“It does feel a little while ago now I suppose, time flies by and you think of all the things that have happened since then, but I still remember the game really well.”

It was almost 10 years ago that Motherwell travelled to Hampden for only their second Scottish Cup semi-final in 20 years and their first in the competition against a side other than Celtic or Rangers since 1975.

The Steelmen were enjoying a superb cup adventurewhich began with a 4-0 success at Dens Park over Dundee and was followed up by a comfortable 2-0 win at Stranraer to book their quarter-final place.

In the last-eight, Scottish Cup holders Dundee United provided the opposition and the first encounter at Tannadice ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw, though Motherwell would advance after a spectacular showing under the lights at Fir Park in the replay – sweeping Peter Houston’s talented outfit aside and emerging 3-0 victors.

In the semi-final they would take on St Johnstone, who had recorded victories over Hearts, Partick Thistle and Brechin City to move within two wins of their first ever Scottish Cup triumph. 

John Sutton had scored at each stage of ‘Well’s journey to Hampden and he recalls a nervous start for Stuart McCall’s men, who were contesting their second semi-final of the season, having lost 2-1 to Rangers in the League Cup a few months earlier.

After just 90 seconds, St Johnstone striker Danny Invincible got on the end of Danny Grainger’s cross and Darren Randolph had to produce an acrobatic stop to avoid a disastrous start for the Steelmen. 

“We got off to a bit of a sticky start funnily enough and we weren’t playing great,” Sutton recalled. “You couldnot have really predicted how it would have gone from the opening minutes of the match.”

Having overcome a nervous start, Motherwell won a corner – presenting a chance to alleviate some of the early Saints pressure.

Tom Hateley flighted the ball across and St Johnstone keeper Peter Enckelman raced from his goal to try claim it. The Finnish stopper got it all wrong however, and Stephen Craigan was on hand to nod the ball into the empty net.

It was a sweet moment for the Steelmen captain who was riled by the shouts from the Saints coaching teamto ‘let him have the ball’ any time he received it in the early stages and his celebrations left the doubters on the opposition bench in no doubt how much it meant to the Northern Irishman.

“I was glad it was on his head and not his foot,” Sutton laughed. “I remember the coaching staff from St Johnstone instructing their players to leave Crags(Stephen Craigan) on the ball and it was really annoying him. 

“When he scored the goal, it is fair to say he got pretty excited by the whole thing, it is very unlike him to score and if you were looking for a good omen then Crags scoring is probably about as good an omen as you willget.”

A crowd of 11,920 meant that Hampden was less than a quarter full, but the ‘Well fans were making a noise that defied their numbers. They had a dream of a cup final and their heroes on the pitch moved one step closer to making it come true when they doubled their advantage on 14 minutes.

Jamie Murphy picked the ball up and drove at the Saints defence before unleashing a powerful low drive beyondEnckelman and into the bottom corner. 

“Murph (Jamie Murphy) has the ability to just glide past people, Keith Lasley used to refer to him as ‘snake hips’,” he added. “The big pitch at Hampden and the good surface that day really suited him.”

“The second goal was really important and gave us a bit of breathing space.”

Everything was going perfectly for McCall’s men who travelled to the National Stadium on the back of two wins and a draw in their previous three leagueencounters, however they had demonstrated their inconsistency throughout the 2010/11 campaign and there was a real unpredictable element when it came to both performances and results.

On this occasion, the men in claret and amber were showing their class and six minutes before half time they all but sealed their place in the final.

Francis Jeffers’ knockdown found Sutton who smashed a wonderful volley beyond Enckelman from 35-yards out. There were a few question marks over the Saints keepers positioning, but it was a sensational goal to continue the Englishman’s Scottish Cup hot streak. 

“It was one of the Jubulani balls that got a bit of fame at the South Africa World Cup in 2010,” he remembered. “They did fly away a bit in fairness and they were different from the Mitre’s that you played with on a Saturday.

“I took the keeper by surprise a little, I hit it quite well, though some will say that was an obvious error – I think the Crags’ one is the one he’ll look back on and think that he could have done a lot better with.

