1997–98 Motherwell F.C. season

Motherwell
1997–98 season
Chairman	John Boyle
Manager	Alex McLeish (Resigned),; Harri Kampman
Premier Division	9th
Scottish Cup	Quarter-Finals
League Cup	Fourth Round
Top goalscorer	League: Tommy Coyne (14); All: Owen Coyle (16)
	← 1996–97 1998–99 →

The 1997-98 season was Motherwell's 13th consecutive season in the Scottish Premier Division, and their final season before the top division of Scottish Football was reformed as the Scottish Premier League.

First team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	SCO	Scott Thomson
—	GK	SCO	Stevie Woods
—	DF	SCO	Kevin Christie
—	DF	NIR	Stephen Craigan
—	DF	SCO	Greig Denham
—	DF	ISL	Gunni Jonsson
—	DF	SCO	Brian Martin
—	DF	SCO	Eddie May
—	DF	SCO	Stephen McMillan
—	DF	ENG	Rob Newman
—	DF	SCO	John Philliben
—	DF	AUT	Franz Resch
—	DF	FIN	Marko Tuomela
—	MF	SCO	Billy Davies
—	MF	SWE	Stefan Lindqvist


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	FRA	Éric Garcin
—	MF	SCO	Shaun McSkimming
—	MF	SCO	Ian Ross
—	MF	FIN	Simo Valakari
—	FW	SCO	Mickey Weir
—	FW	SCO	Dougie Arnott
—	FW	EIR	Owen Coyle
—	FW	EIR	Tommy Coyne
—	FW	AUT	Mario Dorner
—	FW	SCO	Willie Falconer
—	FW	SCO	John Hendry
—	FW	SWE	Mats Lundgren
—	FW	SCO	Lee McCulloch
—	FW	NAM	Eliphas Shivute

Competitions

Scottish Premier League

Results

2 August 1997 1	Dunfermline Athletic	0 – 2	Motherwell	East End Park
			Coyne 63', pen.', 85'	Attendance: 5,746

16 August 1997 2	Motherwell	0 – 1	St Johnstone	Fir Park
			Grant 65'	Attendance: 5,036

23 August 1997 3	Aberdeen	1 – 3	Motherwell	Pittodrie
	Rowson 26'		Weir 9', 55' Coyne 29'	Attendance: 11,522

13 September 1997 4	Motherwell	2 – 3	Celtic	Fir Park
	Coyne 4', 59' Denham 62'		Burley 57', 75' Donnelly 81'	Attendance: 11,550

20 September 1997 5	Motherwell	1 – 1	Hibernian	Fir Park
	Coyne 80'		Rougier 46'	Attendance: 7,420

27 September 1997 6	Rangers	2 – 2	Motherwell	Ibrox
	Negri 17' Porrini 63'		Coyne 7' Shivute 44'	Attendance: 48,672

4 October 1997 7	Motherwell	1 – 4	Hearts	Fir Park
	Coyne 44' (pen.)		Cameron 6' Adam 13' McCann 20' Hamilton 71'	Attendance: 8,886 Referee: Jim McCluskey

8 October 1997 8	Kilmarnock	2 – 1	Motherwell	Rugby Park
	Vareille 17' Burke 37'		Shivute 44'	Attendance: 6,588

18 October 1997 9	Dundee United	4 – 0	Motherwell	Tannadice Stadium
	Olofsson 2' Winters 14' McSwegan 77' Andy McLaren 87'			Attendance: 7,337

25 October 1997 10	Motherwell	1 – 2	Aberdeen	Fir Park
	Davies 62'		Windass 8', 89'	Attendance: 6,065

1 November 1997 11	St Johnstone	4 – 3	Motherwell	McDiarmid Park
	Kernaghan 18' O'Neil 33', 60' Grant 49' (pen.)		Hendry 61' (pen.) Davies 66' Coyle 72'	Attendance: 4,566

