| 1996–97 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Alex McLeish |
| Premier Division | 8th |
| Scottish Cup | Quarter-finals |
| League Cup | Second round |
| Top goalscorer | League:Tommy Coyne (11) All: Tommy Coyne (11) |
The 1996–97 season wasMotherwell's 12th consecutive season in theScottish Premier Division, the top division of Scottish Football.
Motherwell started the season with pre-season friendlies in England againstSouthend United,Baldock Town andBlyth Spartans. Motherwell lost to Southend United, defeated Baldock Town and Blyth Spartans before returning toFir Park to face Portuguese giantsPorto, losing 1–0.[1]
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Signed in | Contract ends | Apps. | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||
| Scott Howie | GK | (1972-01-04)4 January 1972 (aged 25) | Norwich City | 1994 | ||||||
| Stevie Woods | GK | (1970-02-23)23 February 1970 (aged 27) | Preston North End | 1994 | ||||||
| Defenders | ||||||||||
| Mitchell van der Gaag | DF | (1971-10-22)22 October 1971 (aged 25) | PSV Eindhoven | 1995 | ||||||
| Stephen Craigan | DF | (1976-10-29)29 October 1976 (aged 20) | Blantyre Victoria | 1995 | ||||||
| Kevin Christie | DF | (1976-04-01)1 April 1976 (aged 21) | East Fife | 1997 | ||||||
| Greig Denham | DF | (1976-10-05)5 October 1976 (aged 20) | Youth team | 1994 | ||||||
| Brian Martin | DF | (1963-02-24)24 February 1963 (aged 34) | St Mirren | 1991 | ||||||
| Eddie May | DF | (1967-08-30)30 August 1967 (aged 29) | Falkirk | 1994 | ||||||
| David McCallum | DF | (1977-09-07)7 September 1977 (aged 19) | Bearsden BC | 1995 | ||||||
| Chris McCart | DF | (1967-04-17)17 April 1967 (aged 30) | Youth team | 1985 | ||||||
| Steve McMillan | DF | (1976-01-19)19 January 1976 (aged 21) | Troon | 1993 | ||||||
| John Philliben | DF | (1964-03-14)14 March 1964 (aged 33) | Doncaster Rovers | 1986 | ||||||
| Fraser Wishart | DF | (1965-03-01)1 March 1965 (aged 32) | Heart of Midlothian | 1996 | ||||||
| Midfielders | ||||||||||
| Joni Lehtonen | MF | (1973-09-30)30 September 1973 (aged 23) | Ilves | 1996 | ||||||
| Simo Valakari | MF | (1973-04-28)28 April 1973 (aged 24) | FinnPa | 1996 | ||||||
| Billy Davies | MF | (1964-05-31)31 May 1964 (aged 32) | Dunfermline Athletic | 1993 | ||||||
| Lee McCulloch | MF | (1978-05-14)14 May 1978 (aged 18) | Youth team | 1994 | 21 | 0 | ||||
| Shaun McSkimming | MF | (1970-05-29)29 May 1970 (aged 26) | Kilmarnock | 1994 | ||||||
| Ian Ross | MF | (1974-08-27)27 August 1974 (aged 22) | Youth team | 1995 | ||||||
| Mickey Weir | MF | (1966-01-16)16 January 1966 (aged 31) | Hibernian | 1996 | ||||||
| Forwards | ||||||||||
| Owen Coyle | FW | (1966-07-14)14 July 1966 (aged 30) | Dundee United | 1997 | ||||||
| Tommy Coyne | FW | (1962-11-14)14 November 1962 (aged 34) | Tranmere Rovers | 1993 | ||||||
| Roy Essandoh | FW | (1976-02-17)17 February 1976 (aged 21) | Cumbernauld United | 1994 | ||||||
| Dougie Arnott | FW | (1964-08-05)5 August 1964 (aged 32) | Pollok | 1986 | ||||||
| Alex Burns | FW | (1973-08-04)4 August 1973 (aged 23) | Youth team | 1991 | ||||||
| Willie Falconer | FW | (1966-04-05)5 April 1966 (aged 31) | Celtic | 1996 | ||||||
| John Hendry | FW | (1970-01-06)6 January 1970 (aged 27) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1995 | ||||||
| Left during the season | ||||||||||
| Jamie Dolan | MF | (1969-02-22)22 February 1969 (aged 28) | Youth team | 1987 | ||||||
| Innes Ritchie | DF | (1973-08-24)24 August 1973 (aged 23) | Youth team | 1992 | ||||||
| Andy Roddie | MF | (1971-11-04)4 November 1971 (aged 25) | Aberdeen | 1994 | ||||||
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 November 1997 | MF | Joni Lehtonen | Ilves | Undisclosed | ||
| 7 January 1998 | FW | Owen Coyle | Dundee United | Player swap | ||
