Motherwell travel to Tynecastle on Saturday hoping to end a fairly
barren spell with a morale boosting win.
The Steelmen have not been at their scintillating best these last few
weeks and the reward has been only one point from the last dozen. The hold on fourth place was reduced to three
points after last week’s fixtures and the fight for a European place will
likely stay until the end of the campaign.
This is an important match.
The two earlier meeting produced draws, 3-3 at Tynecastle and 0-0 at Fir
Park. It is the first of those two that
sticks in the memory of the visiting fans. For an hour Motherwell produced a mesmersing
display of possession football. Hearts
hardly touched the ball as they chased shadows and they were three down before
a stirring recovery snatched a point.
Callum Slattery played in that game but he will complete his two match
suspension and be available for the post-split sprint.
Hearts will be without Marc Leonard following his red card at Almondvale
last week. An appeal was submitted and
rejected.
The Gorgie side had a win, loss and draw in their last three. That must
give the Steelmen some encouragement. Hearts last four at Tynecastle were wins but
all with a narrow 1-0 result, there’s nothing comfortable in that tight margin.
If Motherwell can return to the form that has served so well this season
there’s every reason for the travelling fans to enjoy the game. A third draw will give each team a point,
1-1.
