David Martindale heaped praise on Livingston for the ruthless way they put 10-man Motherwell to the sword in a 2-0 victory.

The Lions made light work of cutting open their visitors once Lennon Miller had been red carded in first-half stoppage time for clipping the heels of Dan MacKay.

Bruce Anderson made the breakthrough only seven minutes into the second half and Sean Kelly added a second from the spot nine minutes later.

It was a first home victory for the Almondvale side in the Premiership this season and they remain undefeated against teams outside the Old Firm.

Livi boss Martindale said: “We’re not getting carried away, but it’s three points and a clean sheet.

“I felt we just shaded it 11 v 11. Motherwell have had a fairly good start to the campaign and they’ve got a good shape about them and a good structure. They’re well coached.

“I don’t think they caused us many problems in the first half and we worked on Dan MacKay, in particular, attacking those central zones at pace.

“We got our just rewards from it and Dan got his just rewards from it.

“I thought wee Bruce was brilliant today with his link-up, he was fantastic and brings Dan into play, and they went down to 10 men.

“I’ll be honest, I thought it was going to be a difficult second half, in terms of trying to break Motherwell down.

“But we managed to get in behind them quite early on for the first goal and then James Penrice did magnificently for the second goal.

“That took a wee bit of the sting out of the game, playing against 10 men. The boys have got to take a lot of credit for the clean sheet.”

Martindale reserved special praise for Anderson, who led the line for Livingston impressively and grabbed his sixth goal of the campaign.

He added: “Bruce’s link-up was brilliant. It’s a part of his game he needs to join together and be a bit more consistent with.

“He’s always going to score goals if you get the ball into the box, but outside the box he knows it’s an area of his game he needs to work on.

“But, outside the box, I thought he was tremendous today and that was the most pleasing aspect for me.”

Meanwhile, Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell was angered by his side’s second-half capitulation.

The Fir Park side opened the season in fantastic form with 10 points from a possible 12, but have now lost four in a row.

Kettlewell said: “There was nothing in the game before [the red card] and that’s the bit that really frustrates me.

“But it also seemed to be the catalyst for a real degree of naivety from our point of view.

“The decision making wasn’t good enough, we conceded one penalty and could have conceded another.

“It all just spiralled out of control and I have never seen that since being here. It irks me and it begins to anger me, as we have had a lot of plaudits for being a good side.

“We are always well organised but in that second half, it all just spiralled. I take responsibility for that but I have never seen it from the players before.”

A first-half goal from Cyriel Dessers proved enough for Rangers to see off Motherwell 1-0 but the Steelmen did not relinquish their long unbeaten record on the road without a major fight.

Dessers netted against the run of play in the 24th minute when he diverted Rabbi Matondo’s strike past Liam Kelly.

Rangers had chances to extend their lead but there were several anxious moments for the Ibrox support in the latter stages as Oli Shaw and Blair Spittal in particular came close.

There was a smattering of boos from the Rangers fans after the final whistle blew on their 1-0 victory, which sent them above Motherwell into third place, six points behind leaders Celtic.

It was Motherwell’s first cinch Premiership defeat in nine away matches since Stuart Kettlewell took charge in February.

The win came at a cost for Rangers as Matondo went off injured in the first half after twice going down with no-one near him.

Rangers were also missing Tom Lawrence after the attacking midfielder was sent for a scan on the problem that forced him off during Thursday’s Europa League win over Real Betis, joining Danilo, Nico Raskin, Todd Cantwell and Kieron Dowell on the sidelines.

Lawrence’s absence paved the way for Scott Wright to make his first start under Beale while Sam Lammers and Dessers returned.

Motherwell made the brighter start and they had several half-chances to take the lead. Harry Paton and Callum Slattery both curled just wide and Brodie Spencer forced Jack Butland to make a diving save at his near post.

There was another scare for the home team when Lammers diverted a Motherwell free-kick into his own goalmouth but Connor Goldson beat Bevis Mugabi to the ball to head over for a corner.

Rangers scored from their first real effort at goal. Matondo got a chance to shoot from 20 yards and Dessers diverted the ball over Liam Kelly’s dive for his third Rangers goal.

Lammers soon had a shot before Matondo eventually went off. The winger was replaced by centre-back John Souttar as Beale matched up with Motherwell’s formation. Abdallah Sima and Kemar Roofe were more natural replacements on the bench but both had been rested after their exertions in midweek.

