Motherwell

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Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie is suspended.

Motherwell remain without Adam Devine, Adam Montgomery, Jon Obika, Harry Paton and Callum Slattery.

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Motherwell striker Theo Bair wants to build on the "best" football of his life, as he targets both Premiership survival and international honours.

The Canadian striker has scored 11 goals in his last 14 league outings, and was named in the PFA Scotland Premiership team of the year last week.

The 24-year-old was called up by his national team last month, with this summer's Copa America on the horizon.

“I think I’m just learning," Bair said. "There’s a lot of stuff I have to improve, a lot of things I can get better at and sharpen up, and even things I haven’t even learned yet. I am excited to keep learning and growing as a player.

“I am focused on Motherwell, and Canada in the summer. Those are the two things that I am thinking about constantly.

“We have five games that are very, very important. We want to finish in that seventh spot, so that’s all I am thinking about.

“I have never enjoyed it more, this is definitely the best period of football in my life and I just want to keep going and see how far I can take it.”

Canada are in a group with Peru, Chile and World Cup champions Argentina, and Bair is determined to impress national boss John Herdman in the five league games that remain.

“I know it will be completely reliant on my performances so I want to do as well as I can and score as many goals as possible to make sure I have a chance.

“Going to play against Argentina in itself would be an unbelievable experience and if we get out of that group the games would get even bigger. It is definitely a dream for a player."

David Clarkson pays tribute to his uncle and former Motherwell team-mate Phil O'Donnell, who died after collapsing on the pitch during a game against Dundee United on 29 December 2007.

This segment is taken from the Friday, 26 April episode of A View From The Terrace. Watch on BBC Scotland at 22:30 BST.

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Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell believes Theo Bair's redemption arc could be one of the "biggest stories in Scottish football".

Written off after a poor season at St Johnstone, the Canadian striker's arrival in North Lanarkshire was widely derided.

But Bair has proved the doubters wrong, scoring 13 goals in all competitions and earning a place in the PFA Scotland Premiership team of the year.

“I am delighted for him," Kettlewell said. "I’m just a huge believer in those success stories, not for my ego, not for anybody to pat me on the back, but for the individual.

“When you have to ride out such difficult moments as Theo has done, not only here but at St Johnstone, trying to find his way in Scottish football, then it’s testament to the man and his character.

“He is a student of the game who really buys into the information and detail, and the work ethic in trying to improve.

“If you look at my history, a lot of the time those are the players I gravitate to, players who start from a lower rung on the ladder and that there has been real doubt.

"There was plenty of abuse probably towards him and to myself. It’s never a ‘prove you wrong’, it’s just when you have a belief that someone can reach the levels he has done.

“But I need to stress he hasn’t achieved anything. What he has done is possibly change a lot of people’s perception of what he is as a player but I think there’s lots and lots of quality and development still to come from him.

"For me, that’s the exciting thing. It is arguably one of the biggest stories in Scottish football.”

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's trip to Aberdeen on Saturday.

Here are the key points:

• Believes Theo Bair fully deserves his place in the PFA Scotland Premiership team of the season, calling his rise "arguably one of the biggest stories in Scottish football".

• Praises the striker for his work ethic and studying of the game, but stressed he hasn't "achieved anything" and there's more development to come.

• Kettlewell says he's attracted to players like Bair who have been written off - not to prove people wrong, but to instil belief in someone.

• He is keen to have a "set group" to start next season, but admits it's difficult with so many contracts up and interest in some of his squad.

• "Top six is gone" with the aim now to finish seventh and improve on the points tally they accrued last season.

• Aberdeen have won four of their last five league meetings with Motherwell (D1), this after winning just one of their previous eight beforehand (D2 L5).

• Motherwell have lost twice to Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership this season, last losing three times to them in a single campaign in the division in 2016-17.

• Aberdeen have drawn five of their last seven home league games (W1 L1), including a 0-0 draw with Dundee in their last such match.

• Motherwell have won their last three away league games, their longest such run on the road since January 2020, when they won four in a row – and the fourth such win was at Aberdeen.

• Only Dimitar Mitov (118) has made more saves than Aberdeen’s Kelle Roos (107) in the Scottish Premiership this season. Roos has conceded 49 goals (excluding own goals) despite facing 58.3 expected goals on target, with his 9.3 xGoT prevented also second among goalkeepers in the division, behind Mitov (11.2).

Motherwell get their post-split campaign under way with a trip to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen.

The Dons go into Sunday's match having come from behind twice against Celtic to force penalties in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

Who do you think should be in Stuart Kettlewell's side to take on Aberdeen?

Put yourself in the manager's shoes and pick your starting XI here.

The Scottish Premiership is back with teams in the bottom six all facing off! Five fixtures remaining of the 2023/24 season, and for Motherwell, as with the others, securing top-flight safety will be first and foremost on their minds.

