Motherwell lose the hard way

The same eleven that delivered win in Inverness were fielded as we lined up in the white away strip. There was a change in formation as Clarkson and O'Brien switched wings and we kicked off with Graeme Smith in front of the Motherwell fans.

Kick offf

There were no goals in the first half but we had stamped authority on proceedings early on. Hearts were rarely seen in attack in the first half hour and we played a mix of close passing and long balls aimed at Sutton and Sheridan. Hughes looked good in midfield and he rattled the bar on the half hour when he collected the scraps from a corner outside the box.

The second half was a more even affair and Hearts got the perfect start when Driver got his head to the ball after the front post guards failed to clear a long throw in from the corner flag. We responded immediately with a Sutton header and a Clarkson shot.

McGarry replaced Clarkson with 20 minutes remaining and Klimpl had a long range effort saved. Craigan came of the worse after a clash of heads with Nade. There was a scare as he was carried off on a stretcher and later reports suggested that he was send to hospital for a check. Darren Smith was his replacement and McLean moved to centre back.

Hughes produced a 25 yard shot from wide on the left within a minute of the resumption. It bounced in the six yard box and beat the keeper to find the net. It was a thoroughly deserved equaliser and we picked up the pace looking for the winner.

An early 'Well attack

The game looked like it would finish level as it entered the five minutes of added time. We lost the game following another throw from the left. It lead to a deflected shot which just eluded Smith's attempted save. It was a cruel an undeserved end for the team. They will play much worse and win.