Motherwell had a penalty claim in stoppage time when James Tavernier held off Spencer as the wing-back tried to reach Theo Bair’s flick-on but referee Alan Muir played on and there was no delay when the ball went out of play.

Lammers had several chances either side of the break, twice forcing Kelly into saves and volleying wide from Tavernier’s cross.

Spencer was frustrated by another decision from Muir after being penalised as he outmuscled Tavernier to reach a through ball that put him bearing down on Butland.

Kelly denied Dessers and then Lammers as Rangers broke but Motherwell came back into the game after Shaw joined Bair up front. The pair combined for an excellent chance but Butland saved well from the substitute.

Beale handed 16-year-old Bailey Rice, a former Motherwell academy player, his home debut in the 78th minute in a midfield role.

Motherwell came even closer when Spittal played a one-two with Slattery and beat Butland only for Tavernier to clear off the line.

Motherwell had more chances. Shaw’s volley was charged down and Goldson cleared off the line from Spittal, although the flag went up afterwards, and substitute Conor Wilkinson forced two saves.

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell brushed off the significance of joining Celtic at the top of the cinch Premiership but hailed his players for “pushing the boundaries” with a 1-0 win at Tynecastle with 10 men.

Callum Slattery’s well-worked first-half goal and a resolute defensive display – especially after Paul McGinn’s 69th-minute red card – sealed victory against a Hearts side who only forced one save.

Motherwell are second on goal difference behind Celtic but Kettlewell is not getting carried away with the table after four matches.

“I don’t mean to be all doom and gloom but it means nothing at this point,” he said.

“I did speak to the players about pushing boundaries as much as we can and I think, as a short-term goal, coming to Tynecastle and getting a clean sheet and winning is pushing the boundaries for a club like Motherwell.

“Their resources and everything that they have is astronomical compared to ourselves but that doesn’t mean that we can’t come here, push boundaries and win games of football – and acquit ourselves in the way that we did.

“We’re not going to look at the league table or speak about it as a group.

“For supporters and people outside our club it’s a big story and it’s something to talk about. But for us, very simply we feel as if we have hit an unbelievable stretch of form.

“That’s now 10 Premiership games without defeat and we have not lost an away game since I took charge.”

Kettlewell added: “It was a brilliant performance. In the first half we were very good. We did a lot of things well in possession and out of possession.

“Fundamentally when you come here you want to turn the crowd, you want to try and ensure the opposition have to change their shape and their personnel. They did all of those things so we felt that first marker was there for us.

“In the second half you know you are going to have to suffer at times. At times you won’t have the ball but when we were reduced to 10 men that had to bring out a different side in us.

“We were laughing with the players because we work on attack versus defence and you saw how comfortable they were with it.

“It looked like they enjoyed it and there was a unity in everything they did. I think for Liam Kelly to face only one shot on target all game, that’s pretty incredible. But it also shows the work done in front of him.”

Hearts technical director Steven Naismith admitted his team’s performance was “poor” as they suffered a fourth consecutive defeat.

Naismith added: “It’s been very similar to every game we have played after a European tie. A very slow start, lethargic, safe, which then turns into nerves, turns into giving away cheap chances.

“I don’t think we deserved to win the game, we didn’t create enough, especially when they went down to 10 men.

“It was more of hope than real desire to get the goal to get back in the game that would put them under real pressure, which we failed to do.”

Naismith refused to use the exertions of Thursday’s European tie against PAOK as an excuse.

“If you’re at a club where the demand is you play in Europe season in, season out, then you need to understand you need to dig deep when you’re not feeling at your best,” he said.

“You need to have that mentality that says ‘no matter what, we’re going to win this game if it might not go straight to plan’.

“We need to have enough to cause other teams problems and I don’t think we have done that in these games after the European games.”

A well-worked goal from Callum Slattery earned 10-man Motherwell a 1-0 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle as the visitors joined Celtic on 10 points at the top of the cinch Premiership.

Slattery finished off a brilliant move in the 29th minute before the VAR officials reversed an offside decision against him.

Hearts pinned Motherwell back for the vast majority of the second half but could not find an equaliser despite Paul McGinn’s 69th-minute red card.

