Butcher's men tear into Hearts

Patrick Glenn at Fir Park
Sunday February 20, 2005
The Observer

Motherwell may have looked unfamiliar because of injuries, but Hearts were unrecognisable on form as they lurched to their first league defeat of 2005. The goals produced by Scott McDonald and Marc Fitzpatrick - Jim Hamilton having missed a penalty - were entirely appropriate to the performance of a home team whose victory was thoroughly merited.

Having acquired a winning habit in recent times and reached the Scottish Cup quarter-finals with an impressive win away to Kilmarnock three days earlier, Hearts seemed to have rediscovered the self-belief that would make them optimistic about delivering retribution to a Motherwell team who had beaten them in the semi-finals of the League Cup.

Part of this restored confidence derived from the arrival of the Lithuanians, Saulius Mikoliunas and Deividas Cesnauskis, the latter having scored and played with enormous promise on his debut at Rugby Park in midweek.

But Fir Park is a venue where such hopes often go to die and, having opened this latest visit brightly, the Edinburgh team were soon reminded of the dangers of presumptuousness at a place that has a reputation for making the pre-match odds appear to be quite grotesque.

The Motherwell players seemed quickly to grasp the reality of their opponents' lack of menace, despite some fancy inter-passing that brought the illusion of superiority in those early minutes. They then went about the business of showing John Robertson's players the difference between posturing and positive action.

That they should be two goals up by the interval was due in part to some slipshod defending as well as their own exploitation of the opportunities. However, they could reasonably argue that, but for Hamilton's failure to convert that penalty kick in the 13th minute, their lead would have been even more substantial.

It was in the challenge for an awkwardly bouncing ball that Lee Wallace, the 17-year-old full-back, clumsily brought McDonald to the ground. Hamilton's scoring attempt was pathetic, rolling the ball feebly just to the left of Craig Gordon and giving the goalkeeper no problem.

McDonald took care of busi ness himself at the first opportunity. Steven Hammell made a powerful run through the inside-left channel before playing a smart one-two with the striker. The full-back's low drive was parried by Gordon and McDonald followed up to place it behind him with a controlled, left-foot shot.

It was hesitation on the part of Steven Pressley - after a long pass into the area - that allowed one of Butcher's teenage prodigies to extend the advantage. Fitzpatrick, the 18-year-old striker, took possession of the loose ball and struck it with his left foot past Gordon from eight yards.

A large part of Hearts' problem was that their Lithuanian players, both naturally talented, seemed to be disorientated by the nature of the Scottish game, failing to cope with the frantic pace or to impose their skills on the match. Cesnauskis, understandably on only his second appearance, was a particular sufferer and it was no surprise when he was replaced by the more muscular Jamie McAllister after an hour.

In truth, there the second half was poor compared with the relatively pleasing standard of the first. Concerted attacks were a rarity, although Hamilton came close to scoring a third goal for the home team when he leapt to meet a cross from the right and his precise header forced Gordon to stretch and tip the ball over.

It was not until Gordon Marshall fumbled a low, driven cross from Mikoliunas on the right - the threat nullified by the clearance of the alert Paul Quinn - that Hearts presented the semblance of a scare near the home goal. The raggedness of their display was far removed from those that had left them unbeaten in the league since the defeat by Celtic on Boxing Day.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer