March


Saturday 1st March 1919

The club’s Secretary intimated the transfer of wing half Jimmy Archibald who now leaves Fir Park to join English side Tottenham Hotspur for of a fee of £100.

Wednesday 1st March 1972

In late February Motherwell and Ayr United drew 0-0 at Somerset Park in the Scottish Cup, the replayed fixture on this date was played midweek during the afternoon in the middle of a working day. The situation arose due to an energy crisis which meant club’s couldn’t play midweek games under floodlights for the foreseeable future. Despite the unorthodox kick off time 11,000 fans were in attendance to see the Steelmen progress to the next round with a 2-1 win.

Saturday 2nd March 1907

Thanks to a goal from Andy Donaldson, Motherwell secured a 1-0 win over Rangers at Fir Park in front of a crowd of 4,500. This was the club’s first competitive win over the side from Govan in Lanarkshire. The side had made it a double as they had won at Ibrox earlier in the season. Prior to this the side had lost five and drawn once.

Saturday 4th March 1939

As the side lined up at Fir Park to face Celtic in the Scottish Cup Quarter Finals, a bumper crowd was in attendance (31,000) for what was the clubs first ever all ticket game at the stadium. Motherwell recorded a 3-1 win thanks to goals from McCulloch (2) and Stevenson while Delaney netted Celtic’s consolation. ‘Well progressed to the Semi’s where they would meet Aberdeen at Ibrox.

Wednesday 4th March 2020

The side recorded a fine 4-1 home win over Ross County in a Premiership fixture via goals from Mark O’Hara, a double from Allan Campbell and Tony Watt who scored on the 90th minute, this would prove to be the last goal scored at Fir Park in front of fans for 500 days (1 year, 4 months and 13 days) as the season would be suspended just over a week later due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Wednesday 6th March 1946

Willie Redpath signs for the club, they had managed to beat off many English and Scottish clubs in securing his services.

Saturday 7th March 1998

New manager, Harri Kampman takes charge of his first match, the side however would falter as Dunfermline Athletic recorded a 2-1 win at East End Park.

Saturday 7th march 2020

Motherwell traveled along to Tynecastle to face Hearts in a game which finished 1-1 with Chris Long getting on the scoresheet for the Steelmen, this would prove to be the last fixture the club would play during the 2019/20 season as Scottish Football would subsequently be suspended less than a week later due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tuesday 9th March 1965

The Board have a discussion on who will take the helm of manager after the resignation of Bobby Ancell who will now be taking up the post at Dundee. Howitt, Husband, Pearson and Prentice have all been interviewed for the vacancy, many others applied but will not be interviewed. After much deliberation it was decided that Bobby Howitt was the outstanding candidate and that he will be offered the position.

Tuesday 10th March 1914

The Board’s patience finally had wore thin as it was unanimously decided that William Loney was to be dismissed from club services. The defender had previous issues relating to liquor and his dismissal reported ‘for intemperance and breach of training regulations’ – this was also reported to the SFA. He was immediately placed on the transfer list.

Tuesday 10th March 1998

Perhaps the frustrating side of transfer business. The club expected midfielder Neil Whitworth to report to Fir Park at 9am for training as he was expected to sign a deal with the club. He had recently been released by Kilmarnock, on his no show his agent claims “members of the Fir Park coaching staff are friendly with Killie boss Bobby Williamson, who handed Whitworth his free transfer” subsequently the agent blocked the move. Neil then opted to sign for English side Wigan Athletic instead.

Monday 12th March 1928

The Board of Directors reject an offer for George Stevenson which came from Huddersfield Town, £5,500 was tabled with a further advance of £500 by telegram but the club were not interested.

Also discussed was a clause within the contract of the clubs upcoming South American Tour, Clause 9 which stated that Motherwell must be within the top four in the League when the season ends or the tour is considered to be cancelled.