8 November 1997 12	Motherwell	0 – 1	Kilmarnock	Fir Park
			Roberts 67' (pen.)	Attendance: 5,346

15 November 1997 13	Celtic	0 – 2	Motherwell	Celtic Park
	Blinker 34'		Coyle 28' Weir 90'	Attendance: 48,010

22 November 1997 14	Motherwell	1 – 1	Rangers	Fir Park
	Coyne 80'		McCoist 20'	Attendance: 12,018

15 November 1997 15	Hibernian	1 – 1	Motherwell	Easter Road
	Dods 75'		Coyle 90'	Attendance: 9,999

6 December 1997 16	Hearts	2 – 0	Motherwell	Tynecastle
	Cameron 45' (pen.) Flogel 68'		Christie 45'	Attendance: 12,706

13 December 1997 17	Motherwell	1 – 0	Dundee United	Fir Park
	Coyle 52'			Attendance: 4,555

20 December 1997 18	Motherwell	2 – 0	Dunfermline Athletic	Fir Park
	Coyle 61', 69'			Attendance: 4,607

27 December 1997 19	Aberdeen	3 – 0	Motherwell	Pittodrie
	Windass 63' Jess 83', pen.', 86'			Attendance: 13,038

3 January 1998 20	Kilmarnock	4 – 1	Motherwell	Rugby Park
	Wright 8', 33' Mitchell 44' McPherson 75' Roberts 88'		Coyle 24'	Attendance: 8,724

10 January 1998 21	Motherwell	1 – 1	Celtic	Fir Park
	Falconer 55'		Lambert 61'	Attendance: 12,350

17 January 1998 22	Rangers	1 – 0	Motherwell	Ibrox
	Cleland 23'			Attendance: 49,443

31 January 1998 23	Motherwell	6 – 2	Hibernian	Fir Park
	Arnott 10' Weir 23' Garcin 43' McCulloch 43' Coyne 88'		Crawford 4' Lavety 8' Welsh 43'	Attendance: 6,169

7 February 1998 24	Dundee United	1 – 0	Motherwell	Tannadice
	Olofsson 68'			Attendance: 6,532

21 February 1998 25	Motherwell	2 – 4	Hearts	Fir Park
	Coyle 6' Falconer 37'		Hamilton 38' (58) Fulton 64' Adam 87'	Attendance: 8,375

25 February 1998 26	Motherwell	2 – 1	St Johnstone	Fir Park
	Coyne 11', 19'		O'Boyle 61' (pen.) Kernaghan 89'	Attendance: 4,517

7 March 1998 27	Dunfermline Athletic	2 – 1	Motherwell	East End Park
	Smith 23', 61'		Coyne 12'	Attendance: 4,811

14 March 1998 28	Motherwell	2 – 1	Rangers	Fir Park
	Coyle 44' Falconer 87'		McCoist 12'	Attendance: 11,779

21 March 1998 29	Hibernian	1 – 0	Motherwell	Easter Road
	Elliot 20' Lavety 34'			Attendance: 10,582

28 March 1998 30	Motherwell	1 – 0	Dundee United	Fir Park
	Coyle 52'			Attendance: 5,012

8 April 1998 31	Hearts	1 – 1	Motherwell	Tynecastle
	McCann 59'		Coyne 79'	Attendance: 14,737

11 April 1998 32	Motherwell	1 – 1	Kilmarnock	Fir Park
	Lindqvist 80'		Holt 28'	Attendance: 6,209 Referee: Jim McCluskey

18 April 1998 33	Celtic	4 – 1	Motherwell	Celtic Park
	Burley 25', 43' Simon Donnelly 49', 62'		McMillan 12'	Attendance: 49,541

25 April 1998 34	Motherwell	1 – 3	Dunfermline Athletic	Fir Park
	Shivute 28'		Smith 28' Ireland 31' Britton 54'	Attendance: 5,745

2 May 1998 35	St Johnstone	3 – 2	Motherwell	Celtic Park
	Jenkinson 15', 88' McCluskey 70'		Martin 4' Coyle 58' (pen.)	Attendance: 49,541

9 May 1998 36	Motherwell	1 – 2	Aberdeen	Fir Park
	Ross 67'		Dodds 2', pen.', 22'	Attendance: 5,861

Source:^[1]

Scottish Cup

24 January 1998 Third Round	Dumbarton	1 – 1	Motherwell	Dumbarton
	Sharp 76' (pen.)		McSkimming 47'	Stadium: Boghead Park Attendance: 2,412

27 January 1998 Third Round Replay	Motherwell	1 – 0	Dumbarton	Motherwell
	Coyle 73'			Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 4,204

