Fir Park, Motherwell
Motherwell v Newcastle was a friendly arranged for the 16th July 2013. I saw this as a great opportunity to visit Fir Park as this was also the day of my birth. I wanted to see this game to see how Motherwell would look coming into the new season without Michael Higdon and Henrik Ojamma. Also it would be good to see a team from the English Premier League. To get to Motherwell, I took the train from Stonehaven to Haymarket and then switched trains to go to Motherwell station. The station in Motherwell is only a mile walk from Fir Park which is a real bonus for fans travelling. I arrive in the station at 5.00pm for a 7.00 kick off and so with time to spare, I looked for somewhere to eat. Luckilly enough I didn’t have to look far as the station is situated around a lot of shops including Subway, Greggs and Mcdonalds. I opted for a Mcdonalds and was served by some friendly staff and as I sat down, I was sitting near a Motherwell fan with his kid who was then accompanied by a Geordie. The Newcastle fan was speaking of his teams decision to bring a strong side up to play the Well, before travelling to Paisley to play St Mirren to following week with a weakened side. I then began to have a chat with the Newcastle fan about how he lives in Motherwell and he was meeting his mates for the game. He told me he had been to other Scottish stadiums such as Celtic Park, Tannadice, Ibrox, Cappielow and Cliftonhill but this was his first time here at Fir Park, as was mine.
I arrived at Fir Park at around half 6 and I chose my seat in the East Stand in the F section, which was in line roughly with the half way mark. The view was good and the sun was shining bright, meaning the only disadvantage to sitting here at this time was you had to block the sun in order to see the game play. Motherwell were coming into the game with the news they had just secured the signature of former Celtic captain Stephen McManus but he was sitting out with a small injury.
Willie Collum blew his whistle to start the match and Motherwell kicked off. Motherwell started with a trialist upfront named Henri Anier who would be looking to impress in the hope of winning a deal. Despite Newcastle controlling the game with a passing game, it was Anier who had the first opportunity on goal. A through ball fell to Yanga-Mbiwa whos control let him down and put Anier 1 on 1 with the keeper, but he shot far too high and wasted the opportunity. Newcastle then punished the home side for poor defending when Shaun Hutchinson played a loose ball to the feet of Yoan Gouffran who made keeper Lee Hollis save from a tight angle. Unfortunately the ball fell to Haris Vuckic who composed himself to score the open goal. The Motherwell fans in the corner of the East Stand didn’t let the goal silence them and they continued to make some incredible noise in competition with the travelling Newcastle fans. Motherwell almost equalised straight away from a corner delivered by new signing Iain Vigurs but Adam Cummins was unlucky to see his bottom corner header saved by Rob Elliot. Again, some poor Motherwell defending allowed Newcastle to double their lead through Gouffran. The scorer of the first, Vuckic dribbled down the goal line and cut it back from the French forward who shot through the legs of Hollis. 
Half time was approaching as were a further two goals, the first came from Motherwell’s Iain Vigurs. The ball was eventually lofted into the Newcastle box and fell to Anier who touched it back for Vigurs to lash a low volley into the bottom corner, leaving the keeper with no chance to save. A quality strike and a good way to open his Motherwell career. Motherwell’s hopes of a comeback were dealt a blow when Moussa Sissoko thundered a volley from 25 yards that Hollis looked to have saved, but the ball trickled under him and rolled over the line for 3-1.
James Mcfadden came on for the second half to the delight of all the fans of the home team. He was playing as a trialist due to having still not decided where his future lies. Straight away he made an impact when Motherwell were awarded a penalty when Sissoko tripped Stuart Carswell inside the area, which I felt was a wee bit harsh. Nevertheless, Mcfadden stepped up and coolly chipped the ball down the middle and gave the Well fans something to cheer about. As well as Mcfadden, Motherwell brought on Zaine Francis-Angol who I thought played a stormer on the left wing. His work rate was terrific, his crosses were superb and he didn’t misplace a pass. He tired as the game went on but showed real promise to the team. However, I think Anier does not look the part as he offered very little to the Motherwell attack. He has some strength but I doubt Stuart McCall will offer him a contract. 
The game drove on and Motherwell were doing their best to find an equaliser, but at times I felt they were trying too hard. Mcfadden in particular I felt was trying to do too much to impress which resulted in him losing a few balls and creating Newcastle counter attacks. Eventually Newcastle killed the game off with a very well worked goal. Substitute ball Dummet played a fine ball across goal for Sylvain Marveaux to tap home at the back post after a good passing build up. From about 5 minutes from time the P.A announced that over 1000 Newcastle fans had travelled to see the game and asked for the Motherwell fans to thank them, in which resulted in a round of applause by both sets of fans which was a nice thing to see. The game finished 4-2 and both fans were happy with what they had seen. I would also like to give a mention to the Motherwell fans in the corner of the East Stand, who sang from start to finish and made as much noise as possible. Every team needs a set of fans who will sing their heart out for the club and you can’t complain when you’re enjoying a game with a bit of atmosphere.
