlewell as bodies dropped all around, but he looks to have recruited a gem in Leicester loanee Maswanhise.

They have struggled to create in the opening few weeks but the Zimbabwe international was a real threat on the left-hand side, giving Gerald Taylor a torrid time as he cut in to shoot with his right.

Perhaps he has been the missing piece all this time?

At the back, Motherwell looked really solid and Liam Gordon has been a fantastic addition from St Johnstone in the summer. Dan Casey and Paul McGinn look astute next to him in the back-three. Miller, on his 18th birthday, commanded the midfield. Ewan Wilson has adapted well to Premiership football.

A little bit of confidence goes a long way and there is suddenly a positive feeling around Fir Park after two good results.

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Lennon Miller. The birthday boy. 18 years young but played with the experience and presence of a player far older.

Nabbed two assists. No one created more chances (five) or made more tackles (three). He also won six of his seven duels.

A special talent. How long can Motherwell hold onto him?

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Motherwell: Oxborough, O'Donnell, Casey, Gordon, McGinn, Wilson, Zdravkovski, Halliday, Miller, Maswanhise, Robinson.

Substitutes: Hegyi, Seddon, Balmer, Sparrow, Kaleta, Ebiye, Wells, Ferrie, Watt.

Hearts: Gordon, Kingsley, Kent, Rowles, Taylor, Spittal, Boateng, Salazar, Forrest, Dhanda, Shankland.

Substitutes: Clark, Halkett, Oyegoke, Grant, McKay, Oda, Devlin, Boyce, Vargas.

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Stuart Kettlewell insists Scotland is the perfect place for young players to "ply their trade".

The ML1 side welcome Hearts to Fir Park on Sunday as they continue to search for their first win of the season.

"There are some lads that haven't thought about Scotland and probably entirely see their future in England," he said.

"But sometimes when you can show them the platform that's here, the quality, the competition, the experiences of playing in big venues against big clubs and really good players, it's my job to try and sell that.

"Every manager in Scotland will be trying to do the same thing.

"Sometimes they don't necessarily see themselves playing here. That's no disrespect, it's just potentially some advice from families, former players, former team-mates, agents etc.

“But it's my job to sell this football club and this league. We will all have a sales pitch when we speak to players and mine is very much centred around what I believe, that the top flight in Scotland is a brilliant place to ply your trade, and especially for young players."

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Motherwell forward Filip Stuparevic is back in training after a hamstring problem, but Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (thigh), Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson, Shane Blaney (all knee), Harry Paton (ankle), Ross Callachan (hamstring) and Johnny Koutroumbis (calf) remain out.

Hearts are without midfielders Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring) and Beni Baningime (knee), who are both set to be sidelined until September.

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Steve Seddon believes the dressing room environment has helped make his move to Motherwell a smooth one.

The left-back joined from Oxford United on a one-year deal in July and has already slotted into the Fir Park side in recent weeks.

Something which has been easy for the 26-year-old due to the lack of egos in the squad.

"It's a positive place to be," Seddon said as he previewed Motherwell's weekend meeting with Hearts.

"Credit to all the boys who were here last year and have been here a while, they're all great lads and they're all welcoming which definitely makes it easier for all of us."

Seddon was eager to play north of the border and now he's here, he's clear in his goals.

"For me personally, I just want to play as much as I can, help the team out as much as I can and for the team to finish as high up as we can, with hopefully a cup run here and there.

"We've got willing to work, which I think is important. I've been in teams where I think they probably have an ego at the start of the season, which leads to a bad start, but I think here, there are no egos.

"It's very much the whole team is willing to work, we all know why we're here and I think that is important."

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Stuart Kettlewell is still on the hunt for players who will get "punters off their seats" as the Motherwell manager applauded the impact of his recent recruits.

Tawanda Maswanhise signed just over an hour before kick-off on Sunday and provided the assist for Moses Ebiye's winner against Kilmarnock.

Tony Watt too appeared from the bench too for his second debut for the club, while Kettlewell could also have attacker Filip Stuparevic back from a hamstring problem for Saturday’s Premiership encounter with Hearts.

However, with striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos still missing along with midfielders Callum Slattery, Harry Paton, Ross Callachan and Sam Nicholson, plus defenders Shane Blaney and Johnny Koutroumbis, Kettlewell has not ruled out adding to his 13 summer arrivals.

"We need to give ourselves as many quality options as we possibly can,” he said. "Everyone who comes here has to offer something and ensure they are bringing a specific quality.