The home side rarely tested Motherwell goalkeeper Liam Kelly, partly thanks to an outstanding performance from visiting centre-back Bevis Mugabi.

Motherwell have now gone 10 league games unbeaten stretching back to last season and added Tynecastle to the list of away grounds where they have got results from – they remain unbeaten in  the Premiership on the road in more than six months under Stuart Kettlewell.

Hearts made three changes following their 4-0 defeat by PAOK in Greece on Thursday while Harry Paton replaced Joe Efford in the Motherwell team after netting a late winner against Kilmarnock.

Both sides showed an attacking intent from the off but it was Motherwell who were making the opposition goalkeeper work.

Zander Clark tipped over efforts from Mugabi and Blair Spittal before the visitors took the lead.

Slattery and Spittal cut Hearts open as they exchanged passes following Stephen O’Donnell’s diagonal ball and the former Southampton midfielder slotted the ball home in yards of space.

Slattery almost scored an even better goal moments later after winning a tackle just inside his own half and launching a shot which beat Clark but just cleared the bar.

The frustration among the Hearts fans was audible in the aftermath of the goal and their mood might have grown worse only for Peter Haring to survive strong penalty claims for handball.

Alex Lowry had several first-half efforts for the hosts but his most dangerous effort was blocked by O’Donnell.

The on-loan Rangers player was taken off at half-time along with fellow wide player Yutaro Oda as Hearts moved to a back three to match Motherwell. Defender Tony Sibbick and striker Kyosuke Tagawa came on.

Kelly came out to stop Lawrence Shankland getting on the end of a through ball immediately after the restart and Spittal and Tagawa missed good chances at either end.

Hearts began to pin Motherwell back but the visiting defence diverted efforts from Shankland and Liam Boyce over the bar.

Any chance Motherwell had of changing the momentum disappeared in the 69th minute when McGinn hauled down Boyce after the striker got in front of him as he chased a long ball.

The former Hibernian player claimed he had his own shirt pulled but there was no recourse for overturning his second yellow card. He had been booked in the first half for a foul on Alex Cochrane.

Motherwell suffered more disruption when Slattery limped off.  Davor Zdravkovski came on and former Hibernian forward Oli Shaw soon joined him for his debut.

Kelly produced his first save in the 86th minute as Shankland’s effort bounced off the ground and Motherwell survived seven minutes of stoppage-time thanks to more resolute defending.

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell hopes to make one more signing with no movement in the pipeline the other way ahead of the midnight transfer deadline in Scotland.

Kettlewell signed Oli Shaw on loan from Barnsley on Thursday following an injury crisis up front but has room for another addition.

“I am hoping to bring in one more player,” he said. “With the couple of outgoings that maybe gave us the opportunity to bring in one more so I am relatively far along the way of making that happen. I would anticipate that will probably be confirmed at some point today.”

On potential outgoings, Kettlewell said: “As it stands, there is no interest in anybody, whether you are looking to move players out or get them some more game time. There is nothing else we can anticipate.”

He added: “It’s always been my intention that today is a relatively stress-free day for the bits that I can control. There’s bits you don’t control, more so in relation to outgoings.”

Celtic got more business done ahead of transfer deadline day, but the Scottish champions could still be busy with Benfica midfielder Paulo Bernardo tipped to arrive on a loan deal.

Defender Nat Phillips joined Brendan Rodgers’ squad on loan from Liverpool on Thursday after Honduran winger Luis Palma signed 24 hours earlier.

Rodgers had stressed after last weekend’s cinch Premiership draw with St Johnstone that the club needed to improve the team after strengthening the squad earlier in the window.

Sead Haksabanovic has been linked with potential moves to PAOK and Stoke after appearing to express frustration over a lack of game time on social media.

Another player keen for more action, 18-year-old midfielder Rocco Vata, is understood to be wanted by Verona and Club Brugge.

Rangers got most of their business done ahead of the season, but the departure of Glen Kamara to Leeds on Thursday could prompt more activity.

The Ibrox men have been linked with a loan move for Leicester centre-back Harry Souttar.

Aberdeen remain active while Hibernian caretaker manager David Gray would not rule out any late moves from his club and Hearts could also strengthen.

Ross County could be in line for a seven-figure sell-on windfall amid reports Sunderland have accepted a bid worth up to £10million from Southampton for former Staggies striker Ross Stewart.

