Tag: Motherwell

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Club Tops European

Igor Budisa – FC Schweinfurt 05 02′

FC Schweinfurt 05 are a fourth division German side that currently play in the Regionalliga Bayern and just missed out on promotion into the third flight of German football by means of playoff after finishing second but being crowned champions after Türkgücü München were top of the league for the 19/20 season before it was cancelled, due to the pandemic, was removed from the league and placed into the division above and the rest of the league continued without them.

FC 05 were a regular in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga divisions in Germany from the 1930’s to the 1970’s but now mainly yo-yo between the 3. Liga, Regionalliga Bayern and the Bayernliga Nord which is the third, fourth and fifth divisions.

This jersey comes from a one time match between FC Schweinfurt 05 and Motherwell FC at the end of the 01/02 season with the well’ travelling over to the town of Schweinfurt in a friendly as North Lanarkshire in Scotland is said to be its twin town and both teams wanted to celebrate this fact. Twin town meaning that both towns share planned activities and visits.

Unfortunately for Motherwell, the Germans beat the Scots 3-2 with most of the steelmen’s players being brought straight out the youth academy. As this was a council trip, Motherwell also had a trip to a local vineyard planned but with most of the team being made up of young boys, most weren’t old enough to take part in the tasting.

The player in question today is journeyman midfielder Igor Budiša who has racked up appearances at 16 different clubs, starting and finishing his career with Croatian side NK Osijek also playing for teams in Germany, Hungary, Greece, Russia and China.

This top is different to most as it does not contain a badge anywhere with the only branding being the name of the team along the back above the number. Hummel have obviously tried something very different in using a zip on the collar instead of using buttons or just a flat collar.

Also the Hummel branding being used on a diagonal replicates the blue hazard stripe design on the sleeves. All the lettering and numbers are made from felt which looks fantastic with the 3D style numbers.

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Club Tops European

Martyn Corrigan – FC Jokerit 00′

Probably one of the most obscure kits in the world, FC Jokerit have a very small history of just five years but in those five years they managed to bring in a Finnish Cup and a Second division title. Based in Helsinki and starting the 99/00 season in the Second Division, the club managed to win the Finnish Cup in their first season, with help from a young Corrigan who played 13 times for the club after signing from Falkirk in the middle of the season.

After winning the Finnish Cup, Corrigan would sign for Lanarkshire side Motherwell FC, in the 00/01 season, where he would spend seven years of his career and rack up 243 appearances while also representing Scotland B on two occasions.

As for FC Jokerit, their last season would be in 2003 where they finished 10th and after that they were bought over in March 2004 by rivals HJK Helsinki and were renamed to Klubi-04 which is used as a reserve team for HJK.

Former Dutch fullback Jan Everse also managed the team for a few months.

Corrigan, centre, speaking to Hammell, right. Motherwell can stun Rangers at Hampden and banish League Cup ghost of 2005 insists Martyn Corrigan – Daily Record

Naturally a right back, and what a right back he was, Corrigan would play there, centre back and right midfield when called upon. An extremely hard working full back that used his stamina and aggression to get him through games, which is shown by the 02/03 season Martyn would play all but the final 16 minutes. Due to his favouritism with the fans, Martyn would gain the nickname “Kaiser”.

This top really has a lot happening with all the sponsorships, the Karelia coat of arms, Adidas badge and stripes of the cleverly created badge. The collar reminds me of the old Welsh 76′ jersey that uses the Admiral logos on the collar.

A tidy finish too with the front of the collar blending back into the top. The shimmer throughout the small stripes really bring this to life.

The badge features a jester on top of a football with the primary colours, red, yellow and blue, along with the team name, location and year founded.

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British International Tops

Willie Pettigrew – Scotland 75′

Regular subscribers to The Kit Rail will know that we’ve already covered Willie Pettigrew with his stunning Dundee United 1981 Scottish Cup Final Jersey. For that reason we are covering Willie’s full Scotland international career, from the under 23’s through to his last full cap.

Scotland Under 23’s

He made his international debut for the under 23 side, at the age of 21, in a friendly match in Sweden that was played on the 16th of April 1975. Scotland won this fixture 2-1.

A European Championship clash in Romania would see Willie score his first international goal in another 2-1 win coming on the 31st of May 1975.

