I can see why Jefferies didn't want to change a winning
side having beaten Dundee 4-0, but the circumstances at Motherwell
were entirely different.
This is a nifty Hearts side that plays
great touch football on going that's good-to-firm. This time they
had to adapt to a wet, skiddy pitch - only they we didn't. They played
exactly the same kind of football, and it
painful to
watch. This was a night for putting your foot on the ball and being sure
of your passes. Hearts did no such thing and started the game as though they were a goal
down. Motherwell had no problem doing the right
thing - play it
safe at the back and get the ball up the park.
Having slagged him off
previously, I admit this was a game that needed Steve Fulton, probably in
place of Jackson, who's not so effective when it's wet.
Fulton's
natural inclination to stand still was just what Hearts wanted.
Whether Jefferies had
switched to a 4-4-2 at half-time it wasn't possible to see. Grant
Murray had come on, but I don't know who'd gone off. We got out of
jail, no doubt, and hopefully we've learned a lesson without paying a price.