Kilmarnock and St Mirren remain in the hunt for forwards while St Johnstone could potentially add again and Dundee manager Tony Docherty has not ruled out another signing despite being happy with his squad.

Livingston are not anticipating any late business ahead of the midnight deadline.

Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell hailed the resilience of his squad after they battled back from a goal behind to defeat Kilmarnock 2-1 in the cinch Premiership.

Marley Watkins broke the deadlock after 12 minutes and Killie could and should have added to their advantage in the first half.

Kettlewell’s side were much improved after the break, however, and Dan Casey levelled matters before Harry Paton netted in the seventh minute of stoppage time to take the Steelmen joint top of the table.

The Motherwell boss has faced an injury crisis at the club in recent weeks, with Conor Wilkinson the latest to face a spell on the sidelines.

Despite that, the Steelmen demonstrated all their fighting qualities after the break to claim an outstanding victory.

“We’re delighted. I think you are delighted with three points at any stage in this league, but especially after the first 45 minutes where I just didn’t feel we were at the races,” Kettlewell said.

“We had a few tweaks and changes to our set-up because of the tough week that we’ve had – we’ve had a really difficult spell trying to make sure we can put a team on the park.

“That’s why people pay their money, they want to see their team score a last-minute winner.

“Without getting too nostalgic about it, I think your team should be an identification as to what you are as a person.

“I always demand resilience and good reaction from us. Even if one or two were in the dressing room at half-time feeling a bit sorry for themselves with what we said or the changes we made – it is always with the right intention.”

Kettlewell also confirmed that defender Ricki Lamie is set to depart the club, with a move to Dundee on the horizon.

Lamie has yet to feature for Motherwell in the Premiership this season.

“There looks like a situation where Ricki could be on the move and, again, if I was sitting as a selfish guy I’d be saying I want to keep as many senior players as I can,” Kettlewell said.

“You can see we’ve got six teenagers in our squad today, two starting and four on the bench. I need as many senior players as I can get.

“Though to alter and readdress the balance, it’s a situation that probably will happen and whether that’s the opportunity to free up some up funds for us to see if we can bring in another attack-minded player.

“That’s certainly something we are looking at. There’s nothing concrete in terms of an incoming but it’s looking likely there will be an outgoing.”

Derek McInnes was left frustrated as his Kilmarnock side fell to defeat from a commanding position.

Killie suffered their first loss of the new campaign after conceding with the final kick of the ball at Fir Park and McInnes is keen to ensure that his players bounce back quickly

“It’s a really disappointing end up for us. It’s important when you can’t win a game that you make sure you don’t lose it,” he said.

“There’s a lot of optimism, the way the players have been of late and the results recently. I think you see we bounced into Fir Park today ready to take them on.

“It’s not going to affect what we do this season. I’m pretty sure this is a different looking Kilmarnock, it’s important we remember that. We take the belt and are ready to win a home game next week.

“Hopefully we can come through this first round of games with a lot of positivity.”

Motherwell have signed right-back Brodie Spencer but manager Stuart Kettlewell admits he faces a major challenge to alleviate the lengthy absence of strikers Mika Biereth and Jon Obika.

Kettlewell has ruled Obika out until December with a hamstring injury and on-loan Arsenal striker Biereth will likely be missing until mid-November after suffering a knee injury against St Mirren.

Kettlewell was already well down the line in signing Spencer from Huddersfield on loan following the departure of Barry Maguire on loan to Kidderminster but he is limited in what he can do in the transfer market given the club’s spending increases in previous seasons.

He said: “I have always spoken about trying to run with four strikers minimum so that is a huge blow with the news on Mika and Jon Obika, it puts us down to two senior strikers in Theo (Bair) and Conor (Wilkinson).

“Jon Obika, we are probably looking at December. It’s a difficult one but it doesn’t change the situation for me. For us to do any more business, we are in a situation where we are one in, one out.

“It’s been a real tough week and a tough week without a blank canvas just to be able to pick up the reins and go and bring players in. But we will continue to work away and see if we can make the situation slightly better.”

Kettlewell declared 17-year-old Mark Ferrie was now “striker number three” while wide player Joe Efford can also play up front but has only had about 15 minutes of action since returning from a long-term thigh injury.