"I feel the two new faces that we saw at the weekend bring a different dimension to our team and that’s what I have been looking to achieve.

"And if the right thing comes up again we might be able to add another one or so in amongst that as well.

"We have kind of always had that up our sleeve, we have always had the ability to do that. Yes, the plan alters slightly but it’s not ripped up.

"But it has been difficult with the shortage of options and in particular at the top end of the pitch, that creative mode that every team needs to break the opposition down, to carry a threat and get punters off their seat.

"We showed we had a little bit of that last weekend on top of what we already had, and between now and seven days’ time we will be looking to see if there’s one that might make things better again."

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• After winning four successive home league games against Heart of Midlothian from February 2019 to May 2022, Motherwell have since lost two of their last three against Hearts (W1).

• Hearts have won both of their last two league games against Motherwell, last winning three in a row in February 2017.

• Motherwell have won just one of their last seven home league games (D3 L3), including a goalless draw with Ross County on the opening day of the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership – they last failed to win either of their first two home games of a top-flight campaign in 2020-21 (D1 L1).

• Heart of Midlothian have won just a point from their opening two league games this season (D1 L1) and could go winless across their opening three games of a Scottish Premiership campaign for the first time since their relegation season in 2019-20 (D1 L2).

• Lawrence Shankland has scored six goals in his last seven Scottish Premiership appearances against Motherwell and against no side has he scored more often in the competition (also 6 v Celtic, Ross County and St. Johnstone).

• All 12 Premiership sides provided a total of 15,101 minutes to Scottish players aged under 21 in the 2023-24 season.

• Those minutes average out to just 1,258 per club, which is the equivalent of only 14 full 90-minute matches.

• Six teams failed to reach a total above 700 minutes.

• Celtic and Rangers were the worst offenders in the division, with Celtic managing just 89 minutes all in, while Rangers' total was even lower at only 26.

A lack of first-team action given to youngsters in the Premiership backs up the Scottish FA's assertion that Scotland is not bringing through enough emerging talent.

Just three of the 12 top-flight teams are able to say they provided over 2,000 minutes to Scots aged under 21 across last season's pre-split fixtures.

Dundee sit top of the 2023-24 table with 3,538, but a large chunk of that was clocked up by the one player - Lyall Cameron.

The same applies to the three next best clubs on the chart, Aberdeen (Connor Barron), Kilmarnock (David Watson) and Motherwell (Lennon Miller).

At the bottom of the table are both Old Firm clubs, with the pair posting concerning figures - Celtic just 89 minutes and Rangers only 26.

The report uses Hungary's top flight - a 12-team league - as a direct comparison. It shows Honved provided 6,544 minutes to Hungarian under-21 players, PAFC reached more than 5,000 and two more clubs achieved over 3,000.

Click here to read more on how Scottish football is failing young players.

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Motherwell and Dundee United's League Cup quarter-final at Fir Park will take place on Friday, 20 September.

The match kicks off at 19:45 BST and will be live on Premier Sports.

Steve Kettlewell's side edged out 10-man Kilmarnock 1-0 in extra time in the last 16 on Sunday while Dundee United beat St Mirren by the same scoreline.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

It wasn’t a vintage performance, and the manager even said so himself, but Motherwell are through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup and Stuart Kettlewell says that was the priority.

He'll also be hoping the win over 10-man Kilmarnock will provide a foundation his players can build on and instil confidence and belief within the squad.

Winning, after all, breeds a positive mindset.

But Kettlewell will be mindful of the balance between celebrating the accomplishment and being honest with his players while assessing their performance.

After the match he mentioned his team became apprehensive in attack after they took the lead, saying they started to go on the back foot and seemed to doubt themselves.

Fairly negative comments but also vital observations. The manager wants his team to improve, and as such working on things he feels they're not doing well is essential.

No doubt the squad have been trying to put these aspects right in training as they prepare to face Hearts in the league on Sunday.

Motherwell will also be hoping the Gorgie visitors are still sore from their cup exit, not to mention tired from their European travel to the Czech Republic.

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Clubs in Scotland are failing to bring through enough young players, a report, external by the Scottish FA has said.

The governing body says Scottish football is "significantly underachieving its potential" in youth development compared to countries of a similar size.

Using a range of data to compare leagues across Europe, it shows players under the age of 21 in Scotland are playing fewer minutes in the top-flight than countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Croatia.

