Question Time: Motherwell with @mfcpodcast86

For some reason that no one is yet aware of, instead of resting and rejuvenating for the entirety of the international break a Bolton Wanderers squad will travel up North on Saturday to face Scottish side Motherwell.

We spoke to Andy from the MFC Podcast to get the lowdown on why this game is actually taking place and who Motherwell are these days:

1) So errr... Why us?

To be perfectly honest I have absolutely no idea! Keith's testimonial match seems to have been in the planning stage for two or three years now, so I think the Motherwell supporters were just delighted to hear the game is going to take place.

2) Who is Keith Lasley and why should we care?

Keith is our esteemed captain who has represented the club on almost 400 occasions. He has led the team out through good and bad times, although it must be said the majority of the time things have been very good - he can also boast to be the only player to ever captain Motherwell in the Champions League (albeit a qualifier). In an era where players come and go and often don't seem to have any real feeling for the club, Keith really seems to have taken Motherwell to his heart - he's a fantastic character both on and off the park.

3) So will you be expecting a big crowd and a good atmosphere? I want to get involved with some twist and shout action!

I certainly hope he gets a decent crowd, it's a shame that the match falls during an international break as a lot of fans tend to make alternative plans during that time. Fir Park holds just under 14,000 and if I was pushed for a guess I would say there will be around 3,000 on Saturday, not great but when you consider our average crowd is around 5,000 I doubt I'll be too far off with that. I'm sure there will be some twisting and shouting, maybe not quite on the scale of Ibrox mind you.....wish you had asked me about that night!

4) What are your thoughts on playing a friendly mid-season?

A lot of my 'Well supporting mates follow the national team home and away, I spend most of the international break desperate for club football to return! Therefore I'm more than happy to have the chance to get along to Fir Park on Saturday.

5) What type of team will you line up with?

I think it will be a mixed bag with a few surprise appearances too, Ian Barraclough mentioned wanting to mark the occasion properly and I hope the game is fitting for a club legend, that being said there's a number of big games coming up and the last thing we want to have to contend with is injuries picked up in a testimonial match.

6) What kind of game do you expect? Will it be competitive or a more relaxed affair?

I think it will be fairly relaxed, hopefully a match played in the right spirit with both sets of fans getting involved.

7) How's Motherwell's season going so far?

We got off to a great start with a victory at Inverness and I think we all believed the team would really kick on, it's not worked out that way though and the victory over Kilmarnock on Saturday was crucial to end a run of four successive league defeats. There's certainly plenty of room for improvement but it's still early days and we certainly have the quality within the squad to turn things around.

8) What kind of football do you play?

We have two very pacey wingers (Lionel Ainsworth and Marvin Johnson) so we like to play on the counter-attack, a perfect example being the third goal in the play-off at Ibrox. This season we have played some tidy football, but too often resort to high ball tactics if things aren't going to plan. A mixed bag...

9) Any players Bolton fans should keep an eye out for?

Dominic Thomas was finally rewarded with his first start of the season on Saturday and he grabbed it with both hands. He's the kind of player that fans love to see at Fir Park, he plays the game with his head up and looks to take on the opposition full-back. At only 19 we have really high hopes for him.

10) What's your opinion on Neil Lennon?

As a player I would have loved to have Lennon on my side, due to the fact he wasn't and played for Celtic during the occasions I saw him then I wasn't his biggest fan. As a player he achieved a great deal with Celtic and at Leicester City and he went on to do fantastically well in his role as manager at Celtic Park. When a Scottish team takes on the might of Barcelona and come out on top you can only have great respect for those involved. I do hope that Lennon bringing Bolton to Fir Park this weekend won't make him the story over Lasley, but that's not a slight on your manager, more the Scottish press.

11) Any Bolton players that concern you?

I've really liked the look of young Zach Clough when I've seen him on the Championship highlights, hopefully he will get some game time on Saturday.

12) Finally, what's your prediction for the game?

An absolute goal-fest! 8-7 to Motherwell!

We thank Andy for his insight. You can follow his podcast on Twitter @mfcpodcast86. Maybe even give it a listen too as I may well be making a brief cameo appearance in the aftermath of the game.