Motherwell

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Lennon Miller is "loving watching" Motherwell this season and would have thrived playing under Jens Berthel Askou, says the midfielder's father Lee.

The 19-year-old earned Motherwell a club record fee when he moved to Udinese last summer and has scored one goal in 14 appearances for the Serie A club.

"He's loving watching [Motherwell]," Lee Miller told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I spoke to him last night. He would have done so well in that team but it was time for him to go and do his thing over in Italy and he's loving life just now.

"He's loving it watching it from afar."

Motherwell found themselves 1-0 down after just six minutes at home to Rangers on Wednesday night but deservedly rescued a draw despite Lukas Fadinger's red card.

"What a great performance again from Motherwell," Miller added.

"We've seen it so many times this season, they get the draw and nobody could have said they didn't deserve it. I thought they were excellent, they created loads of chances.

"You go down to 10 men, you think they're out of it and they get the point."

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Celtic defender Stephen Welsh admits it feels "even sweeter" to be back at Motherwell after an "odd" couple of weeks.

The 26-year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Fir Park during which he became an integral part of a successful side.

But the centre-back was recalled by Celtic during the January window to bolster Martin O'Neill's defensive options.

Welsh started the Scottish Cup tie against Auchinleck Talbot and made one further substitute appearance before the arrival of Benjamin Arthur on loan allowed the defender to return to Fir Park on deadline day.

Welsh made an immediate impact in his first game back with the Steelmen, scoring a late equaliser against Rangers on Wednesday night.

"It was an odd couple of weeks for me because I didn't know what was going to happen," he admitted.

"The communication between the clubs was good but you truly never know what could happen.

"It went down to the last few minutes before coming here. I'm thankful that it did and I'm just glad to be back.

"It was a difficult couple of weeks. People don't see what goes on behind the scenes but I'm delighted to be back. I just want to play and hopefully that continues.

"It's no secret that it's hard to come through at a club like Celtic. To play the amount of games I have there, I'm very proud of that. But I'm a realist as well. A lot of different players come into the club.

"I made the decision to come here because I could see the manager's vision. To actually come back a second time is even sweeter. To come back, have my first game and experience such a good moment is great."

Motherwell's draw with Rangers allowed Celtic, who beat Livingston, to move a point behind their Glasgow rivals with a game in hand.

"I know it does [do Celtic a favour] because they're my club," Welsh added.

"But the main thing for me now is to help Motherwell.

"It's a massive point even though we deserved three. To actually dominate a full second half, including half an hour with 10 men, is excellent."

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• Only bottom side Livingston (16) have conceded more goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) than Aberdeen (12) in the Scottish Premiership this season. However, Motherwell have scored a league-low three goals from non-penalty set-plays.

• Aberdeen have won just one and lost six of their past eight league matches (D1), losing their latest five in a row away from home.

• Motherwell remain unbeaten in nine home league games (W7 D2), with their seven wins in this period as many as their previous 19 at Fir Park beforehand (W7 D6 L6).

• Aberdeen have only won one of their past four league games against Motherwell (D1 L2), after having won six of their previous seven versus the Steelmen prior (D1).

• Motherwell have won their past two home league meetings with Aberdeen, just one fewer than their previous 16 beforehand (W3 D3 L10).

Motherwell forward Tawanda Maswanhise says he is keeping his head down and ignoring speculation linking him with Celtic and Rangers, but the 23-year-old admits his ambition is to play Champions League football. (Scottish Sun), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Motherwell's Tawanda Maswanhise has been named Scottish Premiership player of the month for January, the second time this season the prolific forward has picked up the award.

The 23-year-old makes it three in a row for Jens Berthel Askou's men, having won it November before team-mate Elliot Watt took the December award.

Maswanhise impressed on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Zimbabwe before netting five goals in four league games for Motherwell last month, plus the winner against Ross County in the Scottish Cup fourth round.

Maswanhise, who is the Premiership top scorer this season with 13 goals, said: "January was such a good month for the team.

"I missed games due to representing my country and I was eager to hit the ground running when I got back. We managed to have another unbeaten run and won four of our five matches.

"My team-mates work so hard to get me chances in front of goal. It's my job to keep finding the back of the net and I'll keep working hard to do so.

"I want to keep the fire burning in February until the end of the season. We've got some huge matches coming up and lots of opportunities."

