Football Season Guide

It wasn't an overly-exciting league campaign for Motherwell last season, but two cup finals meant it remained highly successful regardless of their bottom six finish. Stephen Robinson will be hoping that his consistent ability to rebuild his squad to a competitive standard shows once again this summer. It's been a productive transfer window so far for the Steelmen, who'll hope for similar cup success combined with a top six finish this time round. One noticeable area in which this Motherwell side are sure to cause problems is going forward this season. Whilst the Main/Bowman partnership had some strong moments last season, the addition of Connor Sammon is a shrewd one. Looking lively so far in the Betfred Cup, the Motherwell front-men look like giving defences huge cause for concern once again. Keeping the core of his squad was the key aim for Robinson over the summer, and doing that so far has meant he hasn't had to be overly busy the way Motherwell have been used to in previous years. The departure of Tom Aldred is the only high-profile departure, with a host of fringe men departing that won't overly concern Robinson. It looks as though Liam Donnelly from Hartlepool United is the man to step in for Aldred, but other than that there doesn't need to be too much tweaking. Aaron Taylor-Sinclair should bring some real energy to the left-side, but it looks like Motherwell will stick to their 3-5-2 formation again this season if the Betfred Cup is anything to go by. So far, it would be dangerous to predict anything other than a solid enough season from the Steelmen. It looks from the outside as though strengthening would be too strong a word to use at this time. Motherwell's style in the engine room will also be similar as the likes of Carl McHugh, Andy Rose, and Allan Campbell look to be the main men in there once again. With a good period of time left between now and the end of the transfer window, however, there may still be a trick or two up Robinson's sleeve.