Immediately after Saturday’s Viaplay Cup defeat, Kettlewell accused Charles Dunne of making an “absolutely horrendous tackle, two-footed and straight-legged” on Biereth.

In response, the former Motherwell defender claimed he won the ball but “unfortunately slipped” and caught the Denmark Under-21 international. Dunne has contacted Biereth to apologise.

When asked if he had a different opinion on studying the footage, Kettlewell said: “My opinion hasn’t changed.

“One of the things I heard was that he won the ball. What everyone needs to understand – and I need to stress, these aren’t my rules, anyone that watched me play football will realise I picked up more red cards than anybody else and was involved in more crazy challenges than anybody else – but the rules have changed.

“I have lost count of the times I have been told by officials that it doesn’t matter if you win the ball. If you are off the ground, coming in at pace, putting an opponent at risk of injury, coming off the ground, all of those aspects, I was led to believe that was a red card.

“I hear some ridiculous arguments of ‘ah, but he took the ball’… If you have to come through the player and both your legs are wrapped around the standing leg…

“I understand that Charles Dunne has reached out and apologised for the outcome of the challenge so I tip my cap to him and say fair play in that sense. But it doesn’t change the situation that it leaves us short at the top end of the park.”

Spencer moved from Huddersfield on a season-long deal after signing a new contract with the Yorkshire club. The 19-year-old is a full Northern Ireland international and has made six first-team appearances for his club.

“Brodie is a real quality player with bags of potential,” Kettlewell said.

“I think it says a lot when the parent club offer a player a new deal before loaning him out. It shows their real desire to see the player grow and I think Brodie will do just that.”

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell admits he faces a major challenge to alleviate the lengthy absence of strikers Mika Biereth and Jon Obika.

Kettlewell has ruled Obika out until December with a hamstring injury and on-loan Arsenal striker Biereth will likely be missing until mid-November after suffering a knee injury against St Mirren.

Kettlewell – who has not changed his opinion on the tackle that injured Biereth – is limited in what he can do in the transfer market given the club’s spending increases in previous seasons.

He said: “I have always spoken about trying to run with four strikers minimum so that is a huge blow with the news on Mika and Jon Obika, it puts us down to two senior strikers in Theo (Bair) and Conor (Wilkinson).

“Jon Obika, we are probably looking at December. It’s a difficult one but it doesn’t change the situation for me. For us to do any more business, we are in a situation where we are one in, one out.

“It’s been a real tough week and a tough week without a blank canvas just to be able to pick up the reins and go and bring players in.

“But we will continue to work away and see if we can make the situation slightly better.”

Kettlewell declared 17-year-old Mark Ferrie was now “striker number three” while wide player Joe Efford can also play up front but has only had about 15 minutes of action since returning from a long-term thigh injury.

Barry Maguire’s loan move to Kidderminster last week opened a door for a potential new arrival.

“It might help us try and get one across the line,” Kettlewell said. “But the mindset wasn’t that it was in the striker situation at the time. We had been working away on something else trying to get a balance to our squad.

“The fact that (midfielder) Harry Paton has been out and (left-back) Pape Souare is out, it’s a little bit of spinning plates to make sure we have a balance to our squad. We feel Pape will miss several games.

“When I was looking at the start of the week, we had 14 fit senior players.”

Immediately after Saturday’s Viaplay Cup defeat, Kettlewell accused Charles Dunne of making an “absolutely horrendous tackle, two-footed and straight-legged” on Biereth.

In response, the former Motherwell defender claimed he won the ball but “unfortunately slipped” and caught the Denmark Under-21 international. Dunne has contacted Biereth to apologise.

When asked if he had a different opinion on studying the footage, Kettlewell said: “My opinion hasn’t changed.

“One of the things I heard was that he won the ball. What everyone needs to understand – and I need to stress, these aren’t my rules, anyone that watched me play football will realise I picked up more red cards than anybody else and was involved in more crazy challenges than anybody else – but the rules have changed.

“I have lost count of the times I have been told by officials that it doesn’t matter if you win the ball. If you are off the ground, coming in at pace, putting an opponent at risk of injury, coming off the ground, all of those aspects, I was led to believe that was a red card.

“I hear some ridiculous arguments of ‘ah, but he took the ball’… If you have to come through the player and both your legs are wrapped around the standing leg…

“I understand that Charles Dunne has reached out and apologised for the outcome of the challenge so I tip my cap to him and say fair play in that sense. But it doesn’t change the situation that it leaves us short at the top end of the park.”

