Tonight was the night. The four-year wait for European football was over – the pride of Lanarkshire were ready!

7,700 Well fans descended on Fir Park on Thursday night. The queue for the John Hunter Stand snaked down Knowetop Avenue, while The Well Shop was operating a one-in, one-out system as fans flocked to buy home and away kits for the new season. Fir Park had this atmosphere that covered it like a mist – an unwavering sense of belief.

Generations of supporters were bound together – fans young and old, all in one stadium, hoping to capture a night that would live on in the Motherwell memory. Under the dying rays, Fir Park believed that they could win the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifier against Faroe side Havnar Boltfelag.

The tifo was readied by Block E, which started as a paper aeroplane and worked its way across the East Stand until it morphed into an aeroplane, which you can only assume symbolised the paper-thin dream that was Europe and the metamorphosis to turn that into a reality – a clever analogy from the ever-loyal fans.

The team emerged to a thunderous welcome as they were ready to take on the European stage. The stadium was ready, the fans had waited long enough, but were the players ready for a game of such magnitude?

Any questions of the players’ belief were shortly quashed as they began to zip the ball along the turf, with zinging balls here and cross-field pings there. There was no shortage of inspiration from Johansson’s side.

The roar of Fir Park only grew as Motherwell took the lead – centre-half Moorman found acres of space 25 yards from goal and was unanimously encouraged to shoot by every fan in Fir Park, and boy did he make his mark. The defender’s shot nearly ripped through the net as his rocket lit a fire around the stadium, with a sea of hands jolting into the air in jubilation. The celebrations continued with a spine-tingling rendition of ‘Stand Up and Sing for Motherwell’, which must have been heard from streets away.

The Steelmen carried that momentum forward and clearly stuck to the game plan, giving their opponents little to feed off and continuing the bravery on the ball which has become so commonly associated with this side.

The match did falter, and that could be sensed around the stadium as the supporters grew slightly restless. They were hungry for more goals – they wanted this tie out of sight before they even touched down in the Faroe Islands next week.

The atmosphere once again grew palpable as Fadinger passed an effort into the top corner to double our lead – fans celebrated with those in the seats next to them, kids were hoisted high into the air – the sense of community was there in abundance, and that’s what football is about: a sense of achievement not only for the club but the community around them.

The cheers rang around Fir Park as the referee blew for full-time, with the players and coaching staff receiving copious applause as they took a well-deserved lap around the stadium to show their appreciation for the support on the evening. 

A night of memories, a win for the history books, and one giant leap towards qualifying for the competition. I have no doubts that many will travel to the Faroe Islands to back the Steelmen, and where the warriors go, their band of supporters will follow. The hopes of edging closer to qualification are balanced on Thursday night.