Sunday 13th March 2011

‘Well traveled to Tannadice to face Dundee United in the Quarter Final’s of the Scottish Cup a tie which was shown live on Sky Sports. John Sutton put Motherwell ahead in the 1st minute before David Goodwillie equalised on the 40th minute. Sutton put the Steelmen ahead again midway through the second half but United’s Jon Daly equalised a minute later. The tie ended up 2-2 so both sides will now meet in a replay at Fir Park.

Friday 13th March 2020

On the morning before Motherwell was scheduled to face Aberdeen in a vital Premiership match which was scheduled to be shown live on BT Sport the SPFL take the decision to suspend all Scottish football due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Tuesday 14th March 1922

Craig Brown is selected to play for the Scottish League against the English League. The match will take place on the 18th March 1922 at Ibrox.

Friday 14th March 1997

Veteran Hibernian winger Mickey Weir joins the club on a free transfer until the end of the season.

Saturday 14th March 1998

‘Well put a massive dent in Rangers 10 in a row aspirations by beating them 2-1 at Fir Park. Ally McCoist had put the Govan outfit in front with an early lead but Owen Coyle equalised for the Steelmen just before half time. Willie Falconer snatched the winner on the 87th minute which sealed all three points. This result was the first win for new manager Harri Kampman.

Tuesday 15th March 1927

The Board confirmed a Tour of Spain which would see the club receive a total guarantee of £1,700. The travel party would include 16 players, manager, trainer and guide. Over the months of May and June the side would face the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Club and Celta Vigo.

Tuesday 15th March 1949

Manager George Stevenson confirms to the Board that the transfer of Willie Barclay to English side Bury has been finalised and the club will receive a £4,000 transfer fee.

Wednesday 15th March 2017

Stephen Robinson is officially named as the new Motherwell manager taking over the reigns from the sacked Mark McGhee. He initially was appointed as interim manager and took charge of the side in a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park followed by a 1-0 defeat at Aberdeen at Pittodrie. Chairman Jim McMahon described the former Oldham manager as the “outstanding candidate” who had emerged from a five man shortlist.

Tuesday 17th March 1936

John ‘Sailor’ Hunter reported to the Board that he was successful in transferring Duncan Ogilvie to Huddersfield Town Football Club, the fee agreed upon was £2,900.

Tuesday 16th March 1937

The board receive an estimate for a 15 day tour in Denmark which was quoted at £28.17/- per person. It was decided to accept an offer of £800 for four games but the Board decided to press for an additional match with an offer of £1,000 if possible.

Monday 19th March 1973

Bobby Howitt asks the Directors to be released from his managerial duties at Fir Park. After much discussion they come to a consensus and agree to his request. In the meantime Bobby has accepted taking the role of Assistant Manager until a new man is appointed to the vacant post. The vacancy will be advertised immediately.

Thursday 20th March 1997

Alex McLeish had hoped to sign his former team mate Stewart McKimmie after his release from Aberdeen but he is left disappointed as the defender opts to head to Tannadice to join Dundee United.

Friday 20th March 2015

Motherwell didn’t enjoy the return of Hamilton Accies to the top flight during the 2014/15 season as in the previous two league games during the campaign ‘Well crashed to a 0-4 defeat at home and 5-0 blitz on New Years Day at New Douglas Park. Thankfully however on this night the Lanarkshire Derby was televised live on BT Sport which saw Motherwell finally getting a bit of retribution. A fine second half display from ‘Well saw a four goal return two from Ainsworth and two from Sutton as the side registered a 4-0 win. A precious three points in the fight against the drop.

Tuesday 21st March 1922

The Board discuss a letter which was received from “Societa Sporting Milan” Club of Italy who invited Motherwell on a two week tour which would commence at the end of the season. A guarantee of £250 was on the table plus all expenses would be our terms.

Friday 21st March 1997

It was reported in a national tabloid that the club has signed East Fife player Kevin Christie for a fee of £10,000. The defender had actually not been long released by Aberdeen and had only been on the books at Bayview for a short time.

