Motherwell

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Jim Goodwin has challenged his Dundee United "underdogs" to upset a Motherwell side who are the "best footballing team" in Scotland.

Seventh-place United face a formidable test at Fir Park against Jens Berthel Askou's men, who are fourth in the table and in the title mix while boasting the best defensive record in the league.

Manager Goodwin said: "We will probably be underdogs in a lot of people's eyes given the current form of Motherwell, but we are on a half-decent run ourselves in terms of four games unbeaten and coming into this game off the back of a really good clean sheet against a strong attacking force of Aberdeen.

"We are going to face one of the best teams in the country. They have had lots and lots of plaudits over the course of the season and deservedly so.

"I think you could argue that they are probably the best footballing team consistently since the beginning of the season.

"A quite remarkable season Motherwell have had, their coach deserves a huge amount of credit for what he has been able to achieve in such a short period of time."

United go into the game nine points behind sixth-place Falkirk, with the slimmest of hopes of catching the Bairns.

Their cause hasn't been helped by the fact they have drawn 12 of their 27 league games and kept just four clean sheets, the latest coming in the midweek goalless draw with Aberdeen.

Goodwin said: "I thought the back three in particular against Aberdeen were excellent, defended the box so well.

"And tomorrow afternoon it is going to be no different against a very good attacking team, against a player in [Tawanda] Maswanhise who is having the season of his career so far, high in confidence, very positive and direct, always looking to try and get shots off, so concentration levels are going to be key.

"Our success last season was built around that solid foundation of being really difficult to beat and hard to score against and unfortunately this year we just haven't got the balance right between being solid defensively and being a good attacking team.

"But we know the areas we have to improve, we have been working tirelessly on it in training and hopefully the lads can take a lot of confidence from the performance on Tuesday and take that into the games coming up this week."

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• Motherwell's Elijah Just has been directly involved in six goals in seven Scottish Premiership games in 2026 (three goals, three assists), as many as he was in 17 appearances in the competition prior to the start of this calendar year (also three goals, three assists).

• Exactly 50 per cent of Dundee United's points in the Scottish Premiership this season have come away from home (15/30) – the highest ratio of any side.

• Motherwell have won their past three home league games against Dundee United, just one fewer than their previous 13 prior (W4 D2 L7).

• Dundee United have only won one of their past six league games against Motherwell (D1 L4), a 1-0 victory in February 2025.

• Motherwell have won their past two league games, and are looking to win three in a row for the first time since September 2023. This is the 13th time since then that they have won back-to-back league matches.

Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou says speculation linking him with Celtic is "something that we cannot stop". (Sun), external

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin believes it would be rude to dismiss Saturday's opponents Motherwell's Scottish Premiership title hopes. (Courier - subscription required), external

Friday's Scottish gossip

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou wants his players to act with "integrity" and not indulge in theatrics after Callum Slattery's controversial role in St Mirren defender Richard King's overturned red card.

Midfielder Slattery went down holding his face after King swung a hand in his direction as the pair tangled off the ball during Motherwell's 5-0 win in Paisley last Saturday.

There appeared to be minimal contact and St Mirren won their appeal after King was sent off for violent conduct.

"It happens now and then that players overplay situations and have exaggerated reactions," Askou said.

"I don't think it excuses the action from King because it's never okay to swing an arm at an opponent. Then it's always up to the referee to decide whether the force is enough for a red card or not.

"But we try to build a culture here that our reactions have to be in proportion with the action itself. No matter if he just caught him lightly or not, it's not okay and it's something that we have discussed internally.

"It's a leftover from an old culture in football where everyone tries to, sometimes, when they're desperate, to cheat and steal a little bit to get things tipping your way.

"We don't want to be that team going forward. So it's something we have addressed and it's something we need to learn from.

"As I said, it doesn't excuse the action from King but we want to try and really leave that behind us.

"I have urged everyone to do better in terms of how to react in situations like that going forward because we want to be a team with integrity and respect for the game."

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou has been speaking to the media as his side prepare for Saturday's Scottish Premiership clash against Dundee United.

Here are the main points from his press conference:

• On suggestions Motherwell are now title contenders, Askou insists "we try not to be really fussed about how people talk about us" but admits there is "lots of positivity and optimism around us and we share that".