Manager Askou said: "Tawanda is in great form and has developed into a very sharp forward who can score goals in many different ways.

"I'm positive that getting more recognition for his performances will spark further motivation to strive for more success for the team."

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou couldn't believe how "cynical" Rangers were in the 1-1 draw at Fir Park.

Rangers took an early lead courtesy of Nicolas Raskin's goal and looked as though they would hold on to the three points when Motherwell were reduced to 10 men for Lukas Fadinger's challenge on Mikey Moore with just over 10 minutes to play.

But a late goal from Celtic loanee Stephen Welsh rescued a point for Askou's men, which was no more than the manager felt his side deserved, especially given the tactics employed by Danny Rohl's side.

"It was an absolutely sensational performance from start to finish," Askou told Sky Sports, external.

"We dominated the game in so many ways, even with one man down we dominated and looked like a team who wanted to win the game.

"I thought our intensity and speed of play was outstanding and it caused a tonne of problems for Rangers out there. They had to [concede] one free-kick after another to stop us.

"I was surprised that they didn't get more yellow cards in the first half and I don't think it's good enough.

"It's an absolutely top game, probably the best game you can get in Scottish football right now, and you get to play that cynical?

"I think it's a shame for the game, that's the reason why there weren't more goals in the game.

"We didn't let frustration take over, we stuck in it and adjusted a few things at half-time and knew there would be chances in the second half."

While Askou acknowledged Fadinger deserved to be sent off, he didn't see a huge difference between that challenge and some on his own players.

"Lukas gets sent off and it's our first red card." Askou added.

"The intensity of the tackle was not worse than many of the other tackles we received.

"He's just a little bit unlucky that he catches him five inches off the ground."

We asked for your views after 10-man Motherwell came from behind to snatch a draw against Rangers thanks to Celtic loanee Stephen Welsh's late goal.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Stuart: Great game despite going a goal behind and the ref not giving us any breaks. We outplayed Rangers for most of the match. Deserved the point we got as a minimum. Well done everyone.

James: With a reasonable referee we probably would have beaten Rangers. 'Well were by far the better team and dominated large sections pf the game. Best 'Well team I've seen, long may it continue.

Grant: In years gone by we would have been really happy with a point or a defeat against Rangers when we went down to 10 men but in truth we are disappointed in not beat them.

Ian: Great result for Rangers. Outplayed for 90 mins by the best football team in Scotland. A treat for the Rangers fans.

Ross: This Motherwell team just keep on giving to the fans. Fair play to Rangers, they scored an excellent goal but the 'Well never gave up and got something from the match. Jens Berthel Askou is the most brilliant manager.

Derek: We were absolutely terrific, battled really well and showed great character. Going a goal down early on, we then showed even more resilience when Fadinger was sent off, the manager wasn't fazed in the slightest and made positive subs in Sam Nicholson and Regan Charles-Cook to come and we deservedly got a point we richly deserved from the game. Bring on Aberdeen on Sunday!

Motherwell will listen to offers for 23-year-old forward Tawanda Maswanhise this summer amid interest from both Celtic and Rangers. (Football Insider), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Watch the best of the action as 10-man Motherwell come from behind to snatch a point against Rangers with a late goal from on-loan Celtic defender Stephen Welsh. Available to UK users only

Rangers failed to match Hearts' pace in the Scottish Premiership title race as they conceded an 89th-minute equaliser to 10-man Motherwell, with the gap at the top of the table now five points wide.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou: "We are pleased and happy that we fought our way back with one man down and got a goal, but it was fully deserved.

"When you look at the game, the performance was sensational from start to finish. The dominance we showed in possession, twice the touches in the opposition box as Rangers... it was a performance that got people out of their seats.

"Had we been 11 v 11, maybe we'd have had even more to push with at the end. Fair enough, it's the right decision to send Lukas [Fadinger] off. If you ever to get a red card, then it has to be in a situation where you do everything you can to stop a counter attack, with no bad intent.

"A lovely game of football, which I feel we played a very big part in.

"We talked yesterday, after our last training session before the game, that eventually a team is going to score at Fir Park again. We just need to deal with it, and score twice to win the game, and not be too disappointed or surprised.

"It was a very good goal by Rangers, so credit to them. It was about taking these moments and they were good at that.

"The intent and intensity, the willingness to run and be aggressive, and some of the quality we showed was outstanding. I couldn't ask for more. I'm extremely proud of that performance. So many positive things to say about it."