“I liked playing with Franny (Francis Jeffers) up front, he was a good guy as well. 

“He laid it off nicely and I caught it well with my left foot, you think at that point there is a decent chance, I could have hit it ever so slightly more in the corner and given the keeper no chance, but it was still in the top corner.

“It was fantastic when it went in, an amazing feeling to score at Hampden and especially when you are used to travelling with Keith Lasley who bobbled one in against Rangers with a cheap pair of boots in the previous semi-final.”

Leading 3-0 at half time it was inconceivable that Motherwell could squander their final place from such a position of strength, though many of those of who have followed the men in claret and amber for a long time were understandably nervous – it would not be the first time that defeat had been snatched from the jaws of victory.

On this occasion there would be no such collapse, indeed there was barely any nerves during anuneventful second 45 minutes, though Murray Davidson did see a late header crash off the crossbar.

The 20-year wait was over, Motherwell had clinched their first Scottish Cup final place in emphatic style. 

Sutton recalls a number of high scoring matches during his two spells at Fir Park in which ‘Well battled back and times where they were unable to preserve their lead, so admits the team were taking nothing for granted.

“We had played in games previously like the Hibs game where we were 6-2 down and battled back, so you can’t be too complacent,” reflected Sutton. “Of course, you’d much rather be 3-0 up than 3-0 down going into half time.

“During my time with Motherwell we had an extraordinary number of games where it was 3-2, 4-3and there was the 6-6 too – you would win 4-0 one week and lose 4-0 the next.

“There have been times where we have shot ourselves in the foot, so it was unlikely for it not to go 3-1 or maybe even 3-2 to make it that bit nervier.”

The elation among the ‘Well fans was evident on the full-time whistle and after making their way back to North Lanarkshire many toasted success for their heroes.

Sutton recalls the scenes as the team bus made its way up Airbles Road and the Electric Bar seemed to empty en masse as supporters brought the traffic to a standstill to show their appreciation for the team. 

“It was brilliant seeing the supporters spilling out the Electric Bar to applaud the team bus, you just think ‘wow, that’s how much it means to people’ – it was a really nice feeling,” he smiled. “I always say that Motherwell was fantastic and the people that were there great too.

“We were always written off and told we weren’t that good most years, but we proved them wrong many times – it was a great time to be a Motherwell player.

“It was a good team; I was blessed to play with a number of good players and meet some really good people as well.

“I think Motherwell have been unfortunate to an extent, people are always tipping them for top six and they have always punched above their weight.

“It is just a shame we haven’t went on to win a trophy, you look at the Betfred Cup this season and full credit to Livingston and St Johnstone, though neither side have had to play Celtic or Rangers to get to the final.

“Hopefully in the near future the Scottish Cup will be kind to Motherwell and it would be absolutely brilliant to see them go on and lift the trophy.”

Motherwell and Hamilton will go head-to-head for crucial Premiership points this afternoon in the 150th meeting between the two sides. A rivalry going back over 130-years, we look at the history of the rivalry between Accies and the Steelmen.

By Andy Ross

The first ever meeting between Accies and ‘Well took place 133 years ago in 1888 and would come in the Scottish Cup, a competition which was becoming increasingly competitive following a spell in which Queen’s Park ruled the Scottish game.

Incredibly, it took until 1875 for the Spiders to concede their first ever goal and it ended their run of eight years without concession. Such was their dominance they would be invited to take part in the English FA Cup and on two occasions they reached the final – losing to Blackburn Rovers in 1883/84 and 1884/85.

The first three Scottish Cup competitions all went the way of the side from Hampden Park, before Vale of Leven stepped up as challengers and lifted the trophy three years in succession between 1877 and 1879.

By the time Hamilton and Motherwell entered the Scottish Cup, Queen’s had managed to lift the trophy on eight occasions, though the emergence of teams such as Hearts, Hibs and Rangers was beginning to threaten their stranglehold on the game.

166 teams entered the 1888-89 Scottish Cup, 17 of which were based in Lanarkshire. As well as Hamilton Academical, Hamilton Wanderers also took part alongside the likes of Carfin Shamrock, Royal Albert and Wishaw Thistle.