14 February 1998 Fourth Round	Motherwell	2 – 2	Rangers	Motherwell
	Coyne 19' Gough 77' (o.g.)	[ Report]	Negri 26' Durie 83'	Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 12,602

17 February 1998 Fourth Round Replay	Rangers	3 – 0	Motherwell	Glasgow
	Albertz 36', 86' Durie 38'	[ Report]		Stadium: Ibrox Attendance: 42,043

Scottish League Cup

9 August 1997 Second Round	Motherwell	2 – 2 (4 – 1 PENS)	Inverness CT	Motherwell
	Falconer 16' Coyle 22' Martin 103' Davies 104'	[ Report]	Thomson 55' (pen.) Addicoat 87'	Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 4,247

20 August 1997 Third Round	Motherwell	3 – 0	Greenock Morton	Motherwell
	Coyle 9', 39', 62'	[ Report]	Anderson 63'	Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 4,576

10 September 1997 Quarter Finals	Celtic	1 – 0	Motherwell	Glasgow
	Larsson 29'	[ Report]	Ross 90'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 37,006

Source:^[1]

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
6	Aberdeen	36	9	12	15	39	53	−14	39
7	Dundee United	36	8	13	15	43	51	−8	37
8	Dunfermline Athletic	36	8	13	15	43	68	−25	37
9	Motherwell	36	9	7	20	46	64	−18	34
10	Hibernian (R)	36	6	12	18	38	59	−21	30	Relegation to the First Division

Source: Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(R) Relegated

Statistics

Appearances

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Scottish Premier League		Scottish Cup		Scottish League Cup
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	SCO	Scott Thomson	1	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	GK	SCO	Stevie Woods	42	0	35+0	0	4+0	0	3+0	0
	DF	SCO	Kevin Christie	25	0	20+1	0	2+0	0	2+0	0
	DF	NIR	Stephen Craigan	14	0	9+5	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Greig Denham	21	0	18+0	0	0+0	0	3+0	0
	DF	ISL	Gunni Jonsson	2	0	2+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Brian Martin	33	1	26+0	1	4+0	0	3+0	0
	DF	SCO	Eddie May	32	0	20+5	0	4+0	0	3+0	0
	DF	SCO	Stephen McMillan	41	1	33+1	1	4+0	0	3+0	0
	DF	ENG	Rob Newman	15	0	11+0	0	4+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	John Philliben	15	0	10+3	0	0+2	0	0+0	0
	DF	AUT	Franz Resch	5	0	3+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
	DF	FIN	Marko Tuomela	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Billy Davies	19	2	12+5	2	0+1	0	1+0	0
	MF	FRA	Éric Garcin	13	1	7+4	1	2+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SWE	Stefan Lindqvist	6	1	5+1	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Shaun McSkimming	15	1	11+1	0	3+0	1	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Ian RosS	25	1	16+6	1	0+0	0	0+3	0
	MF	FIN	Simo Valakari	31	0	24+3	0	0+2	0	1+1	0
	MF	SCO	Mickey Weir	23	4	13+5	4	2+0	0	3+0	0
	FW	SCO	Dougie Arnott	10	1	3+4	1	1+2	0	0+0	0
	FW	EIR	Owen Coyle	43	16	34+2	11	4+0	1	3+0	4
	FW	EIR	Tommy Coyne	41	15	33+1	14	4+0	1	3+0	0
	FW	AUT	Mario Dorner	4	0	1+1	0	0+0	0	0+2	0
	FW	SCO	Willie Falconer	29	4	21+1	3	4+0	0	3+0	1
	FW	SCO	John Hendry	13	1	10+3	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SWE	Mats Lundgren	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Lee McCulloch	30	2	6+18	2	2+2	0	0+2	0
	FW	NAM	Eliphas Shivute	24	3	12+11	3	0+0	0	0+1	0

Source:^[2]