| 7 February 1998 | MF | Simo Valakari | FinnPa | Undisclosed | ||
| 14 March 1998 | MF | Mickey Weir | Hibernian | Undisclosed | ||
| 21 March 1998 | DF | Kevin Christie | East Fife | Undisclosed |
| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 July 2021 | FW | Matthew Connelly | Gretna | End of season |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 January 1998 | MF | Jamie Dolan | Dundee United | Player swap | ||
| 11 January 1998 | DF | Innes Ritchie | East Fife | Undisclosed | ||
| 27 January 1998 | MF | Andy Roddie | Notts County | Undisclosed |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | Joined | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 June 1996 | MF | Paul Lambert | Borussia Dortmund |
| 24 July 2021 | Southend United | 1 – 0 | Motherwell | Southend-on-Sea |
| BST (UTC+1) | Stadium:Roots Hall |
| 25 July 2021 | Baldock Town | 1 – 2 | Motherwell | Arlesey |
| BST (UTC+1) | Stadium:Hitchin Road |
| 27 July 2021 | Blyth Spartans | 2 – 3 | Motherwell | Blyth |
| BST (UTC+1) | Stadium:Croft Park |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Premier Division | 10 August 1996 | 10 May 1997 | Matchday 1 | 8th | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 55 | −11 | 025.00 |
| Scottish Cup | 25 January 1997 | 8 March 1997 | Third Round | Quarterfinal | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 050.00 |
| League Cup | 13 August 1996 | 13 August 1996 | Second Round | Second Round | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 000.00 |
| Total | 41 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 50 | 60 | −10 | 026.83 | ||||
Last updated: 10 May 1997
Source:Competitions
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 55 | −11 | 38 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 25 | −1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 30 | −10 |
Source:Fir Park Corner
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H |
| Result | D | D | W | L | D | D | W | L | D | L | L | L | W | L | W | L | D | L | L | L | L | W | L | W | L | D | W | L | D | L | L | D | W | D | W | D |
| Position | 6 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| 10 August 19961 | Dundee United | 1–1 | Motherwell | Dundee |
| BST (UTC+1) | McSwegan | van der Gaag May Denham | Stadium:Tannadice Attendance: 8,157 Referee: Captain W Simpson |
| 17 August 19962 | Motherwell | 2–2 | Aberdeen | Motherwell |
| BST (UTC+1) | McSkimming McMillan Falconer | Windass Shearer Kiryakov | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 5,036 |
| 24 August 19963 | Raith Rovers | 0–3 | Motherwell | Kirkcaldy |
| BST (UTC+1) | Browne Millar | van der Gaag Arnott Dolan | Stadium:Stark's Park Attendance: 4,836 |
| 7 September 19964 | Motherwell | 0–1 | Rangers | Motherwell |
| BST (UTC+1) | van der Gaag McSkimming | Gough Gascoigne | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 12,288 |
| 14 September 19965 | Dunfermline Athletic | 1–1 | Motherwell | Dunfermline |
| BST (UTC+1) | Clark | May | Stadium:East End Park Attendance: 5,687 |
| 21 September 19966 | Hearts | 1–1 | Motherwell | Edinburgh |
| BST (UTC+1) | Weir | Arnott May | Stadium:Tynecastle Attendance: 10,932 |
| 28 September 19967 | Motherwell | 1–0 | Kilmarnock | Motherwell |
| BST (UTC+1) | Arnott Dolan | Anderson | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 5,700 |
| 12 October 19968 | Celtic | 1–0 | Motherwell | Glasgow |
| BST (UTC+1) | Marshall van Hooijdonk | May McSkimming | Stadium:Celtic Park Attendance: 49,422 |
| 19 October 19969 | Motherwell | 1–1 | Hibernian | Motherwell |
| BST (UTC+1) | McSkimming Dolan Burns | Leighton Harper Wilkins | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 6,784 |
| 26 October 199610 | Rangers | 5–0 | Motherwell | Glasgow |
| BST (UTC+1) | Laudrup Gascoigne | Ross McCart | Stadium:Ibrox Stadium Attendance: 48,160 |
