Motherwell 2 Hearts 0

Hearts blew their chance to go top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League as Motherwell earned a deserved two-goal victory at Fir Park.

Kevin McBride scored the first goal against the Jambos this season with his second penalty of the week in the 59th minute, after Phil O'Donnell was adjudged to have been wrestled to the ground by Hearts captain Steven Pressley.

O'Donnell then produced a vintage volley from the edge of the box in the 67th minute to secure back-to-back wins for Terry Butcher's young side.

Craig Levein's Hearts outfit had edged the better of a poor first-half - with Patrick Kisnorbo hitting the outside of the Well post.

But the visitors were barely a threat after the interval as their bid to overhaul the Old Firm, albeit for 24 hours, petered out in the Lanarkshire sun.

It was Hearts who launched the first attack though, when, after just two minutes, Alan Maybury sent a right-footed cross in from the left.

Ramon Pereira touched it back into the path of Kisnorbo and it took a fine interception from Scott Leitch to deny the visitors what looked a certain goal.

Kisnorbo and Well skipper Leitch tussled on the ground after the challenge and squared up to each other but referee Alan Freeland saw no cause to produce a card for either player.

The home side's best opening in the first half-hour came in the 26th minute when a bouncing ball bemused the Hearts defence and David Clarkson's fine first touch took him in on goal.

But a poor second touch from the highly-rated young striker gave Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon the opportunity to dash off his line and clear the danger.

On the half-hour mark, McBride displayed excellent close control as he burst into the Hearts box and it took a muscular challenge from Kisnorbo to deny the on-loan Celtic midfielder a shot at goal.

That seemed to wake up Well and, after the visitors had scrambled the ball out for a corner in a desperate fashion following Scott McDonald's run, defender Stephen Craigan poked the ball into the side-netting from close range.

In the 41st minute, former Middlesbrough midfielder Phil Stamp limped off to be replaced by Michael Stewart and the Scotland international was straight into the action when his cross was met on the half-volley by Kisnorbo, whose effort grazed the outside of Gordon Marshall's left-hand post.

The first notable action of the second period arrived in the 50th minute when Hearts stopper Andy Webster increased the temperature in his battle with Clarkson by clattering into the back of the Well frontman and was booked for the foul.

Motherwell opened up the visiting defence for the first time in the 54th minute when O'Donnell and Clarkson exchanged passes only for the Well player to mis-kick completely when 10 yards out.

Motherwell were then handed the perfect chance to take the lead when referee Freeland adjudged that O'Donnell had been hauled down by Scotland defender Pressley and pointed to the spot.

McBride made no mistake, tucking the penalty to Gordon's right in the 59th minute for his second goal in a Well shirt following his midweek strike against Morton in the CIS Insurance Cup, which had been his first senior goal.

The home side then made it two in the 67th minute when O'Donnell rifled in a superb left-foot volley after the Hearts defence looked to have headed clear the danger from an in-swinging corner.

Levein introduced Dennis Wyness in place of the ineffective Graham Weir for the last quarter in a bid to salvage something from the match.

But the Edinburgh outfit never looked like unlocking a Motherwell defence superbly marshalled by Northern Ireland centre-half Craigan, who was ably supported by Scotland Under-21 international William Kinniburgh.

Pressley's afternoon of misery was completed when he was yellow-carded for a foul on McDonald as Well ran out comfortable winners.

Teams

Motherwell Marshall, Corrigan, Hammell, Kinniburgh, Craigan, O'Donnell, Scott McDonald, Leitch, McBride (Fagan 88), Foran (Fitzpatrick 77), Clarkson.

Subs Not Used: Burns, Partridge, Corr, Cowan, Wright.

Booked: Leitch.

Goals: McBride 59 pen, O'Donnell 67.

Hearts Gordon, Neilson (McAllister 62), Maybury, Pressley, Webster, Kisnorbo, Stamp (Stewart 41), Hartley, Hamill, Weir (Wyness 62), Pereira.

Subs Not Used: MacFarlane, Moilanen, Janczyk, Berra.

Booked: Maybury, Webster, Pressley, Pereira.

Att: 7,095

Ref: A Freeland (Scotland).


Taken from sportinglife.com