Our attempt to secure the last guaranteed place came up short on last weekend when our draw at Ibrox was trumped by Hibs’ win at Tannadice but the convoluted rules for admission to Uefa competitions have thrown us a lifeline. The upshot is that a win for the Tangerines will ensure that Motherwell’s fifth place in the table will be good enough to enter the draw for the second qualifying round.
Under other circumstances our sympathies would most likely be with the first division side. Derek Adams served us for six years and was one of the few who choose to stay at Fir Park when the club ran into financial difficulties in 2002. He took a pay cut and had occasion spells as captain. George Adams, his father, was a successful youth coach for us and is now Director of Football in Dingwall.
Motherwell fans on the March in Nancy
Motherwell fans have been given a taste for early season jaunts across the channel in recent years and the prospect of another jolly is keenly anticipated. We were the last Scottish team to play in the Uefa Cup and the first to kick a ball in its replacement. The avoidance of a series of meaningless pre-season friendly fixtures is another good reason to add another location to the list; Nancy, Llannelli, Bucharest….
We know that there is no guarantee that United will lift the cup. They have won none of their last four games and scored only once, hardly ideal preparation, but there will be a wee cheer from Lanarkshire if they triumph at Hampden.