Hamilton began their Scottish Cup campaign with a thumping 5-0 victory over Lanarkshire rivals Airdrie, while Motherwell were held to a 3-3 draw at home to Royal Albert meaning a replay would be required.

There were several eye-catching results at this early stage of the competition including the 16-0 victory for Kelvinside Athletic against Govan Athletic, Cowlairs defeating Temperance Athletic 18-2 and Dundee Our Boys coming out on top 5-4 against Dundee East End.

Motherwell defeated Royal Albert 2-1 in the replay played in Larkhall to book their place in round two and it would be there where they would face Hamilton for the first time. The game took place on 22 September 1888 at Dalziel Park and it was the Steelmen who would book their place in the next round with a resounding 5-1 triumph.

A 6-2 defeat at home to Dumbarton ended ‘Well’s hopes in the next round and eventually it would be Third Lanark who would go on to lift the trophy – winning at the second time of asking in strange circumstances.

The first match ended 3-0 to Third Lanark, though due to the ‘unplayable nature’ of the pitch a replay was ordered, though not to be denied they would come out on top again winning 2-1.

Records show it was over 10 years until Hamilton and Motherwell would play each other again, with a 3-3 draw in 1898 followed by a run of three wins and a draw for the Accies – leaving the boys in claret and amber without a win in almost 13 years by the time they won the derby 4-2 at the beginning of 1901.

In 1899/1900 and 1900/01, the Lanarkshire Football League was created as a supplementary competition to help increase the number of games for Scottish league clubs.

Information on the Lanarkshire League is scarce aside from Motherwell winning the trophy in its inception year and Albion Rovers claiming silverware the following season. Alongside Airdrie, Hamilton, Rovers and ‘Well, Carfin Emmett, Royal Albert, Wishaw Thistle and Wishaw United completed the league.

1906 saw Hamilton defeat Motherwell in the Scottish Cup for the first time, winning at Fir Park 3-2 and they also would claim promotion to the First Division that season to set up the first top-flight encounter between the two Lanarkshire rivals.

It was Motherwell who would comfortably win the first match between the two in the top division 3-0, but Accies turned the tables in the next meeting and came away from Fir Park 2-0 victors. Hamilton finished that campaign bottom, while Motherwell finished tenth in an eighteen-team league.

Quite like in their modern-day encounters, neither team could get a stranglehold on the derby and wins were exchanged through much of the next decade, though a 2-1 success for Hamilton in August 1924 saw a major momentum shift, though not in the direction they would have hoped.

Motherwell would go on to win 19 and draw four of their next 23 meetings with Hamilton – recording a 6-0 and two 5-1 wins during their dominant spell against their rivals and during this time they would become the Scottish champions for the only time in the club’s history.

The run was ended in emphatic style when Hamilton hammered ‘Well 6-1 in the New Year’s Day fixture in 1935 and the teams continued to face each other during the second World War in a variety of competitions including the Summer Cup in which Motherwell recorded their biggest win in this fixture – an 8-0 drubbing in June 1944.

In the seven post-war fixtures, Motherwell won four and drew on three occasions. Four of the matches took place in Scottish Division A, which was the name by which the top league went by following the war and there were three matches in the Scottish Cup.

After being such familiar foes since formation, it was unusual that a year would pass without a meeting between Accies and ‘Well, though following the 4-1 Scottish Cup victory for the Steelmen in February 1951, it would be over 14 years until the teams would next meet again.

It was the Fir Park side who would come out on top in that Division One encounter and by the time that Hamilton defeated ‘Well 2-1 in the League Cup in 1968, it had been 29 years since they had claimed success in the derby outside of war time competition.

The three meetings in the 1968/69 season where Bobby Howitt guided Motherwell back to the Premier League as champions would spell another decade without a derby fixture between the teams.

They would however be much more familiar in throughout the eighties where both competed in Division One until Motherwell were promoted in 1984/85 and Hamilton followed suit the very next season.

Accies were relegated in 1986/87, though they bounced back the next season only to face the drop again at the end of the 1988/89 campaign. Despite this, there was not much to separate either team throughout the eighties – though a miserable time was about to follow for the team in red and white.