• On whether he thinks Motherwell can win the league, the boss stresses "it's a question that will attract a lot of headlines" but says "for me it's an irrelevant question".

• He adds "there are so many things we need to improve in order for us to answer that question with a yes" and admits "we want to be in a title race".

• Askou is "relaxed" about praise he's receiving personally for Motherwell's transformation this season, admitting "it's nicer than talk that I should pack my bags and get out of here".

• "The support has been massive" for Motherwell this term and Askou insists "we're going to need that throughout the rest of the season".

• Motherwell's robust defensive record is "one of the keys" to their success this term Askou says: "To be a possession-based team, who plays with a lot of risk, you have to be top at recovering the ball."

• The Danish boss says Motherwell and Hearts' success this season is "attracting a lot of attention" and feels "the big clubs will benefit" from the competition because it forces them to "raise the bar".

• Despite winning 5-0 last weekend, the game "could have been different" because St Mirren had "some moments" and Askou says "these are the things we need to improve".

• On potential Scotland call-ups for the likes of Stephen O'Donnell, Paul McGinn and Stephen Welsh, Askou says his Scottish players are "doing their best to attract attention" but adds: "I don't think it's for me to tell another coach how to run his team."

• On St Mirren defender Richard King's red card, which has since been rescinded, for an incident with Callum Slattery, Askou admits players occasionally "overplay situations and have exaggerated reactions" but stresses: "I don't think it excuses the action from King because it's never okay to swing an arm at an opponent." He reveals Slattery's reaction "has been discussed internally".

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Should Celtic be seriously looking at appointing Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou in the summer?

The Dane has transformed the Steelmen in his debut season at Fir Park, with fourth-place Motherwell only four points behind Celtic and 10 off Hearts with a game in hand on the league leaders.

Askou's side have only lost three games this season - fewer than both Celtic and Hearts - and have been impressing with their style of football.

"He's outcoached basically the full division at times this year," former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"It's a remarkable job he's done there. When you have the foundations and then you add the X factor, which is the style of play, the control and the goals, they are not an easy game for anybody in the league."

Celtic will look to fill their managerial vacancy at the end of the season when Martin O'Neill steps away from his second caretaker spell.

"Part of the problem is that everything about the club is interim," Herald football writer Stephen McGowan said.

"The chairman [Brian Wilson] is interim, the manager is interim, the recruitment team are interim, half the team are interim as well.

"They need permanent solutions and that requires leadership."

And McGowan suggested Celtic should be making a beeline for Motherwell boss Aksou.

"They're back on 18 June for pre-season training and there's no time to waste," he added.

"You can't be waiting for the end of the World Cup to see if Roberto Martinez will take the job. I think Celtic need to move fairly quickly and the obvious and easy way to do that is to go to Motherwell first and say we would like permission to speak to your manager.

"Get him in and get on with the business of rebuilding the squad with a manager who has proven himself in the Scottish Premiership."

If Celtic were to appoint Askou it would be the first time in over 30 years they've taken a boss from another Scottish club.

Back in 1994 former player Tommy Burns was named Celtic manager following a two-year spell with fellow top-flight side Kilmarnock.

"They've taken managers from Japan, from Norway, from MLS, I think it's probably time to look in their own doorstep," McGowan added.

"There's a guy there who's banging on the door and, despite the reservations of some supporters, I think there's a really strong case for Askou to be the next Celtic manager."

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Motherwell have commissioned a feasibility study to explore the redevelopment of Fir Park and "potential other options".

Chairman Kyrk Macmillan, speaking at the club's annual general meeting on Wednesday night, said the board will review the lengthy report.

A shareholder raised a question over the condition of the Phil O'Donnell Stand, which was built 65 years ago.

"Very, very recently we've undertaken a feasibility study in regards to redevelopment of Fir Park or potential other options," Macmillan said.

"Those results were only shared with the board on Tuesday so we're not in a position right now where we can share the outcome because it's 200 pages long.

"So everything's on the table right now. For us it's really important we make the right decision which is why we've undertaken a significant feasibility study.

"It's a really, really significant investment so it's really important we take the right decision and take our time over it."

It was announced Motherwell posted a loss of £263,000 in their 2024-2025 annual accounts.