As things stand Motherwell are seven points clear of the relegation play-off spot. They should be safe, but the Fir Park side will be conscious that they could easily be sucked back in.

For inspiration they need only look back to last season’s run-in. This time last year, just as the post-split fixtures were about to get under way, Motherwell were on 37 points, the exact same tally they find themselves on now. They went on to win four and draw one of their last five matches; they’d certainly take a repeat of that finish this time around.

It’s certainly doable. From their last five games before the split they won eight points from a possible 15. Their one defeat during those run of games came against Aberdeen, the very side they face first up post-split this Saturday.

Motherwell will be hoping the Dons are down in the dumps after their Scottish Cup exit, rather than full of positivity from their impressive display against Celtic in their semi-final.

One thing is for sure, both teams will be eyeing a strong end to what’s been a frustrating and disappointing season. Being best of the rest will be the main objective.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear a round of applause to congratulate the one and only Theo Bair being named in the PFA team of the year.

Bair was instantly disregarded by many due to his rough spell at St Johnstone, but he has since evolved into a goalscoring animal in one of the stories of the season.

Filling the void left by Kevin van Veen, and looking at how the Dutchman's loan spell at Kilmarnock has unfolded, I can happily say I’m glad we stuck by Bair.

Not only was he tasked with replacing Van Veen, but Jon Obika has spent the majority of the season injured and the January recall of Mika Biereth also hampered us.

It certainly hasn’t been our best season by any means, but we would be in a much worse position if it wasn’t for the Canadian.

Thank you, Theo, and long may the goals continue until the end of the season.

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Theo Bair has been named as one of the 11 players of the season in the PFA Scotland's Premiership team of the year.

The Canadian forward, who joined Motherwell from St Johnstone last summer, has bagged 13 goals for the Steelmen so far this season.

The PFA Scotland team of the year is voted for by players.

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Even being in with a sniff of a top-six finish was an achievement after Motherwell's turgid run of form, says Lennon Miller.

Featuring regularly again after a spell on the sidelines with injury, the teenager admits there was disappointment after their draw with Hibs last weekend.

"We obviously knew before the game we had a chance at the top six, we came up short and we were disappointed," Miller told club media, external.

"But the fact we had a chance at the top six when everyone was writing us off is an achievement and it shows what quality we have in the changing room.

"We need to focus on these games after the split, look at ourselves and get better after every game.

"I obviously started the season really well, then there was that break for me with the injury. It was frustrating, but I feel like I've got back onto the pitch and tried to find my feet again.

"I just want to finish as best I can. We want to finish seventh, that's the priority now. We've got the players in there to achieve it."

We asked you which of Motherwell's out-of-contract players you'd like to keep at Fir Park.

Here are some of your views:

Ross: Looks like a squad overhaul on the horizon after a rollercoaster campaign. Of the out-of-contract players, I would hope to keep Stephen O'Donnell/Paul McGinn and maybe Callum Slattery/Bevis Mugabi. May have to replace Liam Kelly as number one if he opts to move on. Be great if we could sign Georgie Gent and Jack Vale from Blackburn again next season, the loan market has proven fruitful for us this year.

John: First of all, we shouldn’t be in this position. The players we wish to keep should be on new contracts, if they don’t want to sign sell them in January. I would keep McGinn, O’Donnell, Calum Butcher, Slattery and Sam Nicholson.

David: Of the players listed, Kelly, O'Donnell, Butcher and Jon Obika can all go. Obika has had major injury problems everywhere he has played and the others are an accident waiting to happen. We need to have players contracted to the club with a limited number of loans.

Isaac: If investments come in we should be looking to sign Gent on a permanent deal.

Anon: Would only keep McGinn, Nicholson and possibly O'Donnell. The rest I'd be ruthless and let go as we need to freshen the squad up and sign players who can contribute more on a weekly basis.

Taylor: Personally believe we could get a better all-round keeper than Kelly. I would love to keep McGinn and Slattery, the rest are all replaceable.

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Lee Miller has backed Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell's view that there is a lack of "fairness" in Dundee's pitch situation.

The Dens Park club were fined by the SPFL on Thursday following a series of postponements for waterlogging.

Kettlewell had previously said that Dundee are able to spend more money on playing staff, while Motherwell put money into improving their facilities.

"I was at the first game of the season, Dundee against Motherwell up there," former Scotland striker Miller told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I walked through the turnstiles and was told to keep my ticket because it was potentially going to be called off.

"And for the first game of the season, for a top-flight club, that's not acceptable. The Dundee pitch hasn't been good for years.

"There's always a couple of areas that get bogged down. But for that to be potentially called off the first game of the season, they knew their pitch was bad.

"Stuart Kettlewell obviously got a good bit of publicity in terms of him making his point [on the state of Dundee's pitch].