During the nineties, financial insecurity caused havoc for Accies, they sold Douglas Park in 1994 and would groundshare with Albion Rovers and Partick Thistle during this time. In the 1999/00 season they were unable to fulfil a fixture as their unpaid players went on strike and a 15-point penalty saw them relegated to the bottom tier of the Scottish game.

Despite their woes, they still would prove to be a challenging opponent for Motherwell however, almost stunning the Premier League outfit when a José Quitongo inspired Accies side drew 1-1 at Fir Park before going down 2-0 in the replay – these were the only two occasions the teams squared off during a difficult chapter in the South Lanarkshire sides history.

After moving into their new stadium in 2001, Hamilton began to make strong progress on the pitch and by the time they visited Fir Park in the League Cup in 2005, they were back in the First Division and harbouring hopes of top-flight football. On that occasion it took a last-minute winner to send the Steelmen through, but the positives were there for Billy Reid’s men.

Accies achieved promotion to the SPL after winning the 2007/08 First Division title and they marked their arrival by dumping ‘Well out of the League Cup after a 2-1 extra-time victory at Fir Park in a fiery encounter in which Chris Porter and Simon Mensing both saw red.

Motherwell won three of the first four league meetings between the teams, though a James McCarthy double in December 2008 earned Accies a significant 2-0 win – their first over ‘Well in the top-flight since 1989.

After two seasons at the top table of the Scottish game, Hamilton were relegated, though again demonstrated their abilities to bounce back as they gained promotion after defeating Hibernian in a remarkable play-off.

Most of the 2014/15 Premiership campaign will be one to forget for ‘Well fans, but Accies supporters will continue to revel in a season in which they knocked their rivals out of the League Cup, won 4-0 at Fir Park and recorded a 5-0 hammering in the New Year’s Day fixture – though Motherwell did gain slight revenge with a 4-0 success against Accies during that season.

Since then both teams have remained in the top division and have faced each other with the regularity that they did following their formation back in the late 1800’s.

Motherwell have enjoyed a few convincing victories and knocked their rivals out of the Scottish Cup in 2018, though Accies have only failed to register a win over Motherwell in one of their six successive seasons in the Premiership and travel to Fir Park today on the back of three wins and one draw in their last four matches with the Steelmen.

It will be frantic; it will be passionate and yet another chapter in a rivalry that continues to prove a significant part in the history of both Hamilton and Motherwell.

Yesterday marked the 19^th anniversary of a game that will be forever remembered for the incredible impact of a pint-sized Frenchman, who would go on to make arguably the greatest debut in the club’s history.

By Andy Ross

Motherwell under the guidance of Eric Black were fighting a battle at the bottom of the SPL table, though a run of three wins in their previous five league fixtures prior to the visit of Hibernian to Fir Park looked to have stopped the rot and moved the team into ninth spot – well clear of St Johnstone who looked certainties for the drop.

Hibs made the journey from the capital in wretched form, having failed to win in their last 16 SPL matches as well as suffering a hugely disappointing defeat to Ayr United in the League Cup semi-final in their last outing.

The first half was an instantly forgettable one and certainly not one that gave any indication of what was to follow.

Neither side looking offered much an attacking threat and it was clear Motherwell were missing the influence of James McFadden who was ruled out through suspension while Stephen Pearson had failed to recovery from injury.

At the interval, Black opted to introduce his latest signing, David Ferrère into the action – with the 5′ 5” striker replacing Scott Leitch.

The 25-year-old had scored one of the goals in an under-21 match against Kilmarnock at Fir Park in midweek and he arrived in Scotland highly recommended by Black’s former club, Metz.

Despite that, his inclusion, even on the substitutes bench surprised some. In their review of 2002, Fir Park Corner described Ferrère’s display for the second string as ‘one of the worst performances ever witnessed for the U21s’- it is fair to suggest that expectation levels were not too high.

Ferrère’s debut was only four minutes old when he first gave the Fir Park crowd a demonstration of his ability to strike a ball. Stepping up to take a free-kick 40-yards from goal, he had Nick Colgan in the visitors’ goal scrambling with a thunderous effort that drifted inches wide of the post.

