Sale of absent striker to Norwegian suitors would further weaken squad

Hearts 1
Craigan (12 og)
ANDRIUS Velicka's projected move to Norway should be enough to prompt his coaches and teammates at Tynecastle to present him with a card even before he has left the premises. The message would read: "Missing you already."

Having contributed almost a third of Hearts' total of 37 league goals this season, the Lithuanian striker has been the one reliable constant through an otherwise mercurial campaign. His absence from this latest outing to Motherwell made perfect sense of reports that Viking Stavanger have offered £1million for his services.

Stevie Frail, the caretaker manager, revealed (rather unconvincingly) that Velicka was missing because of a pelvic injury, but, when pressed, conceded that it would not affect his chances of passing a medical, should one be required in the immediate future.

Frail, unsurprisingly, confessed himself ignorant of any possible transfer, saying that "I don't know if an offer has been made for Andrius." Despite earlier assurances from the Tynecastle hierarchy that he would have full control of selection and tactics, it seems that the coach is not yet privy to matters such as the arrivals and departures of players.

He was, however, convinced that the three points which allowed Hearts to make upward progress in the league table were thoroughly merited. "The conditions were very difficult," he said, a reference to the icy, gusting wind that buffeted Fir Park. "This is a hard place to come, but we worked very hard and the three points were well deserved. Steve Banks made some good saves for us towards the end, and his concentration was excellent, especially as he hadn't had much to do until that late stage in the match."

The same comment would have applied to Banks's opposite number, Graeme Smith, the Motherwell goalkeeper having been idle for most of the 78 minutes that followed Hearts' winning goal. It may be symptomatic of the visitors' current uncertainty that, having looked emphatically superior to the home side during those opening 12 minutes, they appeared markedly less ambitious and more defensively-minded after the goal.

The decisive moment in the match occurred in slightly unsatisfactory circumstances, and not simply because the unfortunate Stephen Craigan, in trying to intercept an off-target shot from Eggert Jonsson, turned the ball into his own net.

Immediately before, during the only concerted attack they managed in the entire first half, Motherwell suffered the first of the two mishaps that would make Hearts' winner the subject of debate in the pressroom as well as persuade the home support that referee Craig Thomson had done them wrong.

As David Clarkson head-flicked the ball into the path of the unmarked Keith Lasley – the midfielder then losing control as a golden opportunity presented itself – he collided with Jose Goncalves in the aerial challenge.

Clarkson lay on the ground, clearly not feigning injury as he was unaware of Hearts surging upfield to score. Thomson, it was widely believed, should have stopped play to allow the Motherwell player to be treated. But the referee was seen quickly checking on Clarkson before deciding not to blow his whistle.

Even so, it did seem unusual not to bring the game to a halt, as Clarkson had been involved in a collision of heads. The forward had to be substituted 18 minutes later, his manager, Mark McGhee, revealing afterwards that "Clarkson has a really bad eye with a bit of blood in it. I don't think he's concussed, but he couldn't see out of his left eye and had to come off."

McGhee, however, refused to hold the referee culpable, preferring to blame his team's ineptitude for the defeat. "The referee can stop the game," he said, "but he told me he didn't have to. On balance, we deserved to lose. It was a game that required a physical effort. The windy conditions were as much a challenge for us as Hearts, but they coped better."

As anyone would e
xpect of someone of McGhee's astuteness and aversion to the losing manager's ballyhoo, he had seen that, in a match of mediocrity, Hearts were more controlled in their passing than his own ragged team.

It was not until the closing ten minutes, when Banks distinguished himself with some excellent saves, that Motherwell presented the semblance of a threat. Even then, the menace derived exclusively from set pieces.

Banks twice had to make important stops from free kicks from Ross McCormack – on both occasions diving left to prevent the equaliser – and enjoyed a little luck when he mis-handled a corner kick from the right and then got in the way of Marc Fitzpatrick's close-range, follow-up volley.

As recently as the previous week, Hearts had performed to a much higher standard against Celtic and lost 3-0. At the moment, however, they will be satisfied with victory in any form.

Taken from the Scotsman