It's getting down to the final stages of the William Hill Premiership season, with European football in touching distance for Motherwell. And with Hibernian picking up three points ahead of kick-off in ML1, the Steelmen knew the pressure was on to get a result. As over 12,000 fans entered through the turnstiles, making it the highest Fir Park attendance since 2005, Motherwell unveiled their colours and tifos in all three home stands to mark the club's 140th anniversary. The match got underway, and thanks to a Stephen O'Donnell block inside five minutes, neither side could break the deadlock in the early stages. Motherwell struck first after a Stephen Kingsley own goal, but Lawrence Shankland levelled before the break. Motherwell couldn't find the all-important winner, although O'Donnell did score but was just offside. A point gained and a point closer to European football, Jens Berthel Askou's side are so close to achieving their return to the European stage for the first time since 2022.

Jens Berthel Askou gives his thoughts on taking a point at Fir Park.

Andy Halliday sits down to discuss his thoughts and feelings following his announcement that he would be retiring from professional football at the end of the season. The 34-year-old has taken the decision to retire from playing as he begins the next chapter of his life. A professional career that spanned 18 years, Halliday burst onto the scene with Livingston in Division 1, making his debut in April 2008 against St Johnstone. Following his debut, Halliday continued to impress in his early years for the Lions and scored his first professional goal in a 2-2 draw with Ross County in May 2009. His big breakthrough year came in 2009/10 when Livingston were playing in Division 3. Playing 34 games, he scored 14 goals as an 18-year-old, and his dazzling displays caught the eye of many clubs. Middlesbrough would be his chosen destination, where he would spend five years, making 42 appearances in total. At the Riverside, Halliday enjoyed three loan spells at Walsall, Blackpool and, latterly, Bradford City. His loan at the Valley Parade was made permanent at the midway stage of the season, and Halliday ended up scoring against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a memorable 4-2 win in the FA Cup which saw his side go on a fairytale run to the quarter-finals of the competition. Having made 32 appearances in his time with Bradford, Halliday opted to move back home to join Rangers in 2015, with the Gers looking to seal their place back in the top flight for the first time since 2012 at the second time of asking. His start at Rangers couldn't have been any sweeter as he netted on his debut against Hibernian at Easter Road, with his side winning 6-2. Rangers went on to lift the Scottish Championship title and thus were promoted back to the Premiership in what was a lively season that saw the Ibrox side defeat their rivals Celtic in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup before losing in the final to a last-minute header against Hibernian. In his five-year stint in Govan, Halliday represented Rangers over 150 times and scored 18 goals. A brief spell in Azerbaijan in 2017 was the only short time he spent away from Ibrox during that time. The Covid-19 pandemic struck, and Halliday departed the club in May 2020 to travel along the M8 to sign for Hearts, who had just been relegated. He lifted the Scottish Championship for the second time in his career at Tynecastle, with Hearts earning promotion back to Scotland's elite at the first time of asking. Halliday played over 100 games for the Jambos during his two-and-a-half year stay in Edinburgh, as he helped his side finish third and fourth in the Scottish Premiership to secure European football. In January 2024, Halliday arrived in ML1 seeking regular minutes on an initial loan deal with Stuart Kettlewell's squad. He scored his first goal for the Steelmen in a 5-0 rout against Ross County at Fir Park and played 14 games between January and the end of the season. His contract was made permanent in the summer of 2024, and Halliday would go on to win the Players' Player of the Year vote for the 2024/25 season for his consistency and availability throughout the season. Halliday wouldn't miss a game for the entirety of the season, playing 46 matches across the campaign, 42 of which were starts. He may not have featured as heavily under Jens Berthel Askou this season, but Halliday was named as vice-captain by the Motherwell manager for the 2025/26 season, citing his experience and leadership qualities as his reason why he chose Halliday in his leadership group. Ahead of the match against his former side Hearts tomorrow night at Fir Park, both clubs will come together to present Halliday with some gifts to thank him for his service to both clubs. From now until the end of the season, Halliday will continue to train and continue to be available for selection, and when the time comes, we congratulate Andy for an exceptional playing career and wish him well in his future.

Elijah Just believes if Motherwell finish lower than fourth in the league, then it'll be disappointing and knows a big performance is needed to get that first win over Hearts this season. Just describes how focused he's been this season and why external noise doesn't bother him.

Jens Berthel Askou says his team have a lot of pressure on their shoulders to secure European football in the coming games, and is insistent that although Hearts and Celtic are going for league titles, Motherwell are also playing for a huge prize. Askou knows the dangers that Hearts pose to his team, but believes previous matches against Derek McInnes' side show that Motherwell can get the win if they tighten up in a couple of areas.

