Motherwell victorious over Hearts thanks to Forbes goal

Nov 4 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

Motherwell 1 Hearts 0

MAKE no mistake; this was the biggest result of the season so far for Motherwell.

After conceding six goals in two games in the space of four days to St Mirren, a season which had started so brightly for the Fir Parkers looked to be unravelling.

The visit of a confident Hearts side, who finished third in the SPL last season and shocked Celtic in the Co-operative Insurance Cup quarter-finals last week, would not have been every Motherwell fan’s preferred choice of opponent to play to get their season back on track.

However, Well were a more determined side than the one that suffered in the crushing 3-0 cup defeat by St Mirren, and Hearts were a pale imitation of the team that triumphed at Parkhead.

A superb Ross Forbes strike on 55 minutes was enough to separate the two teams on Saturday and the three points keeps the Jim Gannon bandwagon on course as his side moved up to fourth spot.

Confidence is a fragile trait, especially for young players, and anything other than a win at Fir Park would have tested Gannon and his fledglings to the limit in the build up to this weekend’s eagerly anticipated derby clash against Hamilton Accies.

This victory – which should have been by two or three goals against the hapless Jambos – was a victory for Gannon’s faith in youth.

Motherwell’s central defensive duo, Steven Saunders and Shaun Hutchinson – both just 18 years of age – were immense.

Added to that, full-backs Yassin Moutaouakil and Mark Reynolds put in assured performances in attack and defence which will surely raise serious questions over the futures of club captain Stephen Craigan and Steven Hammell as first-team regulars.

Northern Ireland internationalist Craigan was dropped altogether from the first-team squad and Hammell missed out due to a hamstring injury.

But the two most senior Motherwell squad members may see their time on the sidelines extended.

Reynolds, naturally a centre-back, appears to improve game by game when chosen as a left-back and his marauding runs down the flank gives Gannon an extra attacking option that the more conservative Hammell does not.

Gannon may now have stumbled across his first -choice back four, one with an average age of just 20.

It was not merely the efforts of the defence that proved pivotal in taming the Edinburgh outfit.

Gannon deployed on-loan Everton striker Lucas Jutkiewicz and John Sutton in the final third for the first time.

The two strikers added extra physicality to Motherwell as an attacking force, something they have been lacking so far this season.

However it was their neat link up play that was most encouraging for the Fir Park faithful and Jutkiewicz, plastered on the front of the match-day programme, put in a performance that Gannon was expecting from his summer recruit once his fitness levels were up to speed.

In midfield, Forbes and Giles Coke were allowed the freedom to take up attacking positions as Gannon relinquished his self-described ‘Milan style’ approach in midfield that had the two players adopting more rigid and disciplined roles.

Since becoming Motherwell boss, the 41-year-old Irishman has frequently mentioned how he wants his players to move up the pitch in a systematic way.

The speed with which the ball has arrived in the final third of the pitch had been of concern to Gannon but, against Hearts, it was obvious they had worked on getting the ball quicker into areas of threat, not simply by route-one football but by getting players into attacking positions further up the field.

That strategy almost paid dividends in the 13th minute when Jim O’Brien was sent tumbling in the Hearts box after a challenge from Ismael Bouzid, but referee David Somers waved the penalty appeals away.

Coke then spurned a great chance to give the home side the lead when he failed to connect with a header from six yards out, with Saunders firing the loose ball against the post before Forbes blazed well over from a decent free-kick opportunity.

Motherwell’s dominance continued into the second half and O’Brien almost grabbed his first goal of the season with a well-struck volley which flew narrowly wide.

The pressure on the Hearts goal finally paid off 10 minutes into the second half when Forbes found himself with enough time and space to meetMoutaouakil’s cross from the right flank perfectly with his left foot to give Jambos’ keeper Janos Balogh no chance.

Livewire O’Brien was causing the Hearts defence all sorts of problems and he burst through on goal on 70 minutes, only to be brought down by visiting defender Eggert Jonsson, who was subsequently shown a deserved red card.

Hearts were very poor overall yet showed more intent when down to 10 men, but it would have been a travesty if they were to take anything from this match.

As Motherwell proved two seasons ago, finishing third in the SPL is one thing, but doing it twice in succession is a totally different prospect altogether.

Motherwell: Ruddy, Moutaouakil, Reynolds, Coke, Jutkiewicz (Lasley 85), Sutton, O'Brien (Murphy 85), Hateley, Forbes (Humphrey 75), Hutchinson, Saunders.

Subs (not used): Fraser, Archdeacon, Page.

Booked: Sutton (84).

Goals: Forbes (55).

Hearts: Balogh, Wallace, Jonsson, Goncalves, Palazuelos, Black, Driver, Obua (Witteveen 88), Nade (Glen 59), Bouzid, C Thomson (Novikovas 82). Subs (not used): Kello, Kucharski, J Thomson, Mulrooney.

Booked: Palazuelos (39), Witteveen (90), Novikovas (90).

Sent off: Jonsson (71).

Referee: David Somers.

Attendance: 4,830.