This is an excerpt from this week's Claret and Amber Alert, a free Motherwell newsletter written by Graeme McGarry that goes out every Thursday at 6pm. To sign up, click here.
I don’t know what pleased me most about Friday night.
There was the glorious stoppage time winner as young Lennon Miller kept his cool from the spot. My daft as a brush eejit of a son celebrating by whipping his top off and refusing to put it back on until he was in the house. Three sides of Fir Park bursting at the seams with Motherwell fans creating a special atmosphere under the lights.
Or perhaps it was watching the highlights with a beer later on, and the schadenfreude of reading the comments from furious Dundee United supporters on Twitter about having to watch the game with ‘Well TV commentary. Tee hee. (Incidentally, United fans on there were great sports when I posted a picture of the wee man’s rather over-exuberant celebrations, so thanks to them for their warm words of congratulation).
Either way, it was a heck of a night at the old place, and not even the sight of Louis Moult rapping one into Aston Oxborough’s top corner could take the shine off it in the end.
And speaking of Moult, the draw on Sunday pitting Motherwell against Rangers in the semi-final of course immediately prompted glorious memories of the afternoon when the striker put Pedro Caixinha’s men to the sword at Hampden back in 2017, with Fabio Cardoso and co being introduced to Stephen Robinson’s Thunderdome along the way.
Of course, lingering affection for Moult was placed firmly on the backburner last Friday, and so too will the residual admiration for the job Robinson did at Fir Park when he brings St Mirren to his old stomping ground on Saturday.
But it is certainly worth reflecting on that match-up with Rangers seven years ago in the lead up to the rematch in early November, and not only to remind the current Motherwell players that there is nothing to be feared from taking on the blue side of Glasgow on such an occasion.
Back then, just as now, the Rangers team was not of a level that one might traditionally expect of a side out of Ibrox, and while Motherwell will still be huge underdogs, there are plenty of reasons to believe that Stuart Kettlewell can follow in Robinson’s footsteps and give the fans another historic afternoon in Mount Florida.
On the back of Friday night too, personal reflections on how much these occasions and results can mean to fans have been impossible for me to avoid, so please forgive a wee bit of schmaltzy sentimentality.
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In 2017, my eldest – the shirtless dafty from the top of the article - was only six. He travelled to Hampden that afternoon with me and my old man carrying none of the scars that we did from past disappointments, and that was evident as he was the only one of us to predict a Motherwell victory.
When Motherwell actually pulled it off, the celebrations we shared rank not only among the best moments in all my long years following the ‘Well all over the country, but of my life.
I’m sure many others will have similar stories about times they shared with their family or friends watching Motherwell triumphs, which is what it is all about when all is said and done, really. Friday’s triumph may not have been of the same magnitude as beating Rangers at Hampden, but it just felt like one of those special nights.
I read on social media tales of mums and dads sharing that joyous ending with their kids, and many spoke of it being the first time that they had got to experience such an occasion together with their young ones.
This is the magic that hooks fans for life, and it is why the sterling efforts of the club and the ‘Well Society in getting so many fans through the turnstiles was worthwhile not only in willing the team over the line on the night, but for getting more fans into Fir Park on an ongoing basis.
After a summer where it seemed as though the fanbase was fractured and the relationship between the support and the club was strained to say the least, it finally appears as though everyone is pulling in the same direction again.
There will be disagreements of course about the way forward and debates to be had about certain aspects of the running of the club, but Brian Caldwell and the ‘Well Society have made solid strides in bringing everyone back together, while the value of Stuart Kettlewell getting such results as the one against United can’t be underestimated in that regard either.
The club and the Society now must keep their foot to the floor and try to build on this opportunity and the momentum that is currently behind them as much as they possibly can. Can they harness the goodwill from everything that surrounded the game on Friday – the crowd, the win, the togetherness – and build upon it?
Short term, can we get as many fans as possible along to the game against St Mirren? Longer term, how do we get as many season tickets in the hands of kids in Lanarkshire as possible?
Supporting Motherwell can be a test of resolve, and a labour of love. But sometimes, like at Hampden back in 2017, or at Fir Park last Friday, it can be absolutely magical. So, let’s keep spreading the word.
