In both 1955 and 1986 Motherwell escaped relegation thanks to league reconstruction. The 1954/55 campaign saw the ‘Well finish second bottom in the old ‘A’ Division. The 1985/86 season had a similar bearing but thankfully escaped the dreaded drop. The next flirtation with possible relegation came in 2003, Motherwell had been in Administration and had a very young side and finished last during a tough campaign. Thankfully Division One champions Falkirk’s Brockville Stadium didn’t meet SPL requirements and were denied promotion.
The club however were not so lucky in 1953, 1968 and 1984 but on all three occasions achieved promotion at the first attempt. However relegation in 1979 would see the club stay out of Scotland’s top flight until Davie Hays side gained promotion in 1982.