Next up would be a double header against Denmark with Scotland securing a crucial 1-0 win away, on the 2nd of September 1975, and adding yet another victory, this time beating the Danish 4-1 on the 28th of October 1975.

Pettigrew ended the international calendar year with another European Championship Victory, grabbing himself a brace in a 4-0 destruction of Romania at Brockville on the 16th of December 1975. This result saw Scotland top their group and continue through the tournament.

Willie’s sixth and penultimate under 23 cap would come against Wales at Wrexhams Racecourse Ground on the 4th of February. During this game, Willie would score another brace to secure a narrow 3-2 victory for the Scots. We covered this match when we featured the Joey Jones jersey not too long ago.

The last cap to come for Willie Pettigrew would be in the second leg of the Under 23 European Championship Quarter Finals as Scotland took on The Netherlands in front of an amazing 32,000 fans at Easter Road, home of Hibernian, on the 24th of March 1976. Scotland lost the first game 2-0 (a game that Willie missed due to injury). Scotland would win the second game 2-0 but would lose on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate score. You can find more details on this match as we covered it during the Jan Everse jersey.

In all Willie started 7 games at under 23 level winning all seven and grabbing himself five goals in the process.

Full International Career

2 weeks after his last under 23 cap, Willie would make his full international debut and what a debut it would be.

A home friendly versus Switzerland on the 7th of April 1976 would see Willie net his first goal after only 2 minutes. This would be the only goal of the game as Scotland would win the game 1-0. This game has also been covered as we featured Rene Hasler earlier this week.

Cap number two would again see Willie find the net, scoring the first goal in a 3-1 win over Wales at Hampden Park on the 6th of May 1976. You can see more of this game and jersey on Terry Yorath’s page on the The Kit Rail.

A few days later would come cap number three which would see Scotland beat Northern Ireland convincingly in a 3-0 win at Hampden Park with goals from Gemmill, Masson and Dalglish.

Willie would have to wait six months for cap number four which would be a world cup qualifier against Wales. We would see another victory for Scotland and Pettigrew as the Scots would beat Wales 1-0.

Willie’s fifth and final cap would come on the 27th of April 1977 and would see Scotland run out as winners in a 3-1 victory against Sweden with goals coming from Hartford, Dalglish and Joe Crag.

Willie would play five times for his country, scoring two goals in the process and would be in the winning team on all five occasions. If you add Willie’s under 23 appearances, you end up with an impressive 12 games representing Scotland, 12 victories and a highly commendable 7 goals.

Willie Pettigrew, take a bow.

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Leagues

Hyundai A-League

As the international stage is being set, I thought to look at how the current club football scene has been doing, with the first league that we look at being the Hyundai A-League which is the top league of Australian football. Just as it is concluding with some great fixtures up ahead, it will be worth a watch if you’re looking to watch even more football than the Euros.

Drawing similarities to Scottish football, the A-League only consists of 12 teams with this season 11 being from Australia and one from New Zealand, Wellington Phoenix. Each team plays each other three times and the winner is presented with the Premiers’ Plate and qualify for the Asian Champions League. There is no relegation for the bottom team in the league.

However the top 6 teams break away from the others and play a knockout tournament called the Finals Series with the top two teams getting a bye in the first round. The winner of Finals Series is crowned champions of the A-League and also qualify for the ACL.

That’s the rules out the way, now onto the teams and who you should be supporting:

At the top of the tree we have Melbourne City FC who have just won their first Premier Plate after finishing runners up last season. Not only do they sound similar but they wear the same colour, share the same shirt sponsor and are also owned by Manchester City owners City Football Group. Although all their transfers this season have joined for nothing, it is reported that Melbourne City have the highest wages in the league. If you are a fan wanting to watch a team grow and could possibly take over the A-League, Melbourne City are for you.

Melbourne City FC and PUMA reveal new 2020/21 season kits | Melbourne City FC

Second in the league are Sydney FC who are looking to build on their success of last season and reclaim their A-League trophy. Sydney FC are the most decorated team in the division with 4 Premiership Plates and 5 A-League Trophies. Glory hunters, Sydney FC are the team to follow. Also to note that former Premier League striker Adam Le Fondre is currently on their books but was loaned out to Mumbai City for this season.