Caolan Boyd-Munce hit a spectacular first goal for St Mirren to send the Buddies past Motherwell and into the Viaplay Cup quarter-finals.

The former Northern Ireland Under-21 international replaced injured captain Mark O’Hara ahead of the previous weekend’s win over Dundee, which sent St Mirren top of the cinch Premiership overnight.

And the 23-year-old again helped alleviate the absence of O’Hara as he proved the difference in a 1-0 victory in Paisley.

Boyd-Munce lit up a scrappy start to the game in the ninth minute. Ryan Strain made some progress as he cut in from the right before the ball broke for the former Middlesbrough and Birmingham midfielder, who fired a first-time effort into the top corner from 20 yards.

Motherwell improved after a poor first half but did not do enough to prevent only their third defeat in six months under manager Stuart Kettlewell.

The visitors, with Davor Zdravkovski making his first start in midfield, were sloppy in possession for spells in the first half and struggled to get men forward to support their strikers as they played into a strong wind.

Keanu Baccus twice threatened for St Mirren after Motherwell lost possession well inside their own half.

The visitors’ first real threat came early in the second half when Theo Bair took in Stephen O’Donnell’s pass with his back to goal and fired a shot which Zach Hemming tipped over at full stretch.

Kettlewell brought on Lennon Miller and Mika Biereth before the midway point in the second half as the game became more open.

Good work from former Motherwell striker Mikael Mandron sent Conor McMenamin clean through but he delayed his shot and Dan Casey got back to block the effort.

Motherwell somehow got a three-on-two break moments later, but Callum Slattery’s pass did not allow Biereth the best angle to shoot and the Dane’s driven ball across the face of goal just evaded Conor Wilkinson.

Kettlewell switched tactics in the 76th minute as forwards Joe Efford and Mark Ferrie replaced wing-back O’Donnell and Wilkinson.

Former Well manager Stephen Robinson responded by putting on ex-Fir Park defender Charles Dunne and St Mirren saw out the final stages without serious threat.

Motherwell defender Shane Blaney had an opportunity to show his prowess from a 25-yard free-kick but the Irishman fired well over and Olutoyosi Olusanya had two great chances to make it 2-0 in stoppage time. The substitute was denied by Liam Kelly and then hit the post on the breakaway.

Stuart Kettlewell hailed the impact of debutant Mika Biereth after the Danish striker came off the bench to inspire Motherwell to a 2-1 victory over Hibernian in the cinch Premiership.

The Arsenal loanee laid on Conor Wilkinson for the opening goal of the game before adding one of his own in wonderful style with five minutes of the match remaining.

Adam Le Fondre netted from the penalty spot in injury time to set up a nervy finish at Fir Park, but Kettlewell’s side held on for their first three points of the season.

“He was excellent when he came on, we know he’s got quality,” Kettlewell said.

“He’s still a young lad and probably in that development stage of his career. Coming from a club like Arsenal we knew he was a good player.

“I’m delighted with the impact, you don’t ever know if it’s going to be like that first off, but certainly from the wee bits we’ve seen in training, he starts to look like the sort of guy that will excel at this level.”

The Well boss was pleased at his side’s discipline during what was often a physical encounter.

After a drab first half, the hosts controlled much of the game after the restart and deservedly claimed the win.

“I though we were good throughout the day, we were disciplined, well-organised and probably in the second 45 started to carry a greater threat in the final third,” he added.

“Overall, it’s a pleasing day for us but I keep saying it, it’s not a case of sitting and resting on our laurels – we’ve got a lot more to give.

“It was a little bit of stand-off as a game in the first half but you’ve still got 45 minutes to rectify that and become a greater threat, which we did and deservedly got our three points.”

Hibernian boss Lee Johnson felt fatigue was a factor as his team were unable to recreate the highs of their Europa Conference League victory over Luzern.

Johnson was forced to rotate his squad for the meeting with Motherwell and he admitted that his side were feeling the strain of their recent busy schedule.

“We conceded two really poor goals of a weak disposition in terms of a physical battle for those two moments in the game,” he said.

“I feel like the output of Thursday probably had a bit of an effect in terms of the zip – the difference in the mental concentration was chalk and cheese in the two performances.