However, the club noted: "This was after depreciation costs of about £550,000 and the £105,000 finance cost for the 'interest free economic benefit' arising from the Scottish Government's Covid recovery loan.

"Excluding the impact of the two accounting practices, the club made a profit of £400,000, up more than £70,000 on the previous season."

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Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton says Motherwell play the best football of any team he has seen in England or Scotland this season.

The Steelmen are fourth in the Scottish Premiership, 10 points behind leaders Hearts having played a game fewer, and have received plaudits for their eye-catching attacking style under Jens Berthel Askou.

They have been superb defensively as well, conceding just 18 goals in 27 league matches.

Summer signings Elijah Just, Ibrahim Said, Elliot Watt and Lukas Fadinger have all been superb additions, while Tawanda Maswanhise has scored 19 goals in all competitions.

Askou's side swept St Mirren aside 5-0 on Saturday in the most recent display of their abilities and Sutton was full of praise.

"Motherwell have been the best football team I've seen this season north or south of the border," Sutton said on The Monday Night Club.

"They play an incredible brand of football. Maybe they will have too much to do.

"As a club, their budget, the way they are coached. It's all about using the extra man and picking the right pass. They are so good and so aware. The confidence they have - they have torn Celtic apart this season.

"It's a brilliant story and a real testament to their manager that he's got them playing this style. Some of the football against St Mirren was scintillating."

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Motherwell goalkeeper Aston Oxborough has joined Dunfermline Athletic on loan until the end of the season.

The 27-year-old Englishman, who arrived from Norwich City in 2022, was Motherwell's first-choice in the first half of last season.

But several injuries, including separate hand fractures, severely hampered his progress over the past 12 months and he has not featured since May.

Well manager Jens Berthel Askou told his club website: "Aston has been extremely unfortunate this season with injuries putting him back in line.

"While both Calum Ward and Matty Connelly have had the opportunity to develop and adapt to our new style of play through games and a full pre-season in the summer, the chances for Aston have been very limited.

"I'm very pleased for him getting the chance to gain match sharpness and get some well-deserved minutes under his belt.

"He is way too good to be waiting in line for his minutes here with us. We all look forward to following his return to his best level chasing promotion with Dunfermline."

Oxborough could make his debut in Tuesday's Scottish Championship game at home to second-top Partick Thistle.

Neil Lennon's side have slipped to seventh place after two consecutive defeats in which they have conceded six goals.

Billy Terrell was at fault for Arbroath's opener in Saturday's 4-2 loss and, with the 22-year-old replaced with Deniz Mehmet at the break, the more experienced replacement also made an error for the hosts' third goal.

Having sold homesick former Sheffield United winger Jefferson Caceres to his boyhood club Melgar in Peru on Sunday, Lennon has moved to strengthen his options in goal.

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Jens Berthel Askou says his Motherwell side "believe in our ability to beat anyone we play, no matter where we go" after they closed to within four points of third-top Celtic in the Scottish Premierhip.

The reigning champions stumbled to a 2-1 defeat by Hibernian on Sunday - a day after Motherwell thrashed hosts St Mirren 5-0 in their biggest win of the season.

Askou's side remain 10 off leaders Hearts with a game in hand, with some supporters even contemplating a genuine title challenge.

"Obviously we believe in ourselves... we are really happy that people around us are enjoying what we're doing," the Danish manager said.

"Because, in football, we are in a business where people pay a lot of money and they invest a lot of their finances, especially in the part of the country where we are from, which is not the richest part of the world."

Many fans believe they are seeing their team produce the best football of their lifetime - something that was the Well board's ambition when recruiting a new manager last summer.

"We wanted to lift people out of their seats and create a more modern style and try and be as successful as we could with that in the first season," Askou added.

"We've probably exceeded what we could have expected or guessed we would be.

"Time will tell where that will lead us, but for now we are happy that people are on board with us."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

It is safe to say Motherwell did not let the Scottish Cup defeat by Aberdeen get spirits down.

Scoring five goals against St Mirren on Saturday was a pleasant surprise but it was bittersweet knowing we failed in the cup.

When we are repeatedly told that we play the best football in the country and have some of the best statistics in Europe, the failure in both cup competitions is doubly frustrating.

Technically speaking, we are not out of the race for the Premiership title. All we need is for Hearts, Celtic and Rangers to drop more points and for us to win nearly every game between now and the end of the season. That will likely not happen, but a girl can dream.

