Motherwell Part Ways With Manager Ian Baraclough

Ian Baraclough has paid for Motherwell's League Cup exit against Morton with his job.

The club have sacked the 44-year-old as manager following the 3-2 extra-time defeat at Cappielow on Tuesday night.

A club statement read: "Motherwell Football Club has today parted company with manager, Ian Baraclough."

Under-20s manager Stephen Craigan will take charge ahead of Saturday's Premiership game against bottom club Partick Thistle, along with assistant manager Stephen Robinson and goalkeeping coach Jim Hollman.

The statement added: "The board of directors would like to sincerely thank Ian for his great efforts last season and keeping the club in the SPFL Premiership for this very important season in the club's history, with the 130th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the 1991 Scottish Cup celebrated at the end of the season.

"The board will immediately commence the search for a new manager."

The defeat at Cappielow came after a slow start to the league campaign, which sees Motherwell in 10th spot.

They started brightly with a 1-0 win at Inverness but influential midfielder Stephen Pearson suffered a knee injury that has ruled him out ever since and they have taken only four points from seven games afterwards.

The former Scunthorpe and Sligo Rovers boss picked an unusual team selection in what was viewed as a must-win game at Cappielow, dropping skipper Keith Lasley, top goalscorer Louis Moult and winger Lionel Ainsworth and starting Scott McDonald on the bench.

Lone striker Theo Robinson struggled to make an impact and Motherwell could not build on McDonald's injury-time leveller.

Angry exchanges took place in the visiting dressing room afterwards before Baraclough insisted he remained the right man to lead the team despite accusing his team of lacking fight in the first half.

Speaking after the game, he said: "There comes a stage where you have to say 'enough is enough'. I hope one or two are maybe thinking 'I haven't got many more chances'.

"We had to get something off our chest. We try to be calm and calculated but tonight was a night for the outpouring of emotion and how I feel about, not just this evening, but how we need to be to win games of football."

Baraclough was appointed by owner-in-waiting Les Hutchison in December last year and won his first two games but Motherwell took just one point from the following eight matches.

Baraclough was heavily backed in the transfer market when Hutchison's takeover was completed and the likes of Pearson and McDonald helped them improve, but an emphatic three-game winning run around Easter failed to spark a successful fight against a bottom-two finish.

Baraclough's undoubted highlight followed as Motherwell escaped relegation with a 6-1 play-off triumph over Rangers over two legs, but they failed to build on that this season despite major recruitment over the summer.

In all, Motherwell won 12 games, drew five and lost 17 under the former QPR, Notts County and Scunthorpe defender.