"He makes a good point in terms of if Motherwell and Dundee are going for a particular player - they're fishing in the same pond essentially - Dundee can offer more money because they've not spent it on the pitch.

"Motherwell spent fortunes on the pitch to get it right, it's really not fair to be honest."

With several players out of contract in the summer, clubs up and down the country are considering who they want to be involved next season.

For Motherwell, that's the vast majority of their squad. Over a dozen players have their deals expiring, including Liam Kelly, Stephen O'Donnell, Bevis Mugabi, Paul McGinn, Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson, Calum Butcher and Jonathan Obika.

Who would you like to keep, and who would you be happy to wave goodbye to?

Let us know.

After a drawn-out hullabaloo waiting on Dundee fixing their swimming pool, at last we have clarity on the split.

I can’t say I’ve been happy with how this season has unfolded, especially when looking at the start we made.

We had so much potential but didn’t capitalise enough when it mattered most. However, it’s the cards we've been dealt and we need to move on.

What I can’t say I’m unhappy with, though, are our post-split fixtures.

It would’ve been nice to get another away trip to the Spaghettihad (you will forever be missed) before Livingston’s inevitable departure from the Premiership.

But Aberdeen, Ross County and Hibs away will do nicely, as will finishing at home to St Johnstone.

Hopefully that gives us the chance to end the season with five wins before starting afresh after the summer.

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Motherwell will conclude their Scottish Premiership season with the visit of St Johnstone to Fir Park.

Livingston will also travel to North Lanarkshire, while Stuart Kettlewell's side hit the road for trips to Aberdeen, Ross County and Hibs.

Motherwell's post-split fixtures (All times BST)

• Aberdeen (A) - Saturday, 27 April 15:00

• Livingston (H) - Saturday. 4 May 15:00

• Ross County (A) - Saturday, 11 May 15:00

• Hibernian (A) - Wednesday, 15 May 19:45

• St Johnstone (H) - Sunday, 19 May 15:00

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Following on from his 500th professional appearance in football, Paul McGinn says featuring for Scotland was the highest point of his career.

“I left pro-youth when I was 11,” the Motherwell defender told club media, external. "You always have that ambition to reach the top but to play for you country, wow. Unbelievable.

“I’d been in squads before but I always think of Stephen O’Donnell. I’d warmed up for about half-an-hour whilst he was holding his shin against Czech Republic.

"I was knackered but he held it for ages. Of course, he hung in there for the full 90. I was gutted. The next squad, a couple got Covid.

“Funnily enough, Anthony Ralston had been playing for Celtic and he got called up. He failed the COVID test at the hotel so I got the shout. That was the one where I got on.

“Highest point of my career, by far. I remember weirdly thinking, 'why am I not nervous?'"

“It was so special and even better because it was competitive. Previous managers gave caps away here and there in friendlies."

McGinn also spoke of the relationship he's built up with the Motherwell support, who see him as a dependable figure at the back, but he's determined to get his first goal.

“I get the ‘you’re reliable’ all the time,” he laughed.

“Surely, I’m just a decent player at some point. No, in all seriousness, it’s just good to get the compliments. Next is just to get the goal here.

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Motherwell's head of coaching Richard Foster says Stuart Kettlewell's side deserve credit despite missing out on a top-six finish.

The Fir Park outfit recovered from a rotten start to the campaign to put themselves in with a shout of winding up in the top half.

Despite Shane Blaney's equaliser at the death, a draw with Hibs confirmed Motherwell's place in the bottom six, with a win necessary to keep the dream alive.

"I think we just gave ourselves that little bit too much to do," Foster told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I think the run we went on in the middle part of the season, we failed to pick up a win in quite a few games. I think we were always an outside chance [for the top six].

"When you're having to rely on other teams to do you a favour, it's never great. Especially when we were having to rely on Aberdeen to win at home. It's never going to help us.

"We didn't manage to do our own job anyway, we only drew with Hibs.

"Disappointing, but I think over the piece, to get ourselves back into contention for the top six - albeit a slim hope - I think the manager and the players deserve huge credit for the turnaround from that mid-point in the season."

He may not have kept a clean sheet, but Liam Kelly produced a string of fine saves to keep the scoreline down in Motherwell's draw with Hibs.

The Scotland international made four stops as the visitors racked up an xG of 1.65, with only Myziane Maolida's penalty getting beyond the goalkeeper.

It's been a tough season for Kelly, but he is still capable of big performances for the Steelmen.

Pat Nevin and Richard Foster join Liam McLeod to pick over the bones of another incredible weekend of Scottish football drama.

They look back on Ross County’s historic victory over Rangers and discuss what impact it could have at both ends of the table.

They also assess the jobs done by Tony Docherty and Nick Montgomery as Dundee secure their place in the top 6 at the expense of Hibs and Motherwell.

Listen to today's episode of the Scottish Football Podcast here.