The start of the season is always eagerly anticipated and the travelling army of Motherwell fans will relish the long trip to the Highlands.
Manager Ian Baraclough may have preferred an easier tie to open his first full campaign in charge though and, against the cup holders and third-place finishers in 2015, an opening point would seem a good result.
Dundee Utd is our first home game the next week but then Hearts (a), Aberdeen (h) and St Johnstone (a) complete the first five games - nearly all against top six opposition from last year, indicating a strong start will be hard to come by.
Nice to see a decent 'Well support
Motherwell's record in the opening fixture has seen an upturn recently. In the last 15 years we've recorded 4 wins, 3 draws and 8 defeats with 3 of those victories in the last four seasons.
A first day win can supply a confidence boost and reward players for their efforts in pre-season training but in a 38 game campaign the last fixture often has a more dramatic impact.
There will be no repeat of last year's opening game against St Mirren. Trips to Greenhill Road will be replaced by two trips to Tynecastle. Easter Road and Ibrox remain off limits for the league calendar. Travelling for the Ne'erday game will not be a problem as we are at home to Hamilton on January 2nd.
We have two cracks against Celtic at Fir Park including the final match pre-split on April 9th.
The usual TV warning applies - $ky, BT and BBC Alba will continue to cause frustration and annoyance by moving games for their convenience with fans who provide the backdrop and atmosphere given little consideration. Surely we will be spared Friday night trips to the north east?
The full fixture list can be found here.
Recent opening fixtures:
|
Season
|
Against
|
Venue |
Score
|
Result |
Link |
|
14/15
|
St Mirren | h | 1-0 | W | Report |
|
13/14
|
Hibs | a | 1-0 | W | Report |
|
12/13
|
Ross County |
a |
0-0 |
D |
|
|
11/12
|
Inverness |
h |
3-0 |
W |
|
|
10/11
|
Hibs | h | 3-2 | L | Report |
|
09/10
|
St Johnstone | a | 2-2 | D | Report |
|
08/09
|
Hearts
|
a
|
3-2
|
L
|
|
|
07/08
|
St Mirren
|
a
|
1-0
|
W
|
|
|
06/07
|
Rangers |
h
|
2-1
|
L |
|
|
05/06
|
Celtic
|
h
|
4-4
|
D
|
|
|
04/05
|
Celtic |
a |
2-0 |
L |
|
|
03/04
|
Dundee
|
h
|
2-0
|
L
|
|
|
02/03
|
Livingston
|
a
|
3-2
|
L
|
|
|
01/02
|
Dunfermline
|
a
|
5-2
|
L
|
|
|
00/01
|
Dundee |
h
|
2-0
|
L
|
|
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