Scorers: Tall (37), Craigan (66 og)

Amid the off-field machinations, Hearts last night won a football match. Fairly convincingly, too. It also made it a successful debut for Anatoly Korobochka, the new interim head coach who emerged from his dug-out in the second half to usher his players forward in search of more goals.

The result moves Hearts up to joint third in the Premierleague with Aberdeen and inches them closer towards respectability in a season which has faltered amid constant changes of personnel, both on the playing and coaching staff.

"A Champions League place is still achievable," insisted a bullish Stephen Frail, the Hearts first-team coach, afterwards. "This result keeps us close to Aberdeen and second place is still our aim." Maurice Malpas, the Mother-well manager, asked for a response from his players after last week's Scottish Cup defeat to St Johnstone and was pleased with their efforts. "We created all the chances but they put two good balls into the box and we failed to defend them," he said.

"I thought the players were excellent. The longer the game went, the better they became and showed a determination to go and get something. I was just a bit disappointed with our final balls into the box."

It was 16 days since Hearts' last game, their 1-1 draw with St Mirren at Tynecastle, and the interim period has witnessed more drama than an East-enders omnibus. There has been an action-packed annual meeting, in which chairman Roman Romanov admitted that no coach would ever be given complete autonomy over team selection at Tynecastle; the announcement of a seven-figure sponsorship deal with Umbro, the clearance to buy the land to extend the main stand. And, of course, the appointment of another head coach.

With Valdas Ivanauskas still away on unspecified "football business", Korobochka was appointed interim head coach, the seventh of the Romanov regime, from his previously- held position of sporting director. In terms of team selection, Frail insisted afterwards that Korobochka will have the casting vote. "Anatoly's word will be final. As long as I get an input then great, but he will have the final say on the team."

On last night's evidence, the transition from Ivanuaskas to Korobochka looks to be smoother than to that of Eduard Malofeev, the eccentric, jabbering Belarussian who crash-landed at Tynecastle for a short period earlier in the season before he was spirited to another Romanov coaching assignment at MTZ-Ripo, based in Minsk. Frail, who has taken on John McGlynn-like stalwart status, marshaled the troops from the touchline, allowing Korobochka to adopt a more cerebral approach in the dug-out.

It took them a while to come into the game following an enterprising start from the home side. Chastened by their Scottish Cup filleting, the Fir Park side had a point to prove on and off the park. Both sets of players held up anti-racism cards before the game after the abuse directed at St Johnstone's black striker Jason Scotland at the same venue last week.

Motherwell's Ross McCormack walloped a shot goal-wards which came off Tall and bounced to safety. They conjured up an even better chance in the 24th minute with McCormack turning provider. The former Rangers player threaded a neat ball through to Jim Paterson, who trundled into the box and found himself staring at the whites of Craig Gordon's eyes. The Scotland goalkeeper got his fingers to the ball as Paterson attempted to round him, and it was enough to put him off his stride and run the ball out of play. Linas Pilibaitis had threatened with a long-range shot just before that, then Andrew Driver went close with another effort as Hearts gained a foothold.

The opening goal arrived soon after. Laryea Kingston flighted a corner to the front post, where Tall rose highest to glance a header beyond Graeme Smith for the opener.

Michal Pospisil replaced the ineffectual Edgaras Jankaus-kas at the interval and almost doubled their lead at the start of the second half, but guided his effort past a post.

Clarkson almost restored parity just before the hour when he rose to direct a power-ful header goalwards, only for Kingston to hook it off the line at the back post.

On such moments do games turn and soon after Kingston's intervention at the other end would prove decisive. The Ghanian midfielder, on-loan from Terek Grozny, dug out a marvellous cross from the right-hand side which Stephen Craigan, under pressure from Calum Elliot, directed into his own net off the bar.

McCormack and Clarkson combined well near the end, but the latter was crowded out as he prepared to pull the trigger.

Motherwell continued to pour forward and Kingston was well-placed on the goal-line once again to hook Darren Smith's effort to safety.

Motherwell G Smith, Corrigan, Craigan, Reynolds, Murphy (Molloy 63), D Smith, Kerr (McBride 46), Vadocz, Paterson, Clarkson, McCormack. Subs: Martin, Keegan, McGarry, Quinn, Fitzpatrick Booked Kerr, Craigan, Corrigan, McCormack
Hearts Gordon, Wallace, Berra, Tall (Kancelskis 76), Zaliukas, Ivaskevicius (Jonsson 65), Driver, Kingston, Pilibaitis, Elliot, Jankauskas (Pospisil 46). Subs: Banks, Fyssas, Glen, Mackie Booked Ivaskevicius, Elliot, Pilibaitis, Gordon
Referee S Dougal

10:17pm Tuesday 6th March 2007

By MARTIN GREIG

Taken from the Herald