Sunday night saw the Motherwell FC family come together to mark and celebrate the achievements of the Motherwell FC first-team, Academy and Women's team. A sold-out Dalziel Park watched Carla Boyce collect her Women's Player of the Year award in her first season back with the Women of Steel. Top goalscorer for the side, the number nine has been instrumental in Iain Robinson's side retaining their top-flight status for next season. The second award of the evening was for the Academy Player of the Year, which Zander McAllister won. In a breakthrough season, Zander has not only been operating at a top level for the youth side but has also played a part in Jens Berthel Askou's first team. Making his professional debut against St Johnstone in the Premier Sports Cup, the 18-year-old has gone to play three further games this season. Whilst also being a regular for the Scotland youth sides, McAllister has shown that he is one to keep an eye on for the future. Well done, Zander. The next award up for grabs was Young Player of the Year, with Tawanda Maswanhise, Ibrahim Said, Oscar Priestman, Tom Sparrow, Luca Ross and Matty Connelly up for nomination. Following a stunning season which has included 22 club goals, Maswanhise won the accolade. Also nominated for the PFA Player of the Season, Maswanhise has shone for club and country this season. A worthy winner, well done, Tawanda. Goal of the Season was the next voting category. Following a season of wonderful individual goals and team moves, the fans had their say and voted Emmanuel Longelo's goal against Livingston as their Goal of the Season. In a move that lasted over 60 seconds and involved 10 players making 25 passes, the stunning team goal was voted the best goal scored this season. Longelo himself hasn't been shy in front of goal this season, scoring nine times in total this campaign. The Top Goalscorer award was next to be presented, with Tawanda Maswanhise heading back on stage for the second time on the night to collect the award. His 22 goals have him top of the goalscoring charts in the Scottish Premiership this season, as he aims to collect the Golden Boot in the division this season. The coaching staff had their say next, voting for the Coaches' Player of the Year. With a full squad of players who have impressed all season, Elliot Watt picked up the accolade after an immense season in the middle of the pitch. His twists, turns, goals and pinpoint passing got the vote from the backroom team. Bouncing back from a disappointing season last year, Watt has caught the eye of many, and plenty think he should be up for international recognition soon. The penultimate award was all about the players. Every player had their say, and Elijah Just was voted Players' Player of the Year. Many were in with a chance with Lukas Fadinger, Elliot Watt, Calum Ward, Paul McGinn and Tawanda Maswanhise all nominated, but it was Just who got the nod following his maiden season in Scotland. Also nominated for PFA Player of the Year, Just's performances have earned him a lot of praise from various supporters up and down the country. And the final award of the evening also went to Just. Voted Player of the Year by the Motherwell FC supporters, he capped off a wonderful night picking up his second trophy. A big thank you to all our sponsors and those who attended. Your support is much appreciated.

There have been only two sides in the Scottish Premiership this season that Motherwell have failed to beat, one of whom was Falkirk.  Facing off for the fourth time this season, Falkirk had won both matches at Fir Park. The Steelmen knew a win would put them on the cusp of qualification for Europe, but the hosts continued to get the better of the Steelmen. It took until the second half for the deadlock to be broken, and in the closing stages, Motherwell looked to rescue a point but couldn't get the ball over the line. John McGlynn's side got the better of Motherwell once again, and with three games to go, it's all still to play for in the Premiership.

Jens Berthel Askou's post-match thoughts.

Captain Paul McGinn explains his delight at being included in the PFA Team of the Season for the first time in his career, as he looks to end the season strongly.  McGinn breaks down his thoughts on the successful season he's had and why it's clicked under Jens Berthel Askou.

Jens Berthel Askou says the players came into work with a skip in their stride following Sunday's big win at Ibrox, but says there's lots still to be decided this season and his players have an extra incentive to try and defeat Falkirk for the first time this season. Falkirk are only one of two teams the Steelmen have to taste victory against this campaign, and Askou is hungry for success tomorrow.

Elijah Just took a big risk coming to Scotland. A country that on paper wouldn't suit his style of play, Just stuck to his gut and signed the deal to join Motherwell. Now almost a year later, it's evident that risk has paid off. Nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, alongside his teammate Tawanda Maswanhise, Just has been widely recognised as one of the best players in the country this season.  His continuous outstanding displays have seen him catch the headlines on numerous occasions and the eye of opposition supporters. A humble player who keeps his head down, Just refrains from looking too far into the future but knows his club side must qualify for European football at this stage, with his other eye on New Zealand's appearance at the World Cup in the near future.

Motherwell kicked off their post-split fixtures with a trip to Ibrox. A notoriously difficult venue to pick up any points from, although the Steelmen have recorded a win in each of their last two seasons in Govan.  Rangers fans packed out Ibrox as they looked to take a step towards securing their first Premiership title in five years, but it was Motherwell who put on the show. Lukas Fadinger and Emmanuel Longelo had the Steelmen cruising midway through the first-half and in truth, it could have been a bigger scoreline by half-time. Rangers made changes and got the game back on level terms by 70 minutes, with the home crowd seemingly convinced that their team would complete the comeback. But this Motherwell side never threw in the towel and remained composed through the storm, and when Stephen O'Donnell burst up the line in the 90th minute, he fed Longelo, who fired past Jack Butland to spark wild scenes in the away end. Taking a huge step towards European football, Motherwell continue to impress as the season goes on, and despite many saying they had run out of steam, they continue to prove there's still more to be achieved this season.