Hearty defence sets up victory

They proved their grit once again at Fir Park as they ground out victory over Mark McGhee's men, who had handed them the only goal of the game when Stephen Craigan turned the ball past his own keeper.

How they got the goal didn't concern Frail, who was delighted yet again with the showing from his back four and goalkeeper Steve Banks.

The former Gillingham keeper played a massive part in the victory when he tipped a net-bound free-kick from Ross McCormack away in the closing stages and Frail hailed the contribution of his back four as a whole in the last couple of months.

He said: "It was a good free-kick that bounced just in front of him but he managed to turn it away and I was delighted with that.

"He only really had one shot before that from Lasley, but you are always worried that one will go in but his concentration levels remained high.

"It was fantastic to get another clean sheet as well, that's four wins from our last five league games and I'm really pleased with the way that everyone has been working defensively." Frail felt his players deserved the victory, although admitted he had to adjust their tactics to counter the effects of the Fir Park pitch, which has come in for criticism recently.

It was threadbare and bumpy again on Saturday, the result of the wear and tear of a season of having games played on it week-in, week-out by both Motherwell and lodgers Gretna and he added: "I think it was a deserved three points.

"It's a difficult place to come with the way that Motherwell have played this season.

"The problems with the pitch have been well documented and that was part of the reason that we changed a few things around.

"We tried to miss out the midfield a bit because of that but it was a good win for us.

"The conditions didn't help anyone, the wind added another dimension to it and it was very difficult for the players to get the ball down and pass it."

With Andrius Velicka missing from the starting line-up following a bid from Viking Stavanger in Norway, the Jambos made three key changes to the side which had lost out to Celtic, with Christian Nade and Calum Elliot playing up front.

The Tynecastle side had a chance to open their account early in the match when a poor corner from Deividas Cesnauskis was missed by Well's first line of defence. The ball somehow made its way across the face of goal but Christian Nade's powerful effort from ten yards was blocked by the body of the diving Graeme Smith.

The Frenchman decided to have another go a couple of minutes later when he found space on the left but his curling shot was just a couple of feet too wide of Smith's left-hand post.

Motherwell had still to carve out their first chance when Hearts carved out their third in the opening eight minutes, this time when Nade laid the ball off for Cesnauskis with a back heel.

The Lithuanian raced to the edge of the box before giving the ball Lee Wallace – who was playing on the left side of midfield rather than his more familiar full-back position – but the Scotland under-21 star wasted the chance by blasting high over the crossbar.

They got the goal their play merited with 12 minutes gone but the home side were left kicking themselves at the manner in which it was conceded. It was an Eggert Jonsson shot from 20 yards which caught Craigan out, the Fir Park defender sticking out a foot and diverting the shot beyond Smith as he tried to shut out the threat of the advancing Elliot.

Jonsson, who hasn't yet scored a first-team goal for Hearts, probably would have loved to have claimed it for himself but laughed: "It took a massive deflection to say the least – so I don't think that I can claim it because I think it was probably going to go out for a throw-in before the defender touched it! The pitch and the wind was making it hard for both teams but we got the win and it was a massive three points.

"Motherwell have been playing really well but we have come away from Fir Park with a victory and I think that we deserved it.

"We maybe just needed that second goal to give us a bit of a cushion but it didn't come. In the end it didn't matter though and now we have to concentrate on trying to climb back up the table."

The gusting wind ruined the game as a spectacle but the Jambos could have increased their advantage when a slip by Paul Quinn handed possession back to Wallace.

The 21-year-old's progress towards goal was immediately halted by a crude challenge from Craigan and whistler Craig Thomson had no hesitation in awarding a free-kick but Elliot could only fire it high and wide of Smith's net.

The closest Motherwell came to levelling was a 66th-minute corner from McCormack that was headed just over the bar by Marc Fitzpatrick.

Elliot was booked with 15 minutes remaining when he slid in late on Smith and Jonsson followed him just seconds later after a challenge on Chris Porter. McCormack, who has been so deadly for the Steelmen this season, took the free-kick which resulted from Jonsson's foul and it almost made the net, Banks required to make his first real save of the afternoon by diving low to his left and beating the ball away for a corner.

It was swung straight back in by substitute Darren Smith from the flag.

Both McCormack and Fitzpatrick stuck their boot in after Banks had parried but the Englishman did well to claim the ball and smother it as Robbie Neilson remonstrated with the Fir Park players for their close attention to his keeper.

Banks was called upon again five minutes from time when he was forced to palm away a cracking free-kick from McCormack, who had seconds earlier been brought down by Jonsson.

It was a top-class save from the Tynecastle keeper and it could prove to be a priceless one for Hearts in the battle to earn a place in the top six of the SPL this season.

Well manager Mark McGhee admitted that his side took what they deserved from the match, saying: "The way that we had to play, because of the conditions, we weren't good enough.

"That's why, from the start of the season, we have been playing football because we are better suited to passing the ball."

Taken from the Scotsman