Meanwhile, game time for young Scottish players in major European club competitions ranks below countries with smaller populations and fewer resources, such as Montenegro and North Macedonia.

It also stresses clubs are missing an opportunity to reduce wage costs and increase transfer revenue by developing their own players.

The report was commissioned by the SFA's professional game board at the end of 2023, and a working party comprised of SPFL and SFA representatives will now consider its findings.

Read the full story

Former striker Lee Miller, who turned out for Dundee United, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock among others, recounts his experiences of being on the move on transfer deadline day during his playing career.

Listen and subscribe to the Scottish football podcast on BBC Sounds

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

And into the hat we go.

The first half against Kilmarnock was grim to watch. Both sides were more keen to be defensive than make any real attempts at goal, but the second half really amped up and we were the better team.

Our one issue, though, is we just don't know how to score in 90 minutes. Our goal should have come well before extra time, we he had so many good chances with no pay-off.

Pairing match-winner Moses Ebiye with our new signing Tawanda Maswanhise was one of Stuart Kettlewell’s better ideas. He may have only made his debut at the weekend but the potential Maswanhise has already shown was a breath of fresh air.

It meant Lennon Miller was moved back to central midfield instead of trying to push into an attacking role. He plays best when controlling that area of the pitch instead of constantly trying to support the striker.

If we can continue to build and work on our scoring, I can see us doing well this season. If we don’t fix that, along with our injury issues, it could be a long season ahead.

I still remain cautiously optimistic, and with a home tie against Dundee United in the next round, we really can't complain.

United are a team we have the capability to beat, and if we can push to a semi-final it could be the motivation the team and fans need.

We asked you for your thoughts after Motherwell progressed to the quarter-finals of the League Cup by beating Kilmarnock.

Here's what you had to say:

Col: It was a laboured performance against an opposition who has clearly prioritised Europe over the League Cup. The starting line up was cautious with three defensive midfielders leaving Lennon Miller somewhat isolated as a creative force.

The substitutions made a huge difference and should be certain starters next week against Hearts.

Kevin: We arguably have the best squad we’ve had for a few seasons. However, Kettlewell’s formation and negative tactics make us boring to watch. Our starting line up only had two forward thinking players in it - Robinson and Miller. The rest were defenders or defensive midfielders. 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 please - it’s entertainment after all!

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Tawanda Maswanhise says he wants to "get the fans on their feet" after playing a key role on his debut to help Motherwell reach the League Cup quarter-finals with victory over Kilmarnock.

The Zimbabwe international, whose signing for the club was confirmed shortly before kick-off on Sunday, added an attacking spark after coming off the bench as a second-half substitute.

The 21-year-old Leicester City youth product went on to assist Moses Ebiye for the winning goal in the first period of extra-time.

The winger told BBC Scotland his cameo was a "good introduction".

"When I came on I made a good instant impact," he added. "It was a really good start for me. That’s the type of player I am. I want to get the fans on their feet, get them excited.

"My job is to always beat the defender. I just said 'give me the ball every time' because I knew I had the confidence to beat my man.

"Especially when we're attacking, I make sure I'm doing those late runs and when I'm on the ball, just focus on driving the ball forward and make sure the team stays positive in the final third."

Following his release from Rangers, Scotland midfielder Ryan Jack, 32, is training with Motherwell to build up his fitness. (Scottish Sun), external

Read the rest of Monday's Scottish gossip.

An extra-time goal from substitute Moses Ebiye was enough to edge Motherwell past Kilmarnock and into the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup where they will face Dundee United.

Whether you were at Fir Park or watching the game from afar, we want to hear from you.

Give us your thoughts on the game and draw here., external

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Motherwell have been drawn at home against Dundee United in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals.

Stuart Kettlewell's side defeated Kilmarnock 1-0 on Sunday after extra-time, while Jim Goodwin's team beat St Mirren by the same scoreline on the same day.

The tie will take place on the weekend of 21-22 September.

Read the draw in full here.

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell tells BBC Scotland: "We're deserving of it. We were okay when it was 11 v 11 without setting the heather alight. We were reasonably confident.

"They gave up a bit of pressure [after the red card], invite us into crossing positions, the final third. We could have done better with capitalising on that.

"We score and we seem to step backwards. Kilmarnock stepped forward and full credit to them. They made a real fist of the Cup tie.

"We know we can get better and we'll need to be better. We've had a lot of issues with injuries but we had to get into the next round of the Cup and we did that."