Favourite Well games of the past

[MJC]

New Year 2004 against Dundee Utd at Fir Park. Phil O’Donnell made his second debut from the bench, David Clarkson scored a hat trick as we came from behind to win 3-1 and Andy McLaren wanted to square-go the entire East Stand after they were goading them about some aspects of his lifestyle.

That wasn’t a game you forget in a hurry.

[Electric Blues]

1 hour ago, grumpy said:

That was the one I was thinking of too. Did Jim O'Rourke score four of our goals?

Just the three. (I'd like to say I remembered that, but I had to look it up.) 

Motherwell: O'Rourke 51, 61, 65, Pettigrew 71, Davidson 74
Kilmarnock: Fallis 5, 13, Maxwell 67, Smith 68

[Mad Dog]

Definitely this one, one of my first memories as an overseas 'Well fan:

 

Edit: seems I don't know how to post a video. It's the 3-0 v The h*n in '91.

Edited July 5, 2022 by Yabba's Turd
Mobile youtube links don't work

[weeyin]

27 minutes ago, Electric Blues said:

I was there too. Willie Irvine had scored in the first half, and when the half-time scores were announced (I think it was QOTS Killie were playing?) the Hearts fans couldn't get at us so they started  fighting each other. We went back up the road in a bus with no windows - happy, happy days!

Sounds about right. I think Willie Irvine and Brian McLaughlin were joint top scorers before that game, so they were battling it out to take the honours.  And we only needed one goal to  break the record number of goals in a First Division campaign. 

The fact that is stopped Hearts being promoted was a bonus. 

[ropy]

1 hour ago, grumpy said:

That was the one I was thinking of too. Did Jim O'Rourke score four of our goals?

My big sister came to that one with me

[ropy]

I was taken to a Hibs game in 1975 by a family member, my first time in the main stand.  At half time I was asked if I was enjoying myself, I got berated for saying yes, we were 1-0 down.  We won 4-1.

[Ped_MFC]

Forgot to mention the 2-1 victory at home to Rangers when Dickie Gough scored an o.g. to win it for us.  Fraser Wishart scored our first iirc.

[spudmfc]

On 7/3/2022 at 6:01 PM, fizoxy said:

There was also a game, I think the year before this, where we beat Aberdeen 2-1 at FP. Paul lambert scored with a good finish after a nice move, then Coyne and Davies combined for a clever free kick routine, where the latter passed to TC down the outside of the wall, and he finished under the keeper from a tight angle. Not a hugely important game, but I had it taped off sportscene, and could see myself in the crowd, so it stuck with me. The footage isn't online, which is a shame.

I remember that goal..TC faked injury whilst hobbling into the box then made a remarkable recovery t pounce

[Ya Bezzer!]

When people ask this question I usually say this even though at the end of the day there was no great stakes and it was 3 points and nothing more.  There was so much incident in this match the highlights barely cover it.

Look out for Motherwell 'favourite' John Clark giving Dougie a hard boot after the 2nd penalty award! And Andy Roddie missing his big chance to score a goal for us.

 

[andalg]

One of my favourite games was when we beat Rangers on the last day of the 1999-2000  season Great atmosphere as we were in with a shout of Europe if we beat them and Hearts lost. Sadly wasn't to be as Hibs let us down 

https://www.motherwellnet.com/database/season-archive/1990s/1999-00-fixtures/21st-may-2000/

[Pettywulliegrew-2]

15 hours ago, ropy said:

I was taken to a Hibs game in 1975 by a family member, my first time in the main stand.  At half time I was asked if I was enjoying myself, I got berated for saying yes, we were 1-0 down.  We won 4-1.

