Motherwell strikers left to rue missed chances.

Hearts defence holds out for a share of the spoils

IAN PAUL

8 Nov 1995

HEARTS stole off down the M8 with a point in the hamper, their goal intact, and their position above Motherwell in the league protected.

They may never get off as lightly again this season, however, if any team dominates them as much as the Fir Park side did for virtually all of the 90 minutes.

The fact that the scoreline remained blank was down to remarkable misses, fine goalkeeping, and a fair slice of capital good fortune.

From beginning to end, Motherwell were the team with the positive ideas, but they contrived to miss the opportunities they created and when they did get through, French keeper Gilles Rousset was up to the task.

Time and again waves of claret and amber rolled in towards the tall keeper but he, Neil Berry, and the entire Tynecastle defence refused to buckle.

In the end their resolution was rewarded, but don't try convincing any of the Motherwell fans in the 5595 crowd -- their lowest attendance of the season -- of that.

Already without two forwards, Tommy Coyne and Shaun McSkimming, Motherwell had to count another two out because of injury, Dougie Arnott and John Hendry, but you would not have guessed so as they played the ball about with a confidence that belied their recent appalling record.

There were some impressive passing movements from the home team, perhaps because Hearts seemed prepared to let them have the ball for a while, but it was a rare error by John Robertson that almost let them in to score before six minutes had passed.

The striker lost the ball to Alex Burns, whose pass was well weighted towards Andy Roddie, who made room on his left and will be annoyed with himself for not doing better from about 12 yards than shoot over.

Jamie Dolan was a big influence in midfield, in attack and on the rare occasions when he needed to defend, and one superb, long, cross-field pass to Roddie deserved a better finish than a mis-hit cross against a defender.

The locals began to get a bit restless as time wore on.

Alex Burns did try to alter that with a header from a John Philliben cross but his effort went well past.

Hearts very nearly stole a lead when they broke quickly and Gary Locke sent in a hard, low shot that Scott Howie did well to touch for a corner.

Burns was certainly having a go, as he demonstrated once more with a fierce effort that went only a foot over, but Motherwell went in at the interval wondering if and when they would score.

They were still wondering after two near things immediately on their return.

First, a cross-cum-shot by Paul Lambert was pushed away by Rousset and then Roddie, given a shooting chance by Dolan, steered the ball across goal and away from danger.

The Hearts survival reached incredible status when Motherwell's next raid ended in a fortunate, if worthy, save by Rousset.

Roddie had done well to make room on the left and, when his knee-high cross came over, Lambert met it about six yards out at full pace, but the ball landed in the arms of the keeper.

It all got a bit too much for Jim Jefferies, who got just a bit too angry when Hans Eskillson was pulled up for a foul, and suffered the wrath of referee Willie Young, who raced over to give him a stern lecture at the dugout.

Still, the relentless pressure on Hearts' goal went on but if the Tynecastle side had contributed little in an attacking sense, they were defending with great discipline.

All it needed was for them to sneak upfield, grab a goal and one of the great travesties of the season would have been completed.

Motherwell tried to off-set such a snatch by bringing on young Irish striker Roy Essandoh for Roddie.

Before the new man had made contact with the ball, however, he saw Eskillson nearly get past Howie with a header that went over the bar.

Both managers seemed quite pleased.

Motherwell's Alex McLeish was disappointed that his team failed to score, but in every other way he was delighted with their performance.

"We dominated from start to finish and it's not often you do that in any game."

For Jim Jefferies, the Hearts manager, the clean scoresheet was another bonus.

"We have been losing goals and yet that's two games now with nothing against us."

MOTHERWELL -- Howie, Philliben, McMillan, Krivokapic, Martin, McCart, Lambert, Dolan, Burns, Roddie, Davies.

Substitutes -- Essandoh, I Ritchie, Denham.

HEARTS -- Rousset, Locke, P Ritchie, Smith, Berry, Bruno, Johnston, Eskillson, Robertson, Fulton, Millar.

Substitutes -- Lawrence, O'Connor, Jamieson.

Referee -- W Young (Clarkston).

Taken from the Herald