UA TEAMWEAR – Sydney FC Store

A team for the outsiders would be 4th placed side Brisbane Roar. Winners of 2 Premier Plates and 3 A-League titles while also being the first team to win back to back titles, the roar are looking for success with their last piece of silverware coming way back in 2014. Ex-Motherwell favourite and centre half Tom Aldred is the current captain of Brisbane Roar and will be looking to lift something by the end of the season. Sporting a bright orange home kit with a lion as their crest, they are definitely a team you cannot miss.

If you just like the look of a team based on their badge and kits then look no further than Perth Glory who may have finished 9th in the table but they looked good doing it. Winning trophies is the last thing on their mind with only one title since the beginning of the A-League in 04/05, it’s the kits that you’ll be embracing as the white and purple mixes perfectly and you can’t forget about the Perth badge which I would put up there with the best designed in world football.

Shout out the other teams in the division include Melbourne City FC rivals Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC rivals Western Sydney Wanderers, Adelaide United, Central Coast Mariners, Newcastle Jets, Western United, new boys to the league MacArthur FC and the only New Zealand side Wellington Phoenix.

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International Tops Rest of the World

Scott McDonald – Australia 02′

Aussie forward Scott McDonald would start his career off playing for semi-professional outfits Gippsland Falcons and Casey Comets, where he would become to youngest ever National Soccer League player at 15 years of age, before getting his move to to the south coast of England with Southampton. After a couple of loan spells at Huddersfield Town and Bournemouth and a permanent move to Wimbledon FC, it was his next move up to Scotland that would make everyone remember his name.

Signing for Motherwell in 2004, McDonald would make over 100 appearances in claret and amber while scoring over forty goals in his first stint at Fir Park. The Aussie can be most remembered for famously scoring a brace against Celtic on the last day of the season of the 04/05 season to deny Celtic the title, giving it to city rivals Rangers.

Scott McDonald scoring against Celtic on ‘Helicopter Sunday’ – Scott McDonald reveals how Helicopter Sunday caused rifts with his family – Daily Record

Motherwell would accept a bid of £700,000 from Celtic at the end of the 06/07 season where he would spend the next three years of his career making 88 appearances and scoring 51 goals. McDonald would win the league in his first season with the bhoys while being named the leagues top scorer and adding a league cup winners medal to his collection in the 08/09 season. During the Champions League group stage in November 2008, McDonald would famously score against Manchester United, holding them to a 1-1 draw. Scott would move on from Celtic on the 1st of February 2010, deadline day, to Middlesbrough for £3.5 million to join up with previous manager Gordon Strachan.

McDonald (right) celebrating his goal against Manchester United. https://www.socceroos.com.au/news/australia-international-scott-mcdonald-becomes-western-uniteds-latest-signing

After Middlesbrough, McDonald would have a successful career playing for Millwall, Motherwell again, Dundee Utd and Partick Thistle before moving back to his homeland of Australia where he’s played with Western Utd, Brisbane Roar and most currently Western Sydney Wanderers. McDonald managed to feature 26 times for his country.

This jersey is one of McDonald’s early tops from his time with the Australia under 20’s where he would play 24 times, playing under coach Ange Postecoglou, who at the moment is being heavily linked to the vacant Celtic managerial position.

This Adidas branded kit bolsters Australia’s classic Green and Yellow, displaying a small felt number in the centre of the jersey front and the normal larger size template on the back. As it’s a under 20’s top, no names were printed on the back.

Instead of the badge showing the Football Australia logo, it shows the Australian coat of arms which bolsters a shield with the badges of states New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania while being supported by a kangaroo and an emu.

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Club Tops European

Michael Higdon – NEC Nijmegen 13′

NEC Nijmegen badge

Englishman Michael Higdon started his career at Crewe Alexandra before making his move to Scotland where he would play with Falkirk and St Mirren, scoring 15 and 18 goals respectively before finding his form for with Motherwell.

Higdon (right) celebrating with Humphrey (left). Motherwell Legend Michael Higdon retires from football. : MotherwellFC (reddit.com)

It is with The Steelmen where Higdon would become a cult hero as he would score 13 goals in his first season and then a massive 26 league goals in the 12/13 season, where he would become Motherwell’s top goal scorer in a season since the Second World War. As a result of Higdon being so important to Motherwell’s 2nd place finish in the league, he was voted PFA Scotland’s Player’s Player of the Year.

