Motherwell
faced Belgian side KRC Genk at Fir Park in a friendly a week ahead of their Uefa
Conference League tie with HB Torshavn.
‘Well fans
had a first chance to see new signings Alex Paulsen, Martin Moorman and Willy
Vogt together with a sprinkling of familiar faces and a half dozen from the youth
ranks.
The game
started with the visitors looking confident while the hosts looked rusty. In the first five minutes the player with
most touches was the red cladded ‘Well ‘keeper and he was able to show his ability
with the ball at his feet. He was soon tested for real and produced a fine stop
at full stretch.
Motherwell
took the lead against the run of play when Regan Charles-Cook produced a
weaving run into the box. A clear trip
had the referee pointing to the spot and the ball was handed to Eli Just. A low drive to the corner let the crowd acclaim the midfield maestro.
It did not
take long for Genk to level as Aaron Bibout produced a fine dipping shot from
the left. It flew over Poulsen and found
the net. A second arrived just before
the break to give Genk the half-time advantage.
Motherwell’s
play was well short of the composed, flowing style that they hope to
deliver. Passes went astray and
possession spells were short. With no
clear target up front attacks failed as the visiting defence pounced.
The second
period was a discontinuous affair as managers tested their squads. Genk swapped all ten outfield players on the
hour while Alfred Johansson turned to his academy graduates.
A careless
slip in defence offered an easy tap in for Genk early in the second half but
the ’Well youngsters soon rallied to the cause and the crowd of over three
thousand responded to their efforts.
Mikey Booth
scored in front of the empty South Stand but, again, the visitors were quick to
reply. Robbie Hunter completed a nice
passing sequence with a late goal to end the scoring for the evening.
Johansson
has plenty to contemplate before next week’s important tie. Several regulars
were missing from tonight’s exercise.
Only Oscar Priestman completed the ninety minutes.
Let’s hope the rust disappears in the next few days.
Friday 17
July 2026
Motherwell
3 Genk 4
Attendance
3,066
Team:
Paulsen, Sparrow, Whyte, Moorman, Ross, Priestman, Fadinger, Just, Said, Vogt,
Charles-Cook
Subs
Connelly, Bjorgolfsson, Wilson, Booth, Buchanan, Dalziel, Hunter, Weir, Thomson,
Ngandu