| 2 November 199611 | Motherwell | 1–3 | Dundee United | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Ross | Olofsson McKinnon Winters | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 5,814 |
| 11 November 199612 | Motherwell | 0–2 | Hearts | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | May Martin Burns | Paille Robertson Weir | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 5,441 |
| 16 November 199613 | Kilmarnock | 2–4 | Motherwell | Kilmarnock |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Wright | Coyne Philliben | Stadium:Rugby Park Attendance: 7,087 |
| 30 November 199614 | Hibernian | 2–0 | Motherwell | Edinburgh |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Jackson Wilkins | Dolan Davies | Stadium:Easter Road Attendance: 7,332 |
| 7 December 199615 | Motherwell | 2–1 | Celtic | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Davies Ross Roddie | Hay McKinlay | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 11,589 |
| 11 December 199616 | Motherwell | 0–1 | Raith Rovers | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Lennon | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 4,040 |
| 14 December 199617 | Aberdeen | 0–0 | Motherwell | Aberdeen |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Shearer | Martin McMillan Dolan Roddie Burns | Stadium:Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 10,000 |
| 21 December 199618 | Motherwell | 2–3 | Dunfermline Athletic | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Ireland Coyne van der Gaag Davies | Miller Andy Smith | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 4,529 |
| 26 December 199619 | Dundee United | 2–0 | Motherwell | Dundee |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | McSwegan Hannah | Martin | Stadium:Tannadice Attendance: 8,072 |
| 28 December 199620 | Hearts | 4–1 | Motherwell | Edinburgh |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Robertson Weir Hamilton | Coyne Martin McSkimming Davies Falconer | Stadium:Tynecastle Attendance: 11,164 |
| 4 January 199721 | Celtic | 5–0 | Motherwell | Glasgow |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Di Canio van Hooijdonk Cadete Wieghorst Mackay McNamara | McCart Denham | Stadium:Celtic Park Attendance: 45,374 |
| 11 January 199722 | Motherwell | 2–1 | Hibernian | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | McSkimming Hunter van der Gaag | Dow Welsh | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 5,855 |
| 18 January 199723 | Motherwell | 1–3 | Rangers | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Coyle van der Gaag McSkimming Ross Falconer | Albertz Laudrup Gascoigne | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 13,166 |
| 21 January 199724 | Motherwell | 2–0 | Kilmarnock | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Coyle van der Gaag | Mitchell Reilly | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 5,508 |
| 1 February 199725 | Dunfermline Athletic | 3–1 | Motherwell | Dunfermline |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Miller Tod Britton | Davies | Stadium:East End Park Attendance: 4,796 |
| 8 February 199726 | Motherwell | 2–2 | Aberdeen | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Falconer Burns Philliben May | Dodds Martin Windass Glass | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 5,555 |
| 18 February 199727 | Raith Rovers | 1–5 | Motherwell | Kirkcaldy |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Duffield | Coyle van der Gaag Coyne May Valakari | Stadium:Stark's Park Attendance: 3,052 |
| 22 February 199728 | Motherwell | 0–1 | Celtic | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | McMillan | Cadete | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 12,131 Referee:Jim McCluskey |