“Three days apart is a bit of a stretch for us at the moment, we’ve got six first-team starters out at the moment and ideally we’d have rotated the squad a little bit more.”

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell hopes to introduce on-loan Arsenal striker Mika Biereth for a potential debut in Sunday’s cinch Premiership encounter with Hibernian.

With Jon Obika still doubtful with a hamstring issue, Theo Bair produced a goalscoring debut in last weekend’s draw with Dundee and Denmark Under-21 international Biereth could come into contention for Motherwell’s first home game of the league season.

Kettlewell said: “He has trained the tail end of last week, he got two sessions in, and he has trained this week as well.

“He missed a couple of weeks at Arsenal so it’s just a case of us trying to get as much content into him as we can, work away with him over the next couple of days.

“But I am fairly certain that he pushes himself into the reckoning of at least being involved in the squad.”

Amid a shortage of experienced attacking options, Joe Efford replaced Bair in the 88th minute at Dens Park for his first appearance since suffering a thigh tear in October last year.

Efford has played most of his football in Scotland as a wide player and it appears he has some work to do to convince Kettlewell he can fit into his 3-5-2 system.

“The most important part is that Joe needs to stay fit and show us his qualities,” Kettlewell said. “It’s been a hard time for him, a long-term injury and then from that there’s been a lot of stop-start moments.

“There has been a lot of inconsistency, I am sure Joe will hold his hand up to that as well, in reserve games, games to get back to full fitness, pre-season and even in training sessions.

“I am always a great believer that we can’t just go from zero to full throttle, there has to be a period of time where an individual shows you that they can be trusted and that they are offering something on the pitch, they are showing you quality and that they can play in your system.

“He gets his opportunity to come on at Dens Park and that was specifically we were lacking striker options.”

Kettlewell is still looking to move players on in order to bring some in and the process of trimming his squad means the club will no longer compete in the SPFL Reserve League.

“We had more than 50 players at the club last season,” Kettlewell said.

“I feel that everyone who is at the football club must have a realistic opportunity to play in your first team.

“For us to run with another 15-16 players that aren’t pushing to be in your first team, it’s not sustainable for a club like Motherwell.

“We have had to trim that and our focus comes on the under-18s group and the loan system.

“We have four or five with potentially more going out on loan. I have asked a member of staff to focus on that and make sure we are finding the correct loans for players so when they come back it gives them a real chance to play in our first team.

“A lot of the under-18s have been part of our first-team group over pre-season and you see the obvious ones on the bench and in the starting 11.”

Tony Docherty insisted Dundee deserved to take all three points from a 1-1 cinch Premiership draw against Motherwell at Dens Park.

The newly-promoted Dark Blues had to settle for a share of the spoils against the Steelmen on their return to the Scottish top flight.

Motherwell debutant Theo Bair opened the scoring with a fine finish on the stroke of half-time with Lyall Cameron securing a draw for the home side after the break thanks to a headed equaliser.

Docherty was pleased with the resolve shown by his players to come from behind but he thought they deserved to win the game.

The 52-year-old said: “I was really disappointed to go in 1-0 down at the break.

“I thought we were the better team but I said to the boys at half-time to ‘keep doing what you are doing’.

“I was delighted with the response of the players and equally I was delighted with the response we got from the crowd who were right behind us. They saw us on the front foot in that second half.

“When we got the goal, we were unfortunate not to go on to win it.

“I am a little bit disappointed not to win the first home game however in the Premiership when you go behind, I think it is important you show that resolve and mentality, that you don’t give up the ghost.

“I think we showed that in abundance today.

“I feel we were the better team and should have taken three points.”

Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell was delighted with Bair’s contribution after the striker signed for the Steelmen earlier this week.

The manager said: “Theo offered us a lot after just two training sessions and being nowhere near being fully match fit.

“But to get about 80 minutes was tremendous. I thought his overall game was good but can get better.

“I’m just delighted with his composure for the finish because it’s not easy when it is skipping off the surface at that type of pace.

“He’s the type of player I want to work with. His attitude is fantastic and he has some real good raw attributes. I think he’s a player that will grow in our side.”

Unlike Docherty, Kettlewell felt a draw was a fair result.

He added: “In the last 10 minutes of the game, I thought we were in the ascendancy, the team pushing to try and win the game.

