Tynecastle point could be Heart-breaker

Mar 4 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

MARK McGHEE has targeted coming away from tonight’s crucial encounter with third-placed Hearts at Tynecastle unscathed.

The Motherwell boss believes a point on Wednesday will keep his side in the hunt for third spot in the SPL once again but admits the Jambos could be out of sight if they secure all three points.

“My calculations tell me the big thing for us is not to be beaten,” McGhee said. “Even although we are nine points behind Hearts, I believe that with the fixtures coming up, if we don’t get beaten then we can still catch Hearts.

“They are the favourites big time (for third). If they beat us then they will have gone into the sunset but if we beat them obviously it is a great result.”

Hearts secured a vital away win at Dundee United at the weekend that opened up a five-point gap over the Tannadice side but they have been inconsistent since the turn of the year.

McGhee said: “I was disappointed that Dundee United missed that penalty (against Hearts). That would have been a great result for us and would have left us seven point behind Hearts.

“They have still to be as convincing in games but they seem to be knocking in the results and you can’t argue with it. They are a hard team to play against but that doesn’t make it unenjoyable.”

Motherwell got the better of tonight’s hosts during their last meeting, a turgid encounter at the beginning of the year, but McGhee, who turned down the chance to manage Hearts last summer, believes his side will have to adopt a passing game if they are to win this evening.

He said: “Ultimately the way to break them down is by keeping the ball and passing it round about them and we are capable of that.

“So we have got to go there not simply determined to match them physically which we did here but we need to have the bottle to go and play. That is going to be the key. If we play well enough, we will beat them.

He continued: “If you look at all the fixtures that are coming, I have got us within five points of Hearts at the split and that is with us drawing with Hearts.”

Cillian Sheridan scored the winner for Motherwell against Inverness last weekend which means the Steelmen are now unbeaten in nine games, a run only matched this season by Celtic, who released the Irish striker to ’Well on a loan deal in January.

McGhee feels the acquisition of Sheridan will be vital in the race for a top six spot in the coming weeks.

“The fortune there was that we got Cillian,” McGhee revealed. “I wasn’t 100 per cent I would get him. I had to keep nagging him (Strachan) but we did.

“There is no doubt that if we had not got Cillian we would not have been as affective over these games. I had always had him earmarked and luckily enough Gordon released him.”

Meanwhile, McGhee has revealed that negotiations between the club and two of the mainstays in his first team are still ongoing.

Midfielder Stephen Hughes and goalkeeper Graeme Smith are both out of contract this summer and Motherwell are desperate to hold onto both.

Talks with Hughes have been positive but McGhee has hinted that Smith maybe leaving Fir Park in the summer.

He said: “We are still trying to persuade them that their future is here. We are due another meeting with Hughes and his representatives and that is ongoing.

“My gut feeling is that probably Hughes will stay and Buzz (Smith) may go, although we still hope to change his mind.”