Motherwell

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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If Moses Ebiye has already been chapping at Stuart Kettlewell's door to question why he isn't starting, he could be booting it down soon enough.

Saturday's goal off the bench in the 2-1 defeat at Aberdeen was the striker's sixth for the club since joining midway through last season.

Five of those six goals have come as a substitute, which means the Nigerian posts a quite incredible strike rate of a goal every 76 minutes.

Albeit a small sample size, Ebiye is surely in a position now where he can feel hard done by if he isn't handed a start in Friday's League Cup quarter-final with Dundee United.

The counter argument, however, will suggest the 27-year-old is a better option off the bench due to his knack of scoring a late goal.

Each of his four Premiership strikes have come after the 88th minute, plus his winner in the last-16 victory over Kilmarnock came in extra time.

With both Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Filip Stuparevic working their way back to fitness, coupled with Tony Watt being ineligible to play against his parent club, it appears to be between Zach Robinson and Ebiye for the starting spot.

Summer signing Robinson is yet to score in 10 games, so perhaps Friday is the time for Ebiye to get his chance to provide a decisive moment from the off.

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell is driving his team to create cup memories he feels there is "no substitute for".

The Fir Park side welcome Dundee United on Friday night for a place in the last four of the League Cup.

Volunteers have distributed thousands of leaflets in the hope of attracting a bumper crowd for the quarter-final tie.

And Kettlewell is desperate for his side to reward the support of the fan-owned club with a memorable evening and a trip to Hampden.

"We are a fan-owned community football club, I for one would love to celebrate that," the Well boss said.

"My job is to make sure the players give the supporters and everyone that comes here to back us on Friday something to cheer about."

Motherwell have not been in a semi-final since finishing runners-up in both domestic cups in the 2017-18 season.

The Fir Park club are also without a major honour since winning the Scottish Cup in 1991.

Kettlewell, who was part of the County squad that reached the 2010 Scottish Cup final, added: "I think sometimes we just look at the monetary aspect of football. People want security, win bonuses and all these different things.

"But I was probably brought up in a simpler time and a simpler mindset that careers are defined by success, and that's how I look at it.

"I've always been someone massive into the fact that I certainly wasn't the greatest player in the world, but I'm proud as punch of the medals that I was able to win.

"Getting players into that mindset tends to breed success because you have a real hunger for it. Whether you're able to achieve it, whether there's disappointment in there, can always be a fact of life, not just football.

"There's no substitute for those memories, those bits of success and what that starts to build in your CV."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

The newest league title challengers may have humbled us, but I am beyond confident that Motherwell will be victorious in Friday night's League Cup quarter-final.

Dundee United did not look as though they had anything to offer against Rangers on Sunday in their 1-0 defeat. Their new signings from North Macedonia have been impressive, but nothing our defenders can't handle.

The return of Louis Moult will be bittersweet if he comes on, especially since Tony Watt isn't eligible to play against his parent club.

We really need to see Moses Ebiye make an appearance earlier than usual. As much as his last-minute goals off the bench are delightful, we need to get ahead fast and the supersub striker deserves a start.

The magnificent work the Well Society have done to encourage more people to attend is applaudable. Volunteers are the backbone of our club and if it pays off with a higher than average attendance, it is all worth it.

We have the opportunity to reach our first semi-final in six years and are more than capable of winning this fixture, we just need to hope the players share that belief.

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

Here's what some of you said:

Ronnie: Motherwell played well in the second half when the manager put on some strikers as Zach Robinson cannot play on his own. It took a wonder save to stop the draw. We must start with at least two strikers and we will be fine.

Edward: Moses Ebiye scores again! Any chance he could get a start? We continue to try to nick a goal and hang on instead of having the tactics to score early! I don't need to hear how well we played because we still lost, tedious!

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• Sivert Heltne Nilsen attempted 77 passes in this game - more than any other Dons player this season.

• Pape Guèye's brace moves him to the top of the Premiership goalscoring chart this season.

• Motherwell have scored in their last four games in the Premiership, their longest run of players finding the net in games since the competition since February.

Were you at Pittodrie on Saturday or following the match elsewhere?

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

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell: "We're a wee bit disappointed, especially with the second half, we took a step forward.

"You could see the belief that was in our side. You could see we were trying to get out here with at least a point.

"We don't get too low, that's not an acceptance with defeat. We didn't shame ourselves.