The ‘Well fans reacted with a mixture of amazement and almost an element of hilarity. Here was an unknown debutant coming into the action, attempting an outrageous effort from distance, and almost succeeding in doing so.

There was certainly a buzz around the place, the crowd were lifted, there were cries of ‘shoot’ every time Ferrère’ got on the ball and it would not be long until the Frenchman had the fans on their feet again.

A long clearance by Karl Ready found Stuart Elliott who drove forward before releasing Ferrère to drill the ball low beyond the keeper.

Every outfield player in claret and amber joined in the celebrations – clearly loving the impact that their new teammate had made in his seven minutes on the park.

David clearly shared their delight too, wearing a shirt that looked at least three sizes too big for him, he lapped up the adulation – he was off the mark for the Steelmen and looking in the mood for more goals.

Hibs had opportunities through Derek Riordan and John O’Neil, however just as it looked like they may force their way back into the match, Ferrère struck again.

Stevie Woods launched a goal-kick that travelled deep into the Hibs half and Dirk Lehmann knocked the ball on to Elliott who again picked out Ferrère to slam home an almost identical shot into the bottom corner past the helpless Colgan.

‘Well were flying and it wouldn’t be long until they extended their lead even further as Lehmann got in on the act – heading home Steven Hammell’s free-kick.

The final act of an incredible second half came when Ferrère completed a quite magnificent debut.

O’Neil dwelled on the ball before being robbed by Lehmann and the German striker released the onrushing Ferrère who dispatched the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal – completing his hat-trick by hammering the ball into almost exactly the same section of the net.

He had been on the pitch 36 minutes and by this point was averaging a goal every 12 minutes – if the ‘Well fans were excited after his first two goals, they were now electrified – they had a new hero among their ranks and certainly not one they had in any way anticipated.

Inspired by the introduction of their latest signing, ‘Well emerged 4-0 victors from an encounter that look destined to be settled by the smallest of margins after an uneventful opening 45 minutes.

It had only taken a short period of time for Ferrère to receive the adulation of the Motherwell supporters, though unfortunately after his spectacular introduction, he would never come close to repeating his debut heroics.

He played a further nine times for the club but would fail to score another goal and he would make his last appearance for ‘Well in the 4-1 victory at Rugby Park, just days after the club entered administration.

The Frenchman’s time in North Lanarkshire came to a sudden end when he was released because of the cuts that followed administration and following his Fir Park departure he headed back to his homeland to join L’Entente SSG.

After a blistering start to life at the club, it was a low-key exit for a player who perhaps was always unlikely to be able to live up to his extraordinary debut.

The remainder of his career was spent in France with spells at FC Dieppe and AS Excelsior, before hanging up his boots after his time with FC Avirons.

Although it would be fair to say that his career never reached the heights of his extraordinary first showing at Fir Park, the name David Ferrère will always remain synonymous with the greatest Motherwell debut of all time.

Graham Alexander began his time in charge of the Steelmen with a 1-1 draw against St Mirren last Saturday.

A spirited showing gave Motherwell fans plenty of belief the team can recover from their recent disappointing run of results and push on in the final stages of the season.

We take look at how some of Alexander’s predecessors fared in their first match as ‘Well boss.

Alex McLeish – Motherwell 3-0 HB Torshavn – UEFA Cup – 9 August 1994

Alex McLeish enjoyed a comfortable evening on his managerial debut as the Steelmen cruised to a comfortable victory in the evening sunshine at Fir Park.

Tommy Coyne opened the scoring midway through the first half and Paul McGrillen doubled the lead 12 minutes later after some fine work by Jamie Dolan. 

Stevie Kirk rounded off a convincing showing late on – neatly controlling Brian Martin’s long-ball before coolly flicking the ball past the onrushing keeper. 

McLiesh’s side would go on to finish second in the league, with players such as Coyne, Rob McKinnon and Paul Lambert playing starring roles in one of the best ‘Well sides ever.