Higdon with his PFA PPOTY award. Tam Cowan: My hero Higdon had the Mother of all hangovers – Tam Cowan – Daily Record

After leaving the Scottish side on a free, Higdon would move across the English Channel to Dutch side NEC Nijmegen. The Scouser would only play in Holland for one season but he would continue to be as prolific abroad, scoring 14 goals but this was not enough to keep Nijmegen in the Eredivise. After the season, Higdon would get his move back to England with a bid coming in from Sheffield United.

Higdon with NEC Nijmegen. Higdon leads NEC to victory — Nijmegenleeft.nl

As for this beauty, Jako have produced an instantly recognisable kit for NEC Nijmegen as the use of their classic three colours are used through this iconic shirt, with the main torso being split in two with the contrasting red and green while using the last colour, black, as the sleeves. The clubs double headed eagle is replicated from the badge and can be seen spread out over the bottom of the jersey.

At the bottom on the back, there is also a skyline of the city of Nijmegen, which is also the oldest city in Holland. This cityscape features the Nijmegen Railway Bridge, which was demolished twice during the Second World War, once by the Dutch to defend against the attacking German’s which was then rebuilt and destroyed again by the German’s as they fled the American’s. The bridge was nicknamed “Little Omaha” due to the casualties suffered on the bridge.

Categories
British International Tops

James McFadden – Scotland 06′

Qualifying for Euro 2008 was a hard ask for Scotland as they were placed in Group B with the previous World Cup champions Italy and the runners up France. With a few shock results coming Scotland’s way, beating France home and away, qualification was looking possible but due to disappointing results against Ukraine and Georgia, Scotland would make it 10 years since qualifying for a major tournament. Even though there was heartache for Scotland, Faddy would score four during the qualification phase with his legacy being cemented with his long range strike in Paris that would give Scotland a 1-0 win over France.  

Credit – VIDEO: It’s 10 years to the day since Scotland beat France in Paris thanks to THAT James McFadden goal – The Sunday Post

This top was worn by James in September 2006 where he would play just the twenty minutes before having to depart the pitch due to injury, with current Motherwell manager Graeme Alexander coming off the bench. Scotland would still win the game 2-1, helping their early qualification hopes.

When Scotland played Lithuania back at home in Glasgow, McFadden would score a superb goal that secured a 3-1 win after a quick throw in was taken from the right, Kris Boyd would lay it off at the edge of the box and after three touches McFadden would have the keeper picking the ball out the back of the net. 

Credit – BBC SPORT | Football | Internationals | Scotland 3-1 Lithuania James McFadden is waiting for the right club, as the former Everton striker reveals he has had offers from home and abroad | Daily Mail Online

Looking at this top from a distance, it is quite ordinary but seeing it up close you will find some hidden gems from Diadora, as on the front there is a darker saltire on the chest but also the word alba on the bottom of the back with a lion rampant underneath. The word alba is the Scottish-Gaelic term for Scotland first used in ancient Greek and Latin texts meaning ‘Albion’ to refer to Britain as a whole.

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British Club Tops

Nick Cusack – Motherwell 91′

On the 3rd of April 1991, Motherwell would play Celtic in front of 41,000 fans at Hampden Park. The result of this match would end disappointingly for both teams as none of them would manage a single goal the closest effort being a 90th minute free kick by Ian Ferguson which crashed off the post.

This would mean a replay would have to take place on the 9th of April. The second leg would be a lot more entertaining for the 31,000 fans that made the trip back to Hampden on a very wet and windy evening, as they got to witness a six-goal thriller, as Motherwell overcame the Bhoys 4-2.

Celtic would take the lead due to an unfortunate own goal by Tom Boyd as a corner played into the box caused havoc and eventually bounced off Boyd and ended up in the back of the net. A quick reply from Dougie Arnott would see the Steelmen bounce back level but it would not be for long as another set piece error would give Anton Rogan his second goal of the season while leaving Motherwell 2-1 down going into the second half.

(Cusack, right, celebrating after the game)

At the start of the second half, a ball forward from Luc Nijholt found Dougie Arnott in the box and his perfectly executed header found the back of the net for his second goal of the game to get Motherwell back on level terms. Things would soon get better for The Well as an unbelievable thunderbolt from Colin O’Neill would see Motherwell take the lead for the first time in the tie. To rub salt into the wounds of the Celtic players, Stevie Kirk would score an audacious chip that would land perfectly into the top right-hand corner.