"I spoke to the players about having a greater belief at the start of the game. We've been fine this season. There's been a lot to like."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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The pre-match pyrotechnics show at a bouncing Pittodrie highlighted the feelgood factor at Aberdeen, who seem to be finding new ways to win games.

And the positive energy will not be fizzling out any time soon as the records continue to tumble for Jimmy Thelin, who can take his team to a League Cup semi-final next weekend with a home win over fourth-tier Spartans.

The Swede is also now the first Premiership manager to win all five of his first league games since Giovanni van Bronckhorst with Rangers in December 2021.

For a while it felt like it should have been a comfortable afternoon, but it ended on a nervy note for Thelin and his players.

That is something the manager will undoubtedly analyse and address, but, in the main, the centre-back duo of Slobodan Rubezic and Gavin Molloy impressed again.

Second-half attacking changes sprung Motherwell into life, but they could not make Aberdeen pay with their openings.

On another day Stuart Kettlewell's men could have come away with a point, which would have perhaps been deserved on the balance of the chances.

When the likes of Tony Watt, Jair Tavares and Jack Vale are in the right shape to start games, the Lanarkshire side should look more vibrant at the top end of the pitch.

They have been much improved at the other end this season, but Kettlewell will be disappointed with the goals his team conceded, particularly the first as Pape Habib Gueye was able to race clear from his own half.

Aberdeen: Mitov, Devlin, Molloy, Rubezic, MacKenzie, Heltne Nilsen, Palaversa, Keskinen, Gueye, McGrath, Nisbet.

Substitutes: Doohan, Clarkson, McGarry, Besuijen, Sokler, Morris, Milne, MacDonald, Ambrose.

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

Substitutes: Hegyi, Seddon, Balmer, Sparrow, Kaleta, Ebiye, Watt, Vale, Tavares.

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Aberdeen hope to have Leighton Clarkson back while Duk has returned to the club following his unauthorised absence but is unlikely to feature. Dante Polvara (hamstring) remains out.

Shane Blaney is the closest Motherwell player to a return with Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (thigh), Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson (both knee), Harry Paton (ankle), Ross Callachan (hamstring) and Johnny Koutroumbis (calf) still missing.

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Motherwell midfielder Davor Zdravkovski is not surprised to see more of his countrymen join him in Scotland after big-money summer exits highlighted the "massive" platform the Premiership provides.

Zdravkovski and his team-mates travel to Aberdeen on Saturday to face a Dons team who have adjusted well to life without his fellow Macedonian Bojan Miovski following his club-record sale to Girona.

Celtic have also made a record sale of Matt O'Riley while Theo Bair departed Fir Park to join Auxerre.

Despite the exit of Miovski, the quota of North Macedonia internationals has risen following the arrival of Kristijan Trapanovski and David Babunski at Dundee United.

Zdravkovski, 26, said: "It's a massive [platform] because you can see there's a lot of big transfers going out from this league.

"I'm not surprised this league is well appreciated around the world. In my mind it's a little bit underrated as well because not many people know how tough and good this league is.

"Miovski had a good move and some of the new lads that came to Dundee United are doing well at the beginning.

"It's always nice to have other people here from your own country. I played with them in the youths and with Babunski for the national team. They are good guys and I wish them to have a successful season except for the games against Motherwell.

"It's a good league and a good club I am at and hopefully a good step for the future. You never know what the future will bring so hopefully we can see ourselves going in a bigger and better league.

"I always expected a physical, tough league but people need to give more respect to the league.

"People come here and realise it's not as easy as they think, then they get a surprise. The national team is good quality as well."

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Motherwell are more than capable of ending Aberdeen's perfect start to the season on Saturday, according to former captain Stephen Craigan.

The Dons have won nine from nine in all competitions under manager Jimmy Thelin, but Motherwell have also made a decent start to the season and sit fifth in the Premiership after four games.

Stuart Kettlewell's side have won their last three games, and Craigan says that can only breed confidence for their trip to Pittodrie.

"Motherwell have to go into that game full of belief," Craigan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"If you've won three games in a row, you have to look around your dressing room and think 'We can cause an upset. We can be the ones everyone is talking about Saturday night', because everyone has been talking about Aberdeen.

"Aberdeen will be favourites, but Motherwell will be going there with a gameplan. Under Kettlewell, they have been up and down at times, but it looks as if the players are more settled on how they want to play. It should be a good game."

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Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller has been ranked as one of the top 30 teenage footballers in the world by a leading sports research body.

