Motherwell manager Stuart McCall is a bit of a fan of the experiment with football on a Friday night. His club are working with the idea by reducing prices to encourage as many fans as possible to come along to start the weekend with some football.
Hibs are the visitors for the Steelmen's foray into Friday football. The first, Aberdeen's home game with Dunfermline in September, attracted 8,333 fans, almost 700 more than the previous Saturday game at Pittodrie, although many Dunfermline fans were unhappy with the scheduling.
Of course, most fans would like to see a return to the traditional time and day of 3pm on a Saturday for games to kick-off. Football cannot ignore opportunities to increase revenue and interest in the game so experiments like this will have to be tried.
McCall is hopeful of a decent crowd after Motherwell reduced prices and put on special offers. His is also optimistic of a better game than the goalless draw with Dundee United last weekend, which was ruined by strong winds.
He said: "I've had a lot of mail from people saying that they can't get to games on Saturday because they play or coach teams, so I think it works both ways. A few people were a little bit against it but for a one-off it's worth a go. It would be nice if it was in the summer but as long as the wind dies down and we can get a decent game of football, then I'm quite looking forward to it. With what the club has done, letting season-ticket holders bring a friend for nothing and £10 for all other fans, Hibs fans as well, we're hopeful of a big crowd, a good atmosphere and a good game." The previous four games between the teams at Fir Park have yielded 23 goals and a penalty shootout.
McCall said: "If you look back to the last game here in the League Cup, it was a terrific game, 2-2 and obviously we lost on penalties in the end. It could have been 6-6, it was a really end-to-end game, and we'll be hoping for more of the same, with a better result. They have got attacking players in their team, I think Garry O'Connor will come back after a bout of tonsilitis, so they are always a threat." Midfielder Keith Lasley will miss out with the thigh strain that forced him off against United, but initial fears that the SPL player of the month could be out for four weeks have proved overly pessimistic.
McCall said: "He's hopefully not as bad as we first thought. He's definitely out on Friday and maybe 50-50 for the week after against St Johnstone."
Source: FOOTYMAD