The race between the top four will go down to the very last game of the season and even if we are not close to winning it, we will definitely influence where the trophy lands.

We have all heard of helicopter Sunday - we might get ScotRail Saturday depending on whether the trophy needs to be sent up the Clyde or over to Edinburgh.

Now we are out the cup we have no excuse for dropping points. We must take advantage of Celtic still having at least one European game to play and that teams lower down the table can take points off our rivals.

Before the split, we have Dundee United at home, Dundee away, Celtic away, Hibs at home, Falkirk at home and Hearts away.

The games against both Dundee sides, Hibs and Falkirk are all must-wins for us.

If we can take a draw from both Celtic and Hearts, we will be skipping into the split with our heads held high.

Until then I will continue to do the mental gymnastics needed to try to secure us that league trophy.

Motherwell midfielder Callum Slattery is attracting interest from a number of English Championship and League One clubs, with the 27-year-old out of contract this summer. (Football Insider), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

Motherwell fans are waiting to get a good shake and for someone to tell them this is all a dream.

Easter eggs are on shelves and the Fir Park club are being talked about by fans and pundits as Scottish Premiership title challengers.

Chants of 'we're gonna win the league' could be heard from the away end in Paisley on Saturday as Jens Berthel Askou's men ran riot against St Mirren.

With each passing week, that song is being sung with less tongue in cheek as the Lanarkshire side threaten to emerge as serious contenders.

Motherwell sit in fourth and are 10 points off leaders Hearts, who have to play Well twice in their final six fixtures. Rangers are six ahead, with Celtic four above.

Another brave, expansive and fearless display from Askou's side again attracted most of the plaudits at the weekend, but the team's outrageous defensive solidity has helped equal a club record.

Just a month on from setting a new milestone for nine straight clean sheets at Fir Park, Saturday's shutout took their tally for the season across all competitions to 20.

That matches Motherwell's record for clean sheets in a season, achieved in 15 fewer games.

Having conceded just 18 goals in 27 league matches - the best return in the Premiership this term - a stats feature from the SPFL, external details that only Roma have a better record than Askou's defence across Europe's top five leagues this campaign.

They have only conceded three goals in their past 15 league games and lost once in 19. It is silly stuff.

In fact, on a goals-conceded-per-game basis, Motherwell are currently projected to smash another club record.

If they maintain their current average of 0.66, they will set a new milestone for fewest goals conceded over the course of a 38-game top-flight season.

The current record is set by the Motherwell team of 1931-32, the only season they have won Scotland's top tier. Coincidence?

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Jerome Prior - Livingston: A superb performance from the Livingston keeper, who pulled off a variety of fantastic stops to repel Rangers time and again. No shame in ultimately conceding two given the deluge he was under.

Stephen O'Donnell - Motherwell: Has been a true, versatile hero at the back for the Steelmen this season. Looks like a player rejuvenated every weekend in this brilliant Motherwell side.

Brooklyn Kabongolo - Livingston: What. A. Strike! Finished like one of the world's best strikers to put Livingston ahead against Rangers. Also put in a big shift at the back.

Harry Milne - Hearts: Not one of the most celebrated at the time, but has to be one of the best recent signings Hearts have made. A model of consistency. The former Partick Thistle player put in another energised, dependable performance for his manager.

Emmanuel Longelo - Motherwell: Thought he looked offside for his goal, but who am I to argue with the VAR lines. Has been an awesome presence down the left for the Steelmen all season.

Felix Passlack - Hibernian: The former Borussia Dortmund player arrived at Easter Road with a fine CV and underlined those credentials with a fine showing at Celtic Park. Took his opportunity superbly with an unstoppable header to fire Hibs in front.

Elijah Just - Motherwell: Every weekend Just underlines his credentials as a player of the year contender. Opened the scoring in the demolition of St Mirren with another brilliant goal.

Ethan Hamilton - Dundee: For his thunderbolt winner against Aberdeen. Great follow-up to his sublime strike against Celtic in the cup, but that was ultimately in vain while this strike at Pittodrie bagged what could turn out to be a vital three points. A statement season for the midfielder.