Harri Kampman – Dunfermline 2-1 Motherwell – Scottish Premier League – 7 March 1998

The arrival of relatively unknown Finnish boss HarriKampman came as a surprise to not just ‘Well fans, but fans of Scottish football as a whole and his time at the helm in ML1 was rather uninspiring.

Kampman’s first match in charge got off to a positive start when Coyne fired Motherwell ahead after 12 minutes at East End Park, but Dunfermline soon found themselves on level terms as Andy Smith slotted beyond Stevie Woods.

Rob Newman turned the ball into his own goal just after the hour mark to ensure a disappointing start for the new boss, though a week later he would secure his first win as Motherwell stunned Rangers 2-1 at Fir Park.

The rest of his tenure was one littered with inconsistency, the summer of 1998 saw major upheaval at Fir Park, but a poor start to the 1998/99 campaign saw Kampman leave the club to be replaced by Billy Davies. 

Billy Davies – St Johnstone 5-0 Motherwell – Scottish Premier League – 17 October 1998

Billy Davies’ time as Motherwell boss got off to the worst possible start as his side were thrashed 5-0 at McDiarmid Park.

George O’Boyle opened the scoring just before the break and a second half onslaught saw the hapless Steelmen concede four times – including two goals in the last 10 minutes.

Like Kampman, Davies was able to galvanise his squad for their next fixture and four days later under the lights at Fir Park, John Spencer scored the only goal of the game to earn ‘Well a superb 1-0 home victory over Rangers.

He would take ‘Well to the brink of the UEFA Cup during the 1999/00 campaign, when despite a 2-0 victory over Rangers on the final day, Motherwell narrowly missed out to Hearts. 

He would leave the club in September 2001 after three years in charge.

Eric Black – Dundee United 1-1 Motherwell – Scottish Premier League – 27 October 2001

A poor start to the 2001/02 season led to Davies’ resignation and again those in charge at Fir Park opted for an untested boss for the role of manager at the club. 

Eric Black took over with the side having won just two of their opening 10 league encounters and they were knocked out of the League Cup by local rivals Airdrie. 

Craig Easton had the hosts ahead on 23 minutes, but Motherwell would find a reply through David Kelly early in the second half to secure a share of the spoils. 

When Motherwell were placed into administration in April 2002, Black resigned as manager and was replaced by his assistant Terry Butcher shortly afterwards.

Terry Butcher – Kilmarnock 1-4 Motherwell – Scottish Premier League – 27 April 2002

On a day where football felt like an afterthought, Terry Butcher’s young Steelmen produced a sublime display to offer the large travelling support a bit of hope.

Motherwell had been plunged into administration days prior to the game, with several players and staff losing their jobs.

The future was looking uncertain at best, but on the field the team were magnificent. Derek Adams had his opening goal cancelled out by Tommy Johnson on 68 minutes before the ‘Well came roaring back – scoring three times in four minutes.

James McFadden restored the lead, before Stuart Elliott doubled the advantage and Stephen Pearson put gloss on a tremendous victory in emotionally charged circumstances. 

Maurice Malpas – Motherwell 1-2 Rangers – Scottish Premier League – 30 July 2006

In his four years in charge at Motherwell, Terry Butcher restored some much-needed stability to the managers post at Fir Park and after he departed for Sydney FC it was hoped the appointment of his assistant Maurice Malpas would keep things moving in the right direction.

Malpas’ first game in charge saw a visit from Rangers to Fir Park, with the Ibrox side themselves under the guidance of a new boss after Paul Le Guen took over from Alex McLeish that summer.

Things got off to a bad start when Libor Sionko drilled home a rebound to give Rangers the lead after eight minutes, but Phil O’Donnell levelled shortly after half time.

The match was decided when Dado Prso headed home from Charlie Adam’s corner to ensure it would be a losing start for the new Steelmen gaffer who would have to wait until his fifth league game in charge before sampling victory for the first time. 

Mark McGhee – St Mirren 0-1 Motherwell – Scottish Premier League – 1 August 2007

After a season in which Motherwell narrowly escaped relegation, another managerial change took place and on this occasion, John Boyle opted for experience when he appointed former Wolves and Leicester boss Mark McGhee as the new boss.

