Self belief ebbing away as Hearts toil to make third place their own

Motherwell 0
STILL eight points clear of Dundee United, Hearts remain strong favourites to clinch third place. As Jim Jefferies said after Saturday's hard-fought draw, with only six games to play, anyone would choose his own team's position over that of Peter Houston's side.

Nonetheless, what once appeared a formality has in recent weeks become a source of anxiety. Having won just once in their past six games, Hearts need to improve their form in the run-in, not merely maintain it. United have won seven of their past eight, and although they might be expected to lose a couple of their remaining matches, their win at Ibrox at the start of the month showed that it cannot be presumed the three games they have left against the Old Firm will be profitless for them.

If lack of application was initially a contributory factor in Hearts' loss of form, it has been replaced by lack of self-belief. Jefferies' team can still spark into life for the odd game, but the indomitable will which took them so close to the Old Firm is not there at the moment.

Kevin Kyle was Hearts' key player during their best run of form this season, primarily for his ability up front, but also because his optimistic spirit is so infectious: with the big man on your side, it must be hard to believe you can lose. Now, with Kyle still out following a hernia operation, that role has passed to Andy Webster.

That switch from striker to centre-half is indicative of what has happened to Hearts. Where Kyle led from the front as the team raced up the table, Webster is providing reassurance from the back. It's a shoring-up operation, concerned with consolidating the gains the team made in the good times.

Some loss of form was to be expected. During their best run of the season, which culminated in January's home win over Rangers, Hearts were stretched to the limit of their powers. If anyone dropped below the level he was attaining then, or if more than a couple of players were ruled out by injury or suspension, it was apparent that results would suffer.

Besides Kyle, Marian Kello and Lee Wallace were out injured on Saturday, while Andrew Driver was not fit enough to start and Eggert Jonsson was suspended. Jamie MacDonald again played well in goal in place of Kello, but the other absences had an effect. Hearts have less drive down the flanks without Wallace and a fully fit Driver, less dig in midfield without Jonsson.

Motherwell, it should be said, had significant absentees of their own, though in their case largely voluntary. With Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final against St Johnstone in mind, Stuart McCall began with several of his key names on the bench.

The Fir Park manager had a delicate balance to strike between preparing for the competition which could still give his club a place in Europe alongside Hearts and completing the job of securing a spot in the top six of the SPL, and he struck it well.

The players who came in such as midfielder Stuart Carswell did not let him down, and the more experienced men who came off the bench played their part in claiming the point which, combined with Caley Thistle's failure to beat Kilmarnock, made sure of that position in the upper half of the table.

In those circumstances Motherwell were happy to settle for the draw, but there were a couple of moments in a low-key game which might have given them a win. Hearts had the better of the first half, with Steven Elliott, Ryan Stevenson and David Templeton all having chances, but the closest to a goal came when Steven Saunders' long-range shot from out on the right beat MacDonald but came back off the far post to safety.

Templeton had two shots saved by Darren Randolph in quick succession as Hearts began the second half strongly, and Jefferies tried to increase the pressure on the visitors' defence by making three attacking substitutions at once, Driver, Suso and Scott Robinson all coming off the bench. But Motherwell stood firm, and hit the woodwork again when a shot by Ross Forbes came back off the crossbar.

In the closing minutes, the game could have gone either way. First Randolph was nearly caught out by a Craig Thomson free-kick, but scrambled across goal in time to prevent it going in at the near post. Then, after a mistake by Webster had conceded possession, Forbes let loose with a low 35-yard effort which was just wide of the target.

The result was a fair one, giving Motherwell the point they needed while edging Hearts closer to their own goal, but the match had an end-of-season feel about it despite the fact that both teams had a lot to play for.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the opening of Tynecastle, and this was the Hearts home game which came closest to the actual first match at the new venue - 10 April 1886, when Bolton Wanderers were beaten 4-1 in a friendly. The atmospheric old ground has seen some great occasions in the ensuing century and a quarter, but this will not go down in the annals as one of them.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Ross Forbes (Motherwell)

The midfielder came close to breaking the deadlock with a looping effort which came back off the bar, and helped his team stand firm when Hearts were throwing bodies forward in a sustained effort to claim the win.

Referee: C Thomson

Attendance: 13,800

Taken from the Scotsman