10.30pm

Tonight's result: Livingston 0, Motherwell 5.

Yes that's right, we won FIVE nil at Almondvale in tonight's League Cup quarter final!  It was a stroll from start to finish, and we could have won by an even more impressive margin once the holders were reduced to 10 men in the second half.  And this coming on the back on 5 consecutive defeats.  Only Motherwell, eh?

Terry Butcher made just one change from the side which lost at Easter Road on Saturday, with Marc Fitzpatrick taking the place of Alex Burns.

We were 1-0 up before many 'Well fans had even made it inside the stadium - obviously our large traveling support took Livi by surprise and they didn't have anywhere near enough turnstiles open.  After just 3 minutes, Fitzpatrick set up Clarkson, whose cross ball was put into his own net by Dorado under pressure from Foran.  It was Foran himself who scored the second, when he blasted home a Paterson cross from close range.  Right on half time we had a bit of a let off though, when the home side had the ball in the net only for it to be somehow disallowed, presumably for offside.

The game was dead and buried when Phil O'Donnell made it 3-0 with a deflected effort shortly after the interval, then the hapless Dorado was sent off for a professional foul on Foran, who stepped up to score from the resultant  penalty kick.  The fifth came in stoppage time courtesy of a lob over the goalkeeper from substitute Kenny Wright, and even before then several good opportunities had been passed up to make the scoreline even more impressive!

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure that we played ALL that much better tonight than we have done in recent weeks - the only difference being that tonight we took our chances.  Oh, and there's also the fact that Livingston are complete and utter garbage.  They also had one of the most pathetic home supports I have ever seen for a cup tie - and they were supposed to be the holders as well!

Anyway, this was a fantastic night all round, and although the whole team played well I reckon young Marc Fitzpatrick deserves to be singled out for individual praise.  Another highlight of the night was Terry Butcher's celebrations with the fans after the final whistle.  Doesn't look like he's going anywhere!

Special mention to my mate Graeme, who proudly predicted that we would win 5-0 beforehand, and was promptly laughed out of the pub.

Incidentally, the semi-finals are scheduled for the start of February.  Quite a long time to wait for a semi if you ask me...

Team (4-3-3): Marshall, Quinn, Craigan, Partridge, Hammell, Paterson, Corrigan, O'Donnell (Wright 78), Fitzpatrick, Clarkson, Foran (Fagan 64).
Subs Not Used: Burns, Kinniburgh, Corr. 

Booked: Foran, Hammell.

Attendance: 2,886.

In case you haven't heard today's other news, Inverness have reportedly asked Motherwell for permission to speak to Maurice Maplas with a view to him becoming their new manager.  Also, Sir Bobby Robson is tipped to become new the new manager of Wolves, and apparently wants Terry Butcher to be his No 2. 

You'll probably have heard about the new 'Well book that is due for release shortly.  'Well Again - The Official History of Motherwell Football Club 1886 - 2004 has been written by Motherwell fans Graham Barnstaple and Keith Brown (with a little bit of help from Ricky and myself!), and here is the official press release ahead of the book's launch next Saturday...

‘Well Again – The Official History of Motherwell FC – 1886 – 2004

Saturday (13th Nov) sees the launch of the most comprehensive history of Motherwell F. C. ever written, when the 288 page hardback book goes on sale at the Motherwell Club shop priced at £20.95.

The book contains written text covering the formation of the club and the early years, then from the 1920s onwards a review of every season up until 2003/04. It also contains the results from every competitive game played by the club and from the Second World War it also lists every team line up, scorers, crowds etc. Tied in with this, where possible a named team photograph has been included.

Also contained in the book is a single line entry detailing the individual statistics for every player who has pulled on the Claret and Amber jersey since the Second World War.

The authors were delighted that they were able to include a number of photographs that may never have been seen before or at least for many years. This is thanks to the access given to private collections and scrapbooks in the preparation of the book, particularly the photographs and memorabilia belonging to Craig Brown’s family, George Stevenson’s grandson and former Well star of the 70s Peter Miller.

The text and statistics have been put together by two Motherwell diehards in Keith Brown and Graham Barnstaple. Both have followed the club for a combined 80 years! Both also contribute a great deal to the club in their spare time with Keith acting as a board member of the Well Trust and Graham as the Matchday Programme and Official Website Editor for the Club. They are also grateful for the help supplied by fellow supporters Ricky Mullen, James Reid and Alex Smith.

Work started on the book last March when publisher Dave Twydell of Yore Publications contacted Graham And Keith and both have been busy checking and double checking Motherwell Handbooks, Programmes, past editions of local papers, previous books about the club and Scottish football in general to make sure that the facts contained are accurate.

This type of book is ideal for supporters of all ages as for the older fans it will jog memories of magic (and tragic) moments of years gone by, and for younger fans it will help them understand what their dads and grandparents have been banging on about!