Motherwell Europa Conference League draw: Welsh or Irish side awaits Steelmen

Motherwell have been handed a tie with either Bala Town or Sligo Rovers in the second qualifying round of the 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League.

Graham Alexander's side, who are competing in Europe for the first time in two years, qualified for the competition after a fifth place finish in the Scottish Premiership last season.

And their reward is a clash with Welsh Premier side Bala or League of Ireland Premier side Sligo Rovers, who face each other in the first qualifying round on July 7 and 14.

It may not have provided a glamourous getaway fans were hoping for, but provides a good opportunity for the Steelmen to progress.

Motherwell's campaign will kick-off on July 21 at Fir Park with the second leg away a week later on July 28.

It is the first time 'Well have competed in UEFA's fledgling tournament, which was launched last year and won by Jose Mourinho's Roma.

With 'Well entering at the second stage, it will prove a tough task to reach the lucrative group stages as they must navigate three rounds (six games) to get there.

Should they progress past their opponents, the third round of qualifying takes place on August 18 and 25, where the likes of Anderlecht, Panathinaikos or FC Twente could await.

We will have reaction from the Fir Park boss Graham Alexander on the way later this afternoon, but ahead of the draw he told Lanarkshire Live Sport he would be take nothing for granted on their Euro adventure.

He said: "I know how competitive football is. There’s five or six teams in the National League (England’s fifth tier) that have bigger budgets than us right now.

“They have players on three times the amount of our best paid player. Just because we might not have heard of a club or player, it doesn’t mean they