Another stormy one for the book

JIM REYNOLDS

15 Jan 1990

Motherwell 0, Hearts 3

NEXT time these two sides meet it is a fair bet that the first items into the respective hampers will be war paint and tin helmets.

Their shocking discipline on Saturday added to two previous stormy affairs earlier in the season is a scar on the face of Scottish football.

Eight bookings and the sending off of Hearts' Gary Mackay bring the total in those three meetings to four orderings off and an amazing 17 bookings.

It is an intolerable situation and if the clubs themselves do not get it sorted out then higher authority must take a closer look.

Granted, Carluke referee Ray Morrison did not have the best of matches, but faced with the same problems Solomon himself would have been tempted to throw in the towel.

I didn't see the referee aim any kicks, make a late tackle, or show signs of petulance so the blame for the whole sorry affair is solely down to the players.

The afternoon also had a somewhat sinister ending when John Robertson, scorer of Hearts' first two goals, was substituted with only 30 seconds of the match remaining.

Nobody wanted to say too much about that.

Said Hearts' manager Alex MacDonald: "I can't give an explanation as to why I took him off but it was in the best interests of the team." In fact, I understand that the striker asked to be replaced, and when something like that happens there has to be a lot wrong with what after all is supposed to be sport.

Motherwell manager Tommy McLean, after having expressed his disappointment at the way his side had conceded all three goals, also admitted that the "crime" rate for this particular fixture was a cause for concern.

He said: "On the face of it there would appear to be bad blood between the sides but I don't think that is the case.

The way Hearts play doesn't allow our good players time on the ball and frustration creeps in.

Then instead of walking away they get themselves involved."

Involvement this season has seen Motherwell suffer five orderings off and around 40 bookings.

The Hearts' count is little better -- five off and around 30 bookings.

All the referees can't be wrong.

To the game itself, however, and Hearts thoroughly deserved the victory that keeps their championship challenge alive.

They had that little bit more going for them in every department and took full advantage when the chances came their way.

Robertson put them ahead from the penalty spot after 34 minutes when Tom Boyd pulled down Scott Crabbe, and Robertson struck again in 62 minutes when he squeezed the ball past Alistair Maxwell and Colin O'Neill after a corner from the right.

Near the end John Colquhoun emphasised Edinburgh superiority with a fine finish after an excellent run by Walter Kidd, but the bad and the ugly far outweighed the good on a day when one could have wept for Scottish football.

MOTHERWELLL -- Maxwell, Burley, Boyd, O'Neill, Paterson, McCart, Mair, Russell, Arnott, Kirk, Cooper.

Substitutes -- Gahagan, Philliben.

HEARTS -- Smith, Kidd, Whittaker, Sandison, Levein, McPherson, Colquhoun, Mackay, Robertson, Crabbe, Bannon.

Substitutes -- Ferguson, McCreery.

Referee -- W R Morrison (Carluke).