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Motherwell midfielder Andy Halliday says his side can be considered title contenders if they beat Rangers at Fir Park tonight.

Jens Berthel Askou's men are currently fourth, 14 points behind league leaders Hearts having played two matches fewer.

Victory over second-place Rangers would move Motherwell five points behind the Ibrox side with a game in hand.

Halliday admits he has quite enjoyed Motherwell being discounted from talk of a three-team race for the title.

"It's been quite nice actually to avoid being a part of that title challenge conversation," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"But when you're winning games and you're starting to creep up the table, certainly, a win tonight will put you in that bracket.

"I think the manager and the players have done a fantastic job of focusing on one game at a time.

"Even when you look at big games that Motherwell have won this year, the manager has always referenced that next game in the interview. He's always had that approach and the players have tried to take that on board.

"But you're kidding yourself on if you don't understand as a player, or as anyone that's part of the club, that when a big game comes along - and yes, they are all big games for different reasons - but at this stage of the season, the opponent, where they are in the table compared to ourselves, it's obviously a big one for ourselves and absolutely no doubt it's big for Rangers as well."

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• Nicolas Raskin has created more chances from open play (33) than any other player in the Scottish Premiership this season, with his five assists the most of any Rangers player.

• The past six league meetings between Motherwell and Rangers have an even head-to-head record, with both sides winning twice each (all by a one-goal margin) and the other two being drawn. Rangers had won six in a row against the Steelmen prior to this.

• Rangers are unbeaten in 31 league visits to Motherwell (W20 D11) since going down 1-0 in December 2002. Only at Morton have the Ibrox side ever enjoyed a longer unbeaten away run in their league history (41 from 1920 to 1987).

• Motherwell have kept a clean sheet in their past eight home league games (W7 D1), winning the latest five in a row. In the 21st century, the only side to keep nine successive home clean sheets in the Scottish top flight are Celtic (twice – December 2013 to March 2014 and October 2024 to February 2025).

• Rangers have won seven of their past eight league games (D1), a run that started with a 1-0 win over Motherwell in December. Since that day, the Ibrox club have earned at least eight more points than any side in the Scottish Premiership (22, Hearts second with 16).

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Motherwell full-back Johnny Koutroumbis drops out for a few weeks with a calf injury. But Elliot Watt and Regan Charles-Cook have resumed full training and will be assessed.

Callum Hendry remains out along with long-term absentee Zach Robinson (Achilles).

Rangers pair Youssef Chermiti and Emmanuel Fernandez come back into the squad after respective Achilles and knee injuries.

Max Aarons, Connor Barron (knee) and Derek Cornelius (muscle) are still out.

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Motherwell striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos has returned home to join A-League side Sydney FC on loan until the end of the season as he eyes a place in Australia's World Cup squad.

The 26-year-old, who moved to Fir Park from Newcastle Jets in summer 2024, has netted seven goals in 27 appearances this season but has started none of the past eight league games.

Motherwell's Tawanda Maswanhise is the Premiership's top scorer this season and the club further added to their striker options by signing Eythor Bjorgolfsson last month.

"With Eythor's arrival and Tawanda's development, Apostolos has found regular game-time more and more difficult," said manager Jens Berthel Askou.

"An opportunity opened for him to find sharpness while we feel we are well covered in his position to attack the rest of the season.

"I wish him all the best getting regular game time back in Australia trying to push for the World Cup squad in the summer."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Think of Motherwell under Jens Berthel Askou and what comes to mind?

Fast-flowing, attack-minded, possession football? A big bag of goals from Zimbabwe international Tawanda Maswanhise? Yes on both counts.

Just as impressive, however, is the fact that no opposition team has scored at Fir Park since the middle of October.

Falkirk were the victors then and, apart from Kilmarnock and tomorrow's opponents Rangers, no other side has claimed a topflight goal at Motherwell since the Dane's arrival in the summer.

Never mind the sexy football, what about that defending? There are two key elements, according to the Fir Park boss.

"First of all, as long as we have the ball, it's difficult for the opposition to score unless we put it in the back of the net ourselves, which we haven't done," Askou pointed out.

"The other thing is, if we have the ball a lot, they spend a lot of energy on chasing it and defending against us. If we then pose a threat at the same time, then they spend even more energy on trying to make sure we don't create chances and score goals.