McGhee’s tenure got off to a dream start when Steven McGarry slid home three minutes into his first match in charge at St Mirren.

It was a wonderful attacking move involving most of the team and was a great indicator of the fantastic football that would be on display as the Steelmen clinched third place and European qualification for the first time in 12 years.

Jim Gannon – Motherwell 0-1 Llanelli – Europa League – 2 July 2009

Motherwell boss Jim Gannon suffered an embarrassing defeat by Llanelli in Europa League qualifying in his first match in charge of the Steelmen.

Due to remedial work to the Fir Park surface, ‘Well played all of their Europa League ties at Airdrie and despite a bright start to the match they found themselves behind after Stuart Jones steered a header beyond Michael Fraser.

It was a disappointing start to what became a rambunctious spell for the club, though Gannon’s side would turn things around a week later with a 3-0 victory in Wales. 

Gannon certainly demonstrated an eye for a player during his short time at the helm, but less than six months later he would depart the club following a poor run of results over the festive period.

Craig Brown – Hearts 1-0 Motherwell – Scottish Premier League – 30 December 2009 

In the final weeks of Gannon’s time in North Lanarkshire, it became clear that the English boss had lost several of the more experienced players in the dressing room – with a number of them totally frozen out.

Supported by his assistant Archie Knox, Craig Brown quickly reintroduced Stephen Craigan into the starting-eleven, while Keith Lasley, Steven McGarry and John Sutton all came off from the bench.

Although the narrow defeat at Tynecastle was a disappointing start, it would be the last time Brown would suffer defeat in the league until late March – a run of 12 games without a loss – winning eight and drawing four.

Stuart McCall – Hamilton 0-0 Motherwell – Scottish Premier League – 1 January 2011

Stuart McCall’s successful time at ‘Well began in unremarkable style as his side played out a drab goalless draw on New Year’s Day 2011.

Chances were few and far between, though Dougie Imrie could have won it for the hosts in the dying minutes of the match.

McCall would not have to wait much longer for his first win, that came eight days later as Motherwell romped to a 4-0 victory at Dens Park to begin their Scottish Cup campaign in style and under the former Bradford boss,they would go all the way to the final – coming up short against Celtic.

Ian Baraclough – St Mirren 0-1 Motherwell – Scottish Premiership – 20 December 2014

Ian Baraclough picked up a vital win in his first game in charge of Motherwell – defeating St Mirren to move six-points clear of the Buddies at the foot of the Premiership table.

Stephen Thompson was sent off after 19 minutes, but it was Saints who looked the more likely to break the deadlock.

It took 72 minutes for the first goal to arrive and it was from familiar source – John Sutton sliding in to turn Josh Law’s cross into the net.

It was a good start but the struggles at the bottom of the table continued under Baraclough – culminating with a 6-1 aggregate victory over Rangers in the play-off securing another year of top-flight football. 

Mark McGhee – Motherwell 0-1 Celtic – Scottish Premiership – 17 October 2015

The return of Mark McGhee as manager garnered a mixed response from Motherwell fans and he was unable to mark his second spell with a victory against Celtic. 

Nadir Ciftci scored the only goal of the game and poor finishing was all that prevented the margin of defeat from being more emphatic.

McGhee’s starting line-up was certainly a statement with regulars Lasley, Lionel Ainsworth and Scott McDonald all on the bench. 

Taking over with the team in tenth spot, McGhee managed to steer his charges well clear of relegation – finishing the season in fifth.

Stephen Robinson – Kilmarnock 1-2 Motherwell – Scottish Premiership – 4 March 2017

Arriving in the heat of a relegation battle, it was imperative Stephen Robinson got off to a strong start after making the step up from assistant into the managerial hotseat and he did so courtesy of a gritty display at Rugby Park.

Kris Boyd had opened the scoring, but Carl McHugh smashed home the equaliser before Zak Jules nodded home the winner – moving the ‘Well out of the play-off spot.

Robinson would guide the team to safety and would go on to be one of Motherwell’s most successful managers in the club’s history.

He left Fir Park in December 2020 and was replaced by Graham Alexander shortly afterwards.