“But I’d like a bit more quality from us, I’d like us to test the goalkeeper a bit more with that type of pressure. I thought we got into reasonable positions but didn’t work the goal enough.

“From that side of it, a fair point is how I’d look at it.”

Dundee marked their return to the cinch Premiership by coming from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against Motherwell at Dens Park.

Theo Bair, who signed for the Steelmen earlier this week, enjoyed a dream debut as he opened the scoring at the end of the first half.

The hosts drew level after the break through midfielder Lyall Cameron with both sides ultimately having to settle for a share of the spoils.

Prior to kick-off, Dundee unfurled the Championship flag won last season before there was a minute’s applause in memory of former Scotland boss Craig Brown, who was part of the Dark Blues squad crowned Scottish Champions in 1961/62 and also managed the Steelmen.

The hosts were forced into an early change in just the sixth minute when Mexican defender Antonio Portales had to go off injured to be replaced by Josh Mulligan.

Both sides took their time to find their feet on an already-wet surface that was made worse by a torrential downpour.

However, as the first quarter passed, Dundee started to ease into the game without testing Liam Kelly in the Motherwell goal.

Instead, it was the keeper’s opposite number Jon McCracken who produced the first important save of the contest in the 21st minute when he dived low to divert a long-range strike from Blair Spittal wide for a corner.

As the half-hour mark approached, a Dundee corner kick was held up temporarily by referee David Dickinson as the Dens ground staff frantically tried to clear standing water from the opposite corner area.

Motherwell had another opportunity when Connor Wilkinson found space in the Dundee box, but his snap shot was deflected wide.

However, right on the stroke of half-time, the deadlock was finally broken by the Steelmen.

Stephen O’Donnell found himself in acres of space down the right and sent a tempting low cross into the box which was swept home with aplomb by Bair past McCracken.

The rain finally relented with Dundee having the first opportunity of the second half when Owen Beck swung a corner in from the left, with skipper Joe Shaughnessy seeing his header blocked on the line.

The hosts then had two chances in quick succession with Luke McCowan having a shot blocked by Kelly at his near post with the keeper saving the rebound from Zach Robinson.

However, Dundee finally equalised in the 68th minute when McCowan swung an inch-perfect cross in from the right with Cameron nodding the ball home at the far post past Kelly.

The Dark Blues had another chance when a Cameron cross was deflected onto his own post by Motherwell’s Dan Casey.

Both sides tried manfully to find a winner with the visitors forcing successive corners deep in stoppage time but Dundee held on to secure a draw.

Stuart Kettlewell feels Motherwell’s final pre-season match against Dundee United has left the Fir Park outfit in confident mood ahead of the opening game of the new campaign on Saturday.

A goal from new signing Conor Wilkinson gave Well a 1-0 win over Championship side Dundee United in a behind-closed-doors game at Tannadice.

The Steelmen begin the 2023-24 campaign with a trip to Elgin City in the Viaplay Cup at the weekend and buoyant boss Kettlewell told Motherwell’s official Twitter account: “It was good to get here and almost play a proper game, it gets us closer to what we want.

“In terms of performance level, we were stages up from where we were on Saturday (2-2 draw with Falkirk) and that’s pleasing.

“I thought we looked fitter, I thought we looked stronger, I thought our organisation against the ball was really good.

“And then we started to create chances and we started to play some of the football I believe we can so that gives me a great deal of confidence and I think it gives the players a degree of confidence going into Saturday.

“You’re always trying to see if you can go up to playing against a good side before you’ve got competitive action, just simply to take the levels up.

“Today for me didn’t really feel like a pre-season friendly. I thought it was a competitive match.

“Dundee United have good players, we’ve seen that last season albeit they will be a little bit disappointed by the relegation.

“But yeah, it definitely took us to a stage in a game where there was serious questions asked of us and we had to be good in every facet of what we do.”

Midfielder Dean Cornelius has announced his departure from Motherwell.

The 22-year-old was offered a new contract but revealed on Twitter that his spell at his boyhood heroes was over.

Cornelius has been linked with Sky Bet League Two side Harrogate Town.

He wrote: “Forever grateful for the opportunity to have represented the team I love. Thanks for everything @motherwellfc. It really was a dream come true.”

Cornelius made 53 appearances for his local club after coming through the youth academy.