Motherwell goalkeeper opens up on battle with West Ham United loanee as he eyes a Fir Park landmark

Aston Oxborough says his time is now to lay a claim for the number one spot at Motherwell.

The goalkeeper has played back-up to Liam Kelly since arriving from Norwich City in 2022, but has featured in two Premier Sports Cup group stages matches. A Premiership curtain raiser is to come versus Ross County on Saturday and the gloves are up for grabs after Kelly’s move to Rangers.

Krisztian Hegyi has arrived on loan from West Ham United and has also had minutes in the League Cup matches. Oxborough started on Sunday during a disappointing 0-0 draw at Fir Park against Partick Thistle, and despite saving penalties in the bonus point shootout, Stuart Kettlewell’s side lost out 3-1.

All eyes now turn to the league and Oxborough is keen to show he can be the man to start every week as he battles with the West Ham loanee. He said: "It does feel like I'm trying to lay a claim this year. I came to the club a while ago under Graham Alexander, and I'm still a bit of a newbie to the Premiership.

"I don't really know what the manager's thoughts are going into the weekend. Myself and Krisztian have had two games in the cup and it was nice to have a platform. We've both had the chance to put ourselves in the spotlight, two games each and fight for the jersey. I'd like to think the best player for the job plays, but we'll see on Saturday.

"The performance against Partick was a bit of a downer, but I think I did OK. I'm fairly happy with how I've done as a player here, but ultimately it's down to the manager.

"I've enjoyed being involved, I didn't play many games last year, so it's always good to be on the pitch. The position is a little bit more up for grabs this season, but it doesn't really change what I do. I've still done the same as I did last pre-season, so nothing's really changed for me.”

There were frustrations in the Thistle clash but just like he did in Montrose during another bonus point shootout, Oxborough stepped up to save spot-kicks. It’s something that is looked at in training.

He added: "I do enjoy a penalty shootout. People say it's a win-win for a goalie but it's always nice when you save one, Unfortunately we just didn't manage to get the win. Boys practise it in the build-up to matches, knowing there could be potential penalties. You jump in for a few and get a bit of practice.

"Our analysts work on information on penalty takers and where they will put penalties, so that helps as well. Sunday was a frustrating one. We didn't hit the levels we needed to hit, performance-wise. There's a lot to work on and the manager came in afterwards and expressed his frustrations.

"He was pretty honest, which you need in football. You need honesty to learn and improve. We need to take that to heart and learn from it to improve our game for Ross County."