8th Feb 1975
Higgins for Hibs…….Pettigrew double …..and the  2 Bobbys…..Graham and Watson

[twistandshout1983]

2 hours ago, andalg said:

One of my favourite games was when we beat Rangers on the last day of the 1999-2000  season Great atmosphere as we were in with a shout of Europe if we beat them and Hearts lost. Sadly wasn't to be as Hibs let us down 

https://www.motherwellnet.com/database/season-archive/1990s/1999-00-fixtures/21st-may-2000/

Loved this game despite the fact we missed out on Europe , the usual few drubbings from Rangers early on that season made this victory a good one

Three things I remember is Spencer lifting up his shirt to show a message on his t-shirt The Fridge , at one point people were celebrating thinking Hibs were beating Hearts, only for it to be the opposite ,  and then the usual pitch invasion at the end , the media were of course giving the Rangers fans great credit at the time for not reacting to those nasty Motherwell taunts , Jim Delahunt in particular I recall 

[MJC]

1 hour ago, twistandshout1983 said:

Loved this game despite the fact we missed out on Europe , the usual few drubbings from Rangers early on that season made this victory a good one

Three things I remember is Spencer lifting up his shirt to show a message on his t-shirt The Fridge , at one point people were celebrating thinking Hibs were beating Hearts, only for it to be the opposite ,  and then the usual pitch invasion at the end , the media were of course giving the Rangers fans great credit at the time for not reacting to those nasty Motherwell taunts , Jim Delahunt in particular I recall 

That was a weird season that one.

Some memorable wins, the 2-0 v Rangers you mention above, beating Celtic 1-0 at Parkhead with 10 men and 3-2 at FP, beating Hearts with a last minute Pat Nevin goal in a re-arranged game after the first one was abandoned.

But at the same time we had some absolutely awful results. We lost 4-3 at home against Ayr Utd in the Scottish Cup having led 2-1 then 3-2 and them having an outfield player in goal for a spell in the first half. There was also that ridiculous 6-5 loss at home against an Aberdeen side that had scored two goals all season before that game and a 4-0 home loss against Kilmarnock in a midweek game. Dundee cuffed us a couple of times at home as well.

And yet somehow we almost managed to qualify for Europe. That was a very expensively assembled Motherwell side too.

[twistandshout1983]

6 hours ago, MJC_mkII said:

That was a weird season that one.

Some memorable wins, the 2-0 v Rangers you mention above, beating Celtic 1-0 at Parkhead with 10 men and 3-2 at FP, beating Hearts with a last minute Pat Nevin goal in a re-arranged game after the first one was abandoned.

But at the same time we had some absolutely awful results. We lost 4-3 at home against Ayr Utd in the Scottish Cup having led 2-1 then 3-2 and them having an outfield player in goal for a spell in the first half. There was also that ridiculous 6-5 loss at home against an Aberdeen side that had scored two goals all season before that game and a 4-0 home loss against Kilmarnock in a midweek game. Dundee cuffed us a couple of times at home as well.

And yet somehow we almost managed to qualify for Europe. That was a very expensively assembled Motherwell side too.

The Pat Nevin goal against Hearts was one that sticks in the mind also, what also sticks in my mind more was the original game that was abandoned

Found the footage on youtube uploaded by a Hearts fan,  I remember it being horrid conditions that day,  I fast forwarded it to the half time part and the conditions look shocking

Interesting that Pat Nevin himself claims he played in worse with us winning 1-0 at the time ,  Billy Davies looks like he is going to explode and even remember this being featured on BBC breakfast news the next morning with John Boyle annoyed 

Anyway we won the rearranged game 2-1 which was an 8 game unbeaten run before christmas

[Big Wispy Flossy]

Tommy coyne I seem to recall scoring the winner to put Celtic out the cup at fir park

ross McCormick inspired performance at Tynecastle in cup shortly after Phil’s passing .

Two good cup memories from yesteryear

[weeyin]

A few more cup ties that spring to mind are Cowdenbeath away (when it felt like the entire town turned up at the game), scudding Dumbarton 4 - 0 when we were in the First Division and they were in the SPL and the John McKeever game against Dundee Utd in the first leg of the League Cup (when Utd robbed us in the return leg).

[Yabba's Turd]

2 hours ago, Big Wispy Flossy said:

Tommy coyne I seem to recall scoring the winner to put Celtic out the cup at fir park

The reverse header in gale force winds?

