By Callum McFadden at Fir Park.

New Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson expressed his satisfaction with both the outcome and the performance after achieving a winning debut at Fir Park, securing a 2-0 victory over HB Tórshavn in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League second qualifying round tie.

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Goals from debutant Martin Moormann and Lucas Fadinger provided the Steelmen with a strong advantage ahead of the upcoming trip to the Faroe Islands. Johansson noted that the performance was particularly impressive given the circumstances.

Motherwell introduced eight players to competitive action for the first time, with six starting the match. Additionally, three academy graduates also made their debuts. The squad was missing several senior players due to injury, requiring others to take on extra minutes than originally planned.

“I think it was a decent performance from us today,” Johansson said.

“Given the context, we did many things really, really well. So, yeah, pleased.”

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The Motherwell manager expressed particular delight with the quality of the two goals scored by his side, lightheartedly commenting that Moormann’s powerful opener was one of the reasons he was signed.

“Really nice goals,” Johansson said with a smile.

“Everyone thought that we were scouting Martin for his build-up and defensive skills, but we actually saw that he has good shooting from distance.”

While pleased with the two-goal lead, Johansson felt Motherwell had opportunities to score again.

“I think definitely we deserved to score another goal today based on the chances that we created. But I don’t want to say that I’m disappointed with that.”

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The Swedish coach emphasized the importance of contextualizing Motherwell’s performance, reflecting on the numerous new players and physical constraints within the squad.

“Given the context of eight players making their debut for Motherwell today, six in the starting 11, two coming off the bench, three academy graduates making their debut today, and some players that the sports science department wanted them to play zero minutes today and they did 60, when you put that context, I can’t be disappointed with anything today.”

Johansson also shared a light-hearted training story to illustrate how new the squad is.

“We had a moment in training where I was coaching one player to make a pass to another player and he’s like, ‘Who is that?’”

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“I think it’s actually quite impressive to be able to look that much of a collective.”

Despite taking a crucial lead, Johansson reminded everyone that Motherwell’s work is only halfway done and cautioned against underestimating their Faroese opponents.

“It’s half-time and you win zero games at half-time. You win after the two legs.”

“It’s going to be very difficult in the Faroe Islands. This is a team that has a European pedigree. It’s not long ago that they played in a group stage in Europe. It’s a regular basis for them to play these qualification games.”

“We need to go there with confidence because we’ve been preparing really, really well and I think we looked decent today. But we need to make sure we understand it’s going to be a completely different kind of game.”

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Johansson also provided insights into Motherwell’s ongoing transfer activities, revealing that the club is close to making more signings while acknowledging the challenges of the summer transfer window.

“We’re pretty close to do a thing or two,” he said.

“It’s going to be a long window. We want to get business done as quickly as possible, but we don’t control the market, so we have to do as best as we can to get the right people in the door.”

He is hopeful that several injured players could return before next week’s second leg, though he could not provide any guarantees.

“I would hope so, yes. We’ll have to assess the situation in the coming week.”

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Finally, Johansson reflected on his first competitive experience at Fir Park, commending the support from the crowd as nearly 8,000 fans attended on a Thursday evening.

“Fantastic,” he said.

“I think that shows how the buzz and the vibe is around the place at the moment, and how much the fans and everyone around the club enjoy what the club is doing at the moment.”

Johansson also highlighted the ongoing efforts at the club since his appointment.

“I think it’s no coincidence. I think it’s good work that has been done by many people and I think that shows how proud everyone around the club is with that.”

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Following a victorious start on the European stage, Johansson aims to capture more momentum as Motherwell prepares to finalize their work in the Faroe Islands and continue their positive trajectory under the new management.