Tuesday 21st March 2000

The club were renowned for their floodlight friendlies against foreign opposition back in the day. On this occasion against Gothenburg fans were treated to a dull 0-0 with nothing of note to write home about. Ticket prices for the game were £5 for adults and £1 for kids with season tickets also being valid.

Friday 22nd March 2019

Motherwell quartet Allan Campbell, Jake Hastie, Barry Maguire (currently on loan at Queen of the South) and David Turnbull all start for Scotland U21’s versus Mexico (0-0) on this date.

Tuesday 24th March 1959

The Board receive a letter from John Hunter. Due to his advancing years and failing eyesight he decided to bring his tenure with the club to an end. He was thanked for his 48 years of service and his resignation was accepted with regret. Going forward it was agreed that Mr Hunter will receive a weekly pension of £10.

Saturday 24th March 2018

Goalkeeper, Trevor Carson wins his first cap for Northern Ireland in a 2-1 win at Windsor Park against South Korea. Despite being capped from U17 level all the way through to the U21’s then onto the B team he had always seemed to be overlooked by the full national side. His form at Fir Park didn’t go unnoticed and he would go onto to add more caps. 

Monday 25th March 2019

Motherwell quartet Allan Campbell, Jake Hastie, Barry Maguire (currently on loan at Queen of the South) and David Turnbull all feature for Scotland U21’s versus Sweden. The Scots are defeated 2-1 with Maguire scoring the consolation. Campbell and Maguire started the game with Hastie and Turnbull being used from the bench in the second half.

Monday 26th March 1979

The side were struggling badly in the league and over the past few matches they had been on the end of some humiliating defeats against Dundee United (0-4), St Mirren (0-3) and Morton (0-6). However on this day Aberdeen demolished the side 8-0 at Pittodrie in which to this day remains the clubs biggest ever defeat.

Wednesday 26th March 1997

Alex McLeish feels the heat as Motherwell languish in a playoff spot. Eck asked Scotland manager Craig Brown for some time off to spend with his players and away from Scotland U21 duties, former Aberdeen manager Alex Smith will take over the post in the meantime.

Friday 27th March 1998

The club are given the go ahead to build a new club shop and ticket office at Fir Park. The building will be a stand alone two storey facility located between the Main Stand and the Davie Cooper Stand on Fir Park Street.

Saturday 29th March 1947

Motherwell met Hibernian in the Scottish Cup Semi Final tie at Hampden and would miss out on the Final after falling to a 1-2 defeat. Eddie Turnbull had the Easter Road club up 1-0 before Willie Kilmarnock equalised from the spot in the 57th minute. The game proved to be a real marathon as it went for 152 minutes before the decisive goal was scored. Hibs winning goal was a fluke as ‘Well keeper John Johnston smashed a clearance up field only for Hibs defender Hugh Howie to connect with it first time from 60 yards and it nestled in the net to seal the victory for the side from Edinburgh. He played 268 first team games for Hibernian and this would be his only goal for them.

Wednesday 30th March 2011

‘Well meet Dundee United in a Scottish Cup Quarter Final replay at Fir Park in front of a bumper crowd of 8,337. The Steelmen put in a fantastic showing securing a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Jamie Murphy, Chris Humphrey and Francis Jeffers. St Johnstone lay in wait for the winners in the Semi Final. At the ‘Well United replay was many weeks after the original tie was played tickets for the Semi had already been printed so they stated Dundee United/Motherwell versus St Johnstone. This was the second time this season Motherwell had knocked United out of the cup as they beat them 1-0 in the League Cup at the same stage.

Saturday 31st March 1951

Motherwell defeat Hibernian 3-2 in the Scottish Cup Semi Final tie at Tynecastle. ‘Well scorers: Kelly (2) & McLeod. Hibernian scorers: Reilly (2).

Tuesday 31st March 1998

Harri Kampman adds Swedish striker Mats Lundgren to his playing squad as he signs for the club on a short term deal. Apart from appearing on the bench in a match versus Celtic one afternoon the player was rarely seen and was on the list of released player come what May having failed to play any minutes for the first team.

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