"The lift in our attacking side of the game has made the opposition spend even more energy. And sometimes, they change things up from what they usually do, both in terms of approach but also formation, which makes it more difficult to perform at their best."

With the attack and defence both being praised externally, Askou singled out his goalkeeper Calum Ward, who might have gone under the radar while his other teammates have shone.

"We've also got a goalie [Ward] who's just gotten better and better, showing a really high level with his passing under pressure from day one," Askou said.

"He's also improved fantastically with his normal goalkeeping skills in terms of stopping the opposition from scoring, making saves, getting out of the box."

"It's about balance between having the ball, being good in attack and then being defensively solid, aggressive, intense, well-structured, disciplined at the same time.

"That is something we have been working on every day since we started, and it's given us a very stable defensive platform, especially here."

No kidding. Zero goals conceded at Fir Park since Saturday 18 October. It's one of the main reasons Motherwell sit solidly in fourth place in the table, just five points behind champions Celtic.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's crunch match against Rangers on Wednesday night.

Here's a taste of what he had to say...

• Askou points out Motherwell's excellent defensive record - only Rangers, Kilmarnock and Falkirk have scored at Fir Park, where no opposition team has found the net since mid October, adding "when we have the ball, the opposition can't score."

• The manager talked about reassessing the club's targets given their current success, but says "the target is to win on Wednesday. I know a lot of you will probably ask me that question again [after Wednesday]... we'll see where we are when we are closer to the end of the season. We are in a good position to make top six and that is our first big aim for the season. Then if we make that, then we are going to reach out."

• He's enjoying this season "more than he could have dreamt of" given the strides his side has made, adding "that is a testament to everyone who's involved in this football club, from the groundsmen to the staff, the players, the board of directors, all the volunteers and the fans."

• Askou admits he's looking forward to seeing what new signing Eythor Bjorgolfsson and top-scorer Tawanda Maswanhise can do against Rangers, and is confident that both can be a handful for Danny Rohl's side.

• The Dane was very complimentary of his opposite man Rohl, saying it wasn't easy to take over when he did: "We know they're a top team with so much momentum. Danny has really got that club on track and that wasn't easy when he arrived."

• The manager confirms the only major injury worry for the visit of Rangers on Wednesday is defender Johnny Koutroumbis, who's out "for a few weeks" with an injury.

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For fans of Aberdeen, Dundee United, Falkirk, Motherwell, and St Mirren, the Scottish Cup draw went about as well as it could have done.

They all avoided the Old Firm at the quarter-final stage and, while games against Falkirk and Motherwell have been no easy feat this season, there is a real sense it could be anyone's year.

For fans of Rangers or Celtic, who face each other at Ibrox in the next round, a route to glory is also clear. Beat your biggest rivals in a one-off game, and you become favourites for the Cup.

"What I'm so excited about is the fact any Premiership team can win it," said Craig Telfer, podcast host and Stenhousemuir fan.

While his beloved Stenny side were beaten by their local rivals on Sunday night, he admitted: "Falkirk could actually see themselves winning. Aberdeen or Motherwell, whoever comes out that, can see themselves winning it.

"You've got a Celtic team that aren't particularly good, and while Rangers are getting better, they can be got at. This is wide open for any Premiership team to go and win it."

Dundee United have beaten Celtic this season, as have Motherwell, while St Mirren famously triumphed against them at Hampden in the League Cup final.

St Mirren and Motherwell have also taken points off Rangers, as have Falkirk and Dundee United.

It is only Aberdeen who have been beaten by the Old Firm at every opportunity, but memories of last year's Cup triumph over Celtic will spur them on.

"[As a non-Old Firm fan] you always want to see Rangers and Celtic drawing with each other as early as possible in the competition to knock them out," Telfer added.

"Once they're out, or it's just one of the Old Firm teams in there, every other team should be looking to win it."

Of course, Aberdeen and Motherwell are yet to meet after their fifth round tie was postponed, while Dundee United still have to avoid an upset against The Spartans.

And don't rule out Neil Lennon, who has won this competition eight times throughout his playing and managerial career, and his Dunfermline side.

• Craig Telfer was speaking on the Scottish Football Podcast, available here.

• St Mirren v Partick Thistle

• Falkirk v Dundee United or Spartans

• Rangers v Celtic

• Dunfermline Athletic v Aberdeen or Motherwell

All four last-eight ties are scheduled to be played on weekend of 7 March.