The Switzerland-based International Centre for Sports Studies listed the 18-year-old as 29th in its top 100 teenagers , externallist.

The Football Observatory ranking, which is calculated based on the level of experience accrued by the players - based on how much they've played, and weighted by the competition level.

And the ranking, which is topped by Barcelona pair Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, puts Miller ahead of the likes of Manchester City's Rico Lewis and Brighton and Northern Ireland forward Evan Ferguson.

Miller is not the only Scot on the list, with Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson ranked at 87th.

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Ewan Wilson's rapid rise from Scottish football's sixth tier to international recognition is a "brilliant story" that highlights the "different pathways" players can take in successful careers, says manager Stuart Kettlewell.

The 19-year-old left-back was rewarded for his first-team breakthrough at club level with a late call-up to the Scotland Under-21s last week.

Wilson went on to make his debut off the bench against Spain before starting against Malta and creating the opening goal in a 5-0 qualifying win.

Last season, the defender's loan to lower-league Stirling Albion was terminated in March after only six starts and he finished the season with Beith Juniors in the sixth tier.

"It's just a brilliant story," said Kettlewell, whose Motherwell side travel to face Aberdeen on Saturday.

"Getting sent back from a loan with Stirling, going to Beith Juniors... then ultimately winding up starting a game for Scotland Under-21s and performing the way he did.

"There are different pathways. We had to build his confidence back up. That's exactly what we managed to do with Ewan and credit to the guys at Beith, they handled him really, really well.

"All of that's culminated in where he finds himself at this minute. A lot of that is confidence and just a better education, how you prepare as a pro to play in a game of football or even to train day to day."

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has been speaking to the media prior to his side's Premiership trip to Aberdeen on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• Kettlewell confirmed Shane Blaney, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Johnny Koutroumbis are "out on the grass running" but will not be back this weekend.

• He said it was "really positive" to see young duo Ewan Wilson and Lennon Miller play and contribute for Scotland Under-21s.

• Kettlewell added that wing-back Wilson's rise is a "brilliant story" given he was on loan at Beith Juniors in the Scottish sixth tier last season.

• He says players being involved with their national teams "disrupts our preparation" but he will always be happy to see his squad get international recognition.

• Jimmy Thelin is "getting more out of" Aberdeen players and has "made shrewd signings" as well, Kettlewell adds.

• And the Well boss feels refereeing has been "really good" this season, praising the "excellent transparency" and "level of common sense" on show.

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• Aberdeen are unbeaten in their last six meetings with Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership (W5 D1), last going longer without defeat against the Steelmen between April 2000 and November 2001 (P7 W5 D2).

• Motherwell are winless on their last three away league trips to Aberdeen (D1 L2), since a 3-2 comeback victory in August 2022 in the Scottish Premiership.

• Aberdeen have won all four of their league games under Jimmy Thelin; the last manager to win each of their first five Scottish Premiership games was Giovanni van Bronckhorst with Rangers in December 2021 (first seven), while the last to do so with a non-Old Firm club was David Martindale with Livingston in January 2021 (first six).

• Motherwell have won both of their last two league games, last winning three in a row in September 2023.

• Aberdeen's Jamie McGrath has created more chances (17) and assisted more goals (three) than any player in the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership so far.

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Lennon Miller "wants to add goals and assists" to his game after a standout performance in Scotland Under-21s' 5-0 trouncing of Malta.

The Motherwell midfielder scored one and provided two assists on his competitive debut for Scot Gemmill's side in their Euro qualifier.

Dane Murray, Josh Mulligan and Lewis Neilson were also on target, while Miller's Motherwell team-mate, Ewan Wilson, helped force an own goal on his debut.

"We knew coming here with the heat, and with them not winning the game [the reverse match] that they'd want to try and beat us," Miller said.

"We started the game very well and we kicked on. We were excellent attacking wise and disciplined behind the ball. We won the ball back within seconds when we lost it."

On his goal, which was assisted by Daniel Kelly who has just moved from Celtic to Millwall, Miller said: "I saw the ball go out wide, I arrived in the box and thankfully Daniel found me so I stuck it in the back of the net.

"As a midfielder you need to add goals to your game, it's partly what you are measured on and getting assists as well is what I want to do coming into this season, so I'm thankful to get a few tonight."

Scotland face Belgium next month and Miller said: "We've got to relish it, we've got to challenge ourselves against teams like that."