| 1 March 199729 | Hibernian | 1–1 | Motherwell | Edinburgh |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Wright | Coyne Falconer | Stadium:Easter Road Attendance: 8,328 |
| 15 March 199730 | Kilmarnock | 1–0 | Motherwell | Kilmarnock |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Wright MacPherson | Martin Wishart | Stadium:Rugby Park Attendance: 7,612 |
| 22 March 199731 | Motherwell | 0–1 | Hearts | Motherwell |
| 15:00GMT (UTC) | Martin Davies | Paille | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 6,245 |
| 5 April 199732 | Aberdeen | 0–0 | Motherwell | Aberdeen |
| BST (UTC+1) | Valakari Davies Coyle | Stadium:Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Captain W Simpson |
| 12 April 199733 | Motherwell | 5–0 | Raith Rovers | Motherwell |
| BST (UTC+1) | Falconer Weir Coyne Coyle | Harvey | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 4,691 |
| 19 April 199734 | Motherwell | 1–1 | Dundee United | Motherwell |
| BST (UTC+1) | Coyne Christie Weir | McKimmie Zetterlund Bowman | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 5,382 |
| 5 May 199735 | Rangers | 0–2 | Motherwell | Glasgow |
| BST (UTC+1) | McLaren Gascoigne | Coyle Valakari Weir | Stadium:Ibrox Stadium Attendance: 50,059 |
| 10 May 199736 | Motherwell | 2–2 | Dunfermline Athletic | Motherwell |
| BST (UTC+1) | Weir van der Gaag | French Bingham Fraser Britton | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 9,676 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Aberdeen | 36 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 45 | 54 | −9 | 44 | |
| 7 | Kilmarnock | 36 | 11 | 6 | 19 | 41 | 61 | −20 | 39 | Qualification for theCup Winners' Cup qualifying round[a] |
| 8 | Motherwell | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 55 | −11 | 38 | |
| 9 | Hibernian(O) | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 38 | 55 | −17 | 38 | Qualification for thePlay-off |
| 10 | Raith Rovers(R) | 36 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 29 | 73 | −44 | 25 | Relegation to theFirst Division |
| 25 January 1997Third round | Partick Thistle | 0–2 | Motherwell | Glasgow |
| McSkimming Davies | Stadium:Firhill |
| 15 February 1997Fourth Round | Motherwell | 1–1 | Hamilton Academical | Motherwell |
| Coyle | Clark | Stadium:Fir Park Attendance: 8,050 |
| 26 February 1997Fourth Round Replay | Hamilton Academical | 0–2 | Motherwell | Glasgow |
| [ Report] | Coyle | Stadium:Firhill |
| 8 March 1997Quarter-finals | Dundee United | 4–1 | Motherwell | Dundee |
| McLaren Winters Olofsson | [ Report] | Van der Gaag | Stadium:Tannadice Attendance: 11,054 |
| 13 August 1996Second round | Motherwell | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (2 – 4p) | Alloa Athletic | Motherwell |
| Stadium:Fir Park |
| Ranking | Position | Nation | Number | Name | Premier Division | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW | Tommy Coyne | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||
| 2 | FW | Owen Coyle | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 3 | DF | Mitchell van der Gaag | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 4 | MF | Shaun McSkimming | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5 | FW | Dougie Arnott | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 6 | FW | Willie Falconer | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| MF | Eddie May | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| MF | Ian Ross | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| MF | Mickey Weir | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| MF | Billy Davies | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |||
| Own goal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| 12 | FW | Alex Burns | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| DF | John Philliben | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| TOTALS | 44 | 6 | 0 | 50 | ||||