[mio]

5 hours ago, Yabba's Turd said:

The reverse header in gale force winds?

What a day/game that was. I vividly recall a bellend supporter screaming at coyne all game how he’d never score against Celtic. He got shut up when coyne scored and then coyne proceeded to score nearly every time he played celtic. Great striker.

Three most memorable games

semi final replay v celtic (1)

dortmund away (2)

rangers at ibrox midweek when we won 2-1, Dougies winner (3)

[MJC]

12 hours ago, twistandshout1983 said:

The Pat Nevin goal against Hearts was one that sticks in the mind also, what also sticks in my mind more was the original game that was abandoned

First time I’ve seen that since the night itself. The pitch was absolutely unplayable by half time and it was the correct decision to abandon at that point, but remember being raging about it at the time as we were 1-0 up. Was there not some story at the time that Hearts chief executive had gone into the referees room at half time and asked him to stop the game? I remember several of the Hearts players complaining that the ball wasn’t rolling(which to be fair it wasn’t).

Nevin’s last minute winners in the re-arranged game made it all the sweeter. Their keeper, Rousset was sent off for them in the first half too I remember.

[Big Wispy Flossy]

11 hours ago, Yabba's Turd said:

The reverse header in gale force winds?

The very one! long throw from main stand side at cooper goals unless my memory is playing tricks on me 

[twistandshout1983]

11 hours ago, MJC_mkII said:

First time I’ve seen that since the night itself. The pitch was absolutely unplayable by half time and it was the correct decision to abandon at that point, but remember being raging about it at the time as we were 1-0 up. Was there not some story at the time that Hearts chief executive had gone into the referees room at half time and asked him to stop the game? I remember several of the Hearts players complaining that the ball wasn’t rolling(which to be fair it wasn’t).

Nevin’s last minute winners in the re-arranged game made it all the sweeter. Their keeper, Rousset was sent off for them in the first half too I remember.

Was definetly the case,  it was Chris Robinson at the time and this had annoyed John Boyle so much

To be fair Billy Davies was spot on,  should have been called off before it had started

Here is another favourite of mine from the same era,  Was at this game at Tannadice and was Big Don Goodman's debut

The Well were excellent on this day 

 

 

[Ya Bezzer!]

On 7/5/2022 at 10:52 PM, Big Wispy Flossy said:

Tommy coyne I seem to recall scoring the winner to put Celtic out the cup at fir park

That match was a great result but a terrible game.  Was played in gale force winds making it almost impossible to play any football.  Kinda similar to the Hibs match last season.

[twistandshout1983]

11 hours ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

That match was a great result but a terrible game.  Was played in gale force winds making it almost impossible to play any football.  Kinda similar to the Hibs match last season.

Great result that day

Motherwell undefeated in 1994 against Celtic who have still to win a match in the new year 

[Kat]

I have been updating my YouTube channel the past few weeks, reading this thread had inspired me to do so as I have a ton of VHS videos containing live matches and Scotsport episodes squirrelled away all ranging in different quality of course.

Motherwellnet YouTube

When it comes to my favourite match, I could point to all the easy ones but beating high flying Hearts 6-1 in December 2002 was a particular highlight for me. Obviously it was the first full season in administration, for that reason I had made it a point that I would attend every home game that season, I had to do it with my own money for the first time and typically Motherwell had been on a really poor run, I think we had beaten Celtic in September and failed to win again until this fixture. We blew Hearts away going in a 4-0 at half time, David Partridge at one point tried to clear the ball at the edge of our box of Stevie Woods goal but the ball hit the junction of the post like a rocket and bounced back into play. I think we only got the 6 league wins all of which were again the top 6 teams and includes beating Rangers and Celtic and humping Livi 6-1. Hard to believe that was going on 20 years now.

[weeyin]

Excellent work - brings back some good (and bad) memories.

Seeing Raith Rovers on there is also a stark (no pun intended) reminder of how things can change when you drop out of the top league and never make it back. A long list of casualties from Clydebank to Dumbarton.