Tynecastle defeat ends Motherwell’s hopes of third place

Mar 11 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

SO Hearts have sailed “into the sunset” as Mark McGhee feared before he took his charges to Tynecastle last Wednesday evening in an effort to reduce the gap between themselves and the third-placed Edinburgh side to just six points.

If Motherwell had defeated their hosts, their hopes of again finishing as the best of the rest - behind the Old Firm - would have been very much alive.

Instead, the Steelmen lie 12 points behind the Jambos and McGhee admits they have no chance of third place now.

He took his side to Scotland’s capital confident of getting a result and felt a point would be no disaster in their continuing effort at playing catch-up, which began two days after Christmas thanks to a victory over Inverness that got them off the bottom of the SPL.

Since then, the club have gone on a run of nine successive league games undefeated, their best sequence of league results in 11 years.

But the run was ended in the cruellest of manners two minutes into injury time when a clearance by Mark Reynolds was gathered by Ruben Palazuelos, whose low shot from outside the box took a deflection before finding the back of the net.

Motherwell did not deserve to lose and their play merited at least the point which the ’Well boss so coveted.

The visitors thought they had snatched a point in 76 minutes when Stephen Hughes cancelled out Andy Driver’s 55th-minute headed opener. The sweetly hit volley evaded a ruck of bodies and beat keeper Balogh.

But with both sides looking for a winner, lady luck was on the side of Hearts.

To make matters worse, Hibernian’s victory over Hamilton on the same evening meant ’Well fell out of the top six on goal difference from the Edinburgh side. The game against Dundee United this weekend is now of major importance.

There are two vacancies available for the Europa League next season (the new version of the UEFA Cup) and Saturday’s visitors to Fir Park currently occupy the second available slot in fourth place.

A win for Motherwell will take them to within four points of the Tannadice side but a defeat would leave them 10 points adrift.

What Mark McGhee would take for a similar scoreline the last time these two sides met, back in January, when Motherwell won 4-0.

Motherwell’s quagmire of a pitch will not favour the home side, however, and United, with a physical presence throughout their side, will fancy themselves to get something.

McGhee is rightly lauded for his positive outlook and even back in the dark days of December he was eyeing up a European place and did not even consider a relegation battle part of the equation.

Fourth spot is still a target but it will all prove meaningless if his side do not make it into the top six of the SPL.

Motherwell limped their way to third last season and they will probably have to do the same this time around in order to get in the top half before they can then turn their attentions to a European spot.

The fear is that Motherwell’s dreadful early season form may well come back to bite them where it hurts.

Hearts: Balogh, Neilson, Mrowiec (Nade 34), Jonsson, Lee Wallace, Palazuelos, Aguiar (Elliot 89), Karipidis, Stewart, Driver (Mikoliunas 90), Obua. Subs Not Used: Kello, Cesnauskis, Thomson, Park.

Booked: Mrowiec.

Goals: Driver 50, Palazuelos 90.

Motherwell: Graeme Smith, Brian McLean, Craigan (Darren Smith 75), Reynolds, Hammell, O'Brien, Hughes, Klimpl, Sheridan, Clarkson (McGarry 69), Sutton. Subs Not Used: Krysiak, Malcolm, Murphy, Lasley, Aydilek.

Booked: Klimpl.

Goal: Hughes 76.

Attendance: 13,306.

Referee: B Winter.