Johansson says it is "a question of time" as Motherwell go to St Johnstone chasing an end to six straight defeats
Wednesday 28 October 2026 · By Lauren Craig
Motherwell go to McDiarmid Park tonight (19:45 GMT) to face St Johnstone looking to end their worst league run for a long time, and head coach Alfred Johansson is trying to keep the mood steady. They have lost six league games in a row, and the BBC says it's their worst run since Terry Butcher's time, around 23 years ago. The latest was a 2–0 home defeat by Hearts on Sunday.
Johansson isn't panicking, and he explained why. "If we were training really bad, if we were performing really, really bad in the games, then I would be worried, but that's not the case," he said. "For us it's a question of time before we turn this round." He described the last five weeks as "sort of a pre-season", because European football left little time to work on the squad. He wants a "closed circle and a locked-in family", and called St Johnstone hard-working and humble.
The BBC's analysis shows Motherwell are scoring 1.1 goals per game, down from 1.55 last season, but their expected goals figure is up, at 1.6 compared with 1.48. It also points to how much the squad has changed. Elijah Just, Stephen Welsh, Elliot Watt and Callum Slattery all left in the summer, and Jens Berthel Askou moved to Toulouse. Motherwell also went out of the League Cup at Stenhousemuir.
Team news is mixed. Lukas Fadinger and Regan Charles-Cook are hoped to be back, and Martin Moorman has been ill but should be fine. Oscar Priestman (calf) isn't ready, and Dylan Williams (hamstring) is out. Alex Lowry (knee) and Johnny Koutroumbis (muscle) are out until the international break, while Paul McGinn and Callum Hendry (both knee) are out long term.
The table shows how tight things are. Motherwell are 10th on 8 points from 10 games, with two wins, two draws and six defeats. They are level on points with Kilmarnock, but ahead on goal difference (minus seven against minus 13), and one point above bottom club Hibs. The 12th-placed club is relegated automatically and the 11th goes into the play-off, so the gap that matters is small. "Bottom six" is only a position until the split after 33 games, so 23 games remain.
St Johnstone are eighth on 12 points, but they're coming off a heavy defeat. They lost 4–0 at Ibrox on Saturday, when Kai Fotheringham was sent off after a VAR review. He is suspended for tonight, and Sam Stanton also misses out, with a deep ankle cut.
Results have been the main topic around the club. The BBC's piece asks how a side described as the "best team north or south of border" last season has lost six in a row. Nothing we have seen says Johansson's position is under review, and his message this week has been consistent. One small point: the club's own match preview refers to five league games without a win, but the correct figure is six defeats in a row.
After tonight, Motherwell are at home to St Mirren on Saturday (15:00 GMT). Johansson will be hoping the time he talks about has now come.
Fir Park has been Motherwell’s home since 1895, a compact all-seater ground of 13,677 on Fir Park Street, Motherwell, ML1 2QN. Visiting supporters sit in the Tommy McLean Stand at the south end, directly behind the south goal. It is the largest stand in the ground, two-tiered, opened in 1993 and renamed in 2021 after the manager who lifted the Scottish Cup in 1991. On most matchdays only the lower tier is opened for away fans. A large following can bring the upper tier into use as well. The stand holds 4,856, with executive boxes between the decks.
From your seat you look down the pitch towards the Davie Cooper Stand, the home end behind the opposite goal. That stand is single-tier, with 2,373 seats, and opened in 1995, named for the former winger. On your left, as you face the pitch, is the Phil O’Donnell Stand, the old main stand on the west side. It is raised and set slightly back from the touchline, and it stops about twenty yards short of the south corner: a dispute with a neighbouring house in the early 1960s stopped it being finished, so the roof steelwork runs on while the seats do not. On your right is the John Hunter Stand, a shallow full-length stand on the east side, converted from the old terrace and often the noisier stretch of home support. The plan above puts both goals on the end lines, in front of those two stands.
Motherwell station is the simplest arrival from Glasgow or Edinburgh. Allow about fifteen minutes on foot. Leave the station onto the shopping street, walk through the town centre and follow the claret and amber. The road forks near the ground; away supporters should keep left for the Tommy McLean Stand. Airbles is closer, but only on the local line. By car, leave the M74 at junction 6, follow signs for Motherwell and turn right onto Airbles Road. There is no official stadium car park, so street parking nearby is the usual option. The south stand is tall enough to pick out from the motorway.
Tickets for the away end are normally sold through your own club, so buy before you travel. The approach to the Tommy McLean Stand is separate from the home gates. Inside, the concourse serves the usual matchday food, with pies the local staple, and toilets on both tiers when the upper deck is open. The lower tier is close to the goal and still takes in the full pitch. The upper tier sits above the boxes and looks out over the town towards the Ochil Hills. The club shop and the main hospitality rooms are in the Davie Cooper Stand, so they are not on the away route once the gates are open.
Fir Park is not a huge ground, which is part of the point. Noise carries, the home support is close on three sides, and a full Tommy McLean Stand can answer it. The club is nicknamed the Steelmen, or the Well, and the shirts are claret and amber. For a drink before kick-off, the town centre is a short walk back down the hill. Merry Street has a couple of pubs used by matchday crowds, including the Railway Tavern. Leave time to walk back up, because the last stretch to the away end winds a little between the houses. Check the gate on your ticket, keep the south goal behind you, and you are in the right place.