(O’Neill ,no. 4. celebrating his screamer) Credit for both match pictures –
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=motherwell+celtic+4-2+1991&docid=608054175345561692&mid=28D753BDA67A030AFA2E28D753BDA67A030AFA2E&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

Dougie Arnott would be named man of the match as only one game would separate Motherwell from a much-needed trophy and as many Motherwell fans would tell you, the rest is history.

Now onto the jersey. Admiral have produced a fans favourite jersey here as not only is it memorable for being a Scottish cup winning jersey but it is also an instant classic due to the pattern moving around the collar to the white and claret stripes breaking up the torso from the sleeves. The darker amber pattern running through the top gives the top depth and helps it shine in the sun which makes it a stunning top.

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One thing that makes Motherwell tops so unique is the colours, claret and amber, which they have been using since 1913 as only a handful of teams surprisingly use, with AS Roma and Bradford City AFC being the most notable few.

This warm up top was first showcased as Motherwell lifted the Scottish Cup at the end of the 90-91 season and would be used throughout the well’s 91-92 campaign featuring the S.F.A. Cup Winners embroidery along with Admiral branding on the front, back and zip.

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Club Tops European

Paul Lambert – Borussia Dortmund 96′

Scottish midfielder Paul Lambert grew up in Glasgow where he would sign his first professional contract with St Mirren. Lambert would go on to make over two hundred appearances for St Mirren, helping them lift the Scottish Cup in 1987 before making a switch to Motherwell for £250,000.

In his time at Fir Park, Lambert would make one hundred and three appearances over three seasons with four starts in the 94/95 UEFA Cup, after the Well finished third in the league under Alex McLeish, where they were drawn against Faroese side HB Torshavn and more notably German side Borussia Dortmund.

Lambert would leave Motherwell at the end of his contract in the 95/96 season and move to Borussia Dortmund which would be a massive coup for Die Borussen as they would win the UEFA Champions League, eliminating notable opponents such as Auxerre in the quarter finals, Manchester United in the semi-finals and finally Juventus in the final where Dortmund would lift the trophy after a convincing 3-1 victory.

Credit –
https://www.90min.com/posts/3929891-7-british-players-who-succeeded-when-playing-abroad

After just over a year in Germany, Lambert would return to Scotland with a two-million-pound bid coming from Celtic in November 1997. Leaving in November was no issue due to transfer windows not being made compulsory until the 2002-03 season. He would end up playing for the Glasgow side for a total of seven seasons, winning two Scottish Cups, two League Cups and four Scottish Premier League titles. Lambert would also captain his side to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final, losing to a very talented Jose Mourinho Porto team who would go on to lift the Champions League the following season.

This jersey is from Lambert’s second season at the Westfalenstadion where their only trophy would be the Inter-continental Cup, now known as the FIFA Club World Cup. A disappointing league campaignwould see Dortmund finish tenth in the Bundesliga as FC Kaiserslautern lifted their fourth top division title. They were without Lambert for most of this campaign after Lambert left for Scotland. Dortmund also lost the Super Cup to the Winner of the Cup Winners’ Cup, Barcelona, 3-1 on aggregate. They would also be beaten by the other Spanish League giants Real Madrid 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Champions League, Real Madrid would go on to lift the trophy.

While that season may not have been a success for Borussia Dortmund, this jersey is a masterstroke from Nike, mainly due to the yellow and black that makesthis Dortmund kit so instantly recognisable but also from just how simple the kit is. Mainly down to the thin white stripe under the collar neatly separating the black and bold yellow. The black, yellow and grey trim around the collar is also copied around both sleeves with the same grey at the front of the neck forming a ‘Y’ shape keeping everything coordinated and overall a beautiful kit with a beautiful history.

2 5 7 9 10 11 14 1970's 1990's 2000's Adidas Admiral Australia Black Blue Borussia Dortmund Celtic Chelsea Claret and Amber Diadora England English European Everton Germany Green International Italian Liverpool Macron Motherwell Nike Orange Pony Puma Purple Rangers Red Scotland Scottish Umbro Wales White Xara Yellow