Top scorers

Ranking	Nation	Name	Scottish Premier League	Scottish Cup	Scottish League Cup	Total
1		Owen Coyle	11	1	4	16
2		Tommy Coyne	14	1	0	15
3		Mickey Weir	4	0	0	4
4		Willie Falconer	3	0	1	4
5		Eliphas Shivute	3	0	0	3
6		Billy Davies	2	0	0	2
6		Lee McCulloch	2	0	0	2
7		Brian Martin	1	0	0	1
		Stephen McMillan	1	0	0	1
		Stefan Lindqvist	1	0	0	1
		Ian Ross	1	0	0	1
		Dougie Arnott	1	0	0	1
		Éric Garcin	1	0	0	1
		John Hendry	1	0	0	1
		Shaun McSkimming	0	1	0	1
/	/	Own Goals	0	1	0	1
		TOTALS	46	4	5	55

Source:^[2]

Disciplinary record

Nation	Position	Name
Nation	Position	Name	Scottish Premier League		Scottish Cup		Scottish League Cup		Total
	GK	Scott Thomson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	GK	Stevie Woods	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	Kevin Christie	4	1	2	0	2	0	8	1
	DF	Stephen Craigan	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	DF	Greig Denham	6	1	0	0	0	0	6	1
	DF	Gunni Jonsson	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	DF	Brian Martin	7	0	0	0	0	1	8	1
	DF	Eddie May	3	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
	DF	Stephen McMillan	8	0	0	0	1	0	9	0
	DF	Rob Newman	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	DF	John Philliben	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	DF	Franz Resch	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	DF	Marko Tuomela	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	Billy Davies	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
	MF	Éric Garcin	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
	MF	Stefan Lindqvist	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	Shaun McSkimming	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	MF	Ian Ross	5	0	0	0	2	1	7	1
	MF	Simo Valakari	7	0	0	0	1	0	8	0
	MF	Mickey Weir	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
	FW	Dougie Arnott	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	Owen Coyle	3	0	0	0	2	0	5	0
	FW	Tommy Coyne	3	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
	FW	Mario Dorner	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	Willie Falconer	6	0	0	0	1	0	7	0
	FW	John Hendry	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	FW	Mats Lundgren	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	Lee McCulloch	3	0	1	0	0	0	4	0
	FW	Eliphas Shivute	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
		TOTALS	75	2	4	0	12	3	91	5

Overall

Competition	Started round	Final position / round	First match	Last match
Premier Division	—	9	2 August 1997	9 May 1998
Scottish League Cup	Second round	Quarter-finals	9 August 1997	10 September 1997
Scottish Cup	Third round	Quarter-finals	24 January 1998	17 February 1998

Source: Competitions

Scottish Premier League

Results summary


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	7	20	46	64	−18	34	6	4	8	26	28	−2	3	3	12	20	36	−16

Source: Fir Park Corner

Results by round

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	A	H	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	W	L	W	L	D	D	L	L	L	L	L	L	W	D	D	L	W	W	L	L	D	L	W	L	L	W	L	W	L	W	D	D	L	L	L	L
Position	1	5	3	5	5	6	7	7	7	10	10	10	9	9	9	9	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	9	9	8	9	9	9	7	7	7	7	9	9	9

Source: Fir Park Corner
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results by opponent

Team	Results^[3]				Points
Team	1	2	3	4	Points
Aberdeen	3–1	1–2	0–3	1–2	3
Celtic	2–3	2-0	1-1	1–4	4
Dundee United	0–4	1–0	0–1	1–0	6
Dunfermline Athletic	2–0	2–0	1–2	1–3	6
Heart of Midlothian	1–4	0–2	2–4	1–4	0
Hibernian	1–1	1–1	6–2	1–0	5
Kilmarnock	1–2	0–1	1–4	1–1	1
Rangers	2–2	1–1	0–1	2–1	5
St Johnstone	0–1	3–4	2–1	2–3	3

Source: 1997–98 Scottish Premier Division article

References

^ ^a ^b Results and Fixtures 1997-1998, Fir Park Corner
^ ^a ^b 1997–98 Motherwell player stats, Soccerbase
^ Motherwell's score is shown first.

[Fixtures-1] Results and Fixtures 1997-1998, Fir Park Corner

[1997–98-2] 1997–98 Motherwell player stats, Soccerbase

[Motherwell_score-3] Motherwell's score is shown first.

[1]

[2]

[3]

First team squad

Competitions

Scottish Premier League

Results

Scottish Cup

Scottish League Cup

League table

Statistics

Appearances

Top scorers

Disciplinary record

Overall

Scottish Premier League

Results summary

Results by round

Results by opponent

See also

References