Callum Slattery - Motherwell: Difficult to look past the fact he went down far too easily as Richard King was sent off. However, the actual football performance from Slattery was excellent. Three assists for the midfielder as the Steelmen further underlined their title credentials by tearing St Mirren apart.

Nicky Cadden - Hibernian: Hibs are simply a far better side with Nicky Cadden in it. His delivery from the left offers so much to Hibs in attack, as shown by the assist for Passlack's diving header against Celtic.

Kevin Nisbet - Aberdeen: The light in the north for the slightly dismal Dons at the moment. His first was freakish - helped massively by Dundee keeper Jon McCracken - but his second was an absolute firecracker of a free kick. On another day might easily have had a hat-trick.

Watch the best of the action as Motherwell hammer 10-man St Mirren 5-0 in the Scottish Premiership. (Available to UK users only)

We asked for your views on Motherwell's five-goal win at St Mirren.

Here's what some of you said:

Matt: That was sweet revenge for the League Cup semi-final defeat [to St Mirren]. We were electric. Now we just need to repeat the feat against Dundee and Dundee United and it gives us a fantastic platform to take into the Celtic game at Parkhead. Win that and we are firmly in the title race. Have to pinch myself that we are even in the conversation.

Mark: Sensational Motherwell do it again! How many teams can go to St Mirren's home turf and batter them for five goals? I don't want to get carried away, but that is a champions performance- too soon?

Alan: The manager has had a transformational impact on Motherwell and this was another comprehensive and utterly impressive result. It's particularly pleasing to have another clean sheet. The defence need as much praise as the attack, and with a number of different scorers the issue of having no striker a few months ago has surely been put to rest.

Robert: Five goals and another clean sheet is another fantastic result. And five different scorers is very encouraging.

James: Phenomenal. No more words required. On we go. Have said for long enough we would give somebody a doing.

Edward: We are title contenders!

Motherwell bounced back from their Scottish Cup exit by continuing their impressive Scottish Premiership form with a thumping defeat of St Mirren in Paisley.

Read the match report here

Let us know your thoughts here

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou tells BBC Scotland: "We did the job right from the beginning. We were solid, we were aggressive, really good in possession.

"We knew we would have to be even though we had a few counter-attacks. We worked really hard out there to make sure we got the game on our terms. That was the main thing, starting on a high.

"We kept the hunger out there and the desire to keep chasing goals while we worked extremely hard to keep that clean sheet.

"That goal difference could be important in the end to give an extra point in the league table. So it's important to make the score as big as we can when we have games under control.

"First, we want to increase the possibility to win every game we play,. The performance needs to be at a certain level and they have been quite good. Today was obviously a very good one and against the best teams in the league they have been for a while.

"Now we are entering a phase in the league where we play all the top teams once or twice. Time will tell.

"If we can keep pushing the performance levels even higher and produce results then obviously there might be a possibility to climb."

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Keanu Baccus could feature for St Mirren after 10 weeks out with a hamstring injury. Jonah Ayunga (calf) faces another couple of weeks out while Malik Dijksteel (groin) is out long term.

Motherwell welcome back Stephen Welsh after the cup-tied defender missed the midweek defeat at Aberdeen but Lukas Fadinger drops out to complete his league suspension. Johnny Koutroumbis (calf), Callum Hendry and Zach Robinson (Achilles) remain out.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Jens Berthel Askou has been speaking to the media ahead of Motherwell's trip to St Mirren on Saturday.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• Askou feels referees in Scotland would benefit from being full-time, he says "it would help that they have freed up more time to analyse, to study, to discuss both the situation and the game itself."

• The Motherwell boss "doesn't blame" VAR for the two red cards his side were shown against Aberdeen midweek and thinks "we will see improvements in the years to come, both in terms of how to use it but also the decisions themselves."

• When asked how his side can bounce back from the defeat in Aberdeen, Askou stresses "We do that by staying true to who we are."

• Askou adds "I think there's evidence for this team to be really good at taking the knocks and the harsh lessons and using them to our advantage."

• As they prepare to St Mirren, Askou admits "we still have that little bit of feeling of revenge" after they were beaten by St Mirren in the League Cup semi-final earlier this season.

• The Motherwell manager is expecting "a difficult team to play against" in St Mirren "because they work so hard".

• Team news: Stephen Welsh is back while Lukas Fadinger is out through suspension.