Motherwell in shirt tribute to tragic captain Phil O'Donnell

May 18 2008

MOTHERWELL players and fans paid tribute to their tragic captain Phil O'Donnell after yesterday's game.

They pulled on special No10 O'Donnell shirts in memory of the skipper, who died after collapsing on the Fir Park pitch in December.

The front of the shirts carried pictures of the popular player, with the slogan "We hope we made you proud", as the club celebrated qualifying for next season's UEFA Cup.

Agiant Motherwell shirt bearing O'Donnell's name and number was also paraded around the pitch as fans applauded their club hero.

In a tragic twist, it was Tommy Burns, who died last week, who signed O'Donnell for Celtic during his time as manager at Parkhead.

O'Donnell was signed from Motherwell for a then Celtic record fee of close to £2 million.

He was taken back to Fir Park by former Motherwell boss Terry Butcher after going from Celtic to Sheffield Wednesday, where he played between 1999 and 2003.

Club legend O'Donnell, 35, died after collapsing during a match against Dundee United.

He was rushed to hospital but died of heart failure despite desperate attempts to save him.

O'Donnell's nephew David Clarkson played for 'Well in yesterday's 1-1 draw, which dented Rangers' championship hopes.