Motherwell F.C.

Beginnings

Motherwell was born on 17 May 1886, when representatives of the two main Motherwell works teams Glencairn FC and Alpha F.C. met in Baillie's pub in the town's Merry Street, and decided to merge the two teams with the aim of creating a club to represent the town as a whole at a higher footballing level. Motherwell's debut fixture proved to be a successful one as they overcame Hamilton Academical 3–2.

The early years proved somewhat chaotic as the club had little regular competition to play in, and matches would often start with players short, as men failed to turn up on time after their shifts in the local ironworks. On 5 August 1893, the decision was made to turn professional, and the club was consequently elected to the league, then being the only Lanarkshire side to compete at national level. Up until 1895, the club had played at a few different venues, including a site at Roman Road, and Dalziel Park. The small pitch and muddy conditions at Dalziel Park were deemed unsuitable and Lord Hamilton granted a lease on a plot of land on his Dalzell estate. This new ground was named Fir Park and has remained the club's home for over 120 years. The following years saw the club grow, appointing their first and longest serving manager to date, John 'Sailor' Hunter, who would go on to steer the club into its most successful period. In 1913, the decision was made to change the club's colours from blue to the now signature claret and amber. It is thought this was…

Motherwell have won a number of league titles and cups in their history, which includes four major domestic trophy successes. Their sole Scottish league championship came in season 1931–32 (finishing with 66 points in total, a winning margin of 5 points). Their biggest cup success was winning the Scottish Cup twice in 1951–52 (4–0 v Dundee) and 1990–91 (4–3 v Dundee United), and the Scottish League Cup once in 1950–51 (3–0 v Hibernian). Motherwell also won the now defunct Summer Cup in 1943–44 and 1964–65. They have also won the second tier of Scottish league football on four occasions. Other notable cup success includes winning the Scottish Qualifying Cup once and winning the Lanarkshire Cup forty times, most recently in its last edition played in 2014. Their most recent cup final appearances came in the 2017–18 Scottish Cup and the 2017–18 Scottish League Cup, losing both to Celtic 2–0. Their best league performance recently in the Scottish top flight was registering back-to-back second-place finishes in 2012–13 and 2013–14. They have qualified for European competition ten times. In the summer of 1927, Motherwell won an invitational 'Copa del Rey' trophy in Madrid as part of their tour of Spain, beating fellow tourists Swansea Town 4–3 in the semi-final and hosts Real Madrid 3–1 in the final. Below is a list of honours won and other achievements by Motherwell.