Motherwell v Hearts: McCall remains wary of visitors' defensive resolve

Chris Tait

EVEN when they are being treated just like any other club, Hearts still come across as a uniquely thrifty bunch.

Any nod towards the Tynecastle side being somewhat stingy is inevitably followed by a nudge and a wink, as though the comment was at the expense of the club's precarious financial footing. And yet, away from the shadow of a £450,000 tax bill, Hearts have been able to enjoy some brighter moments this season; a series of frugal displays allowing them to enjoy one of the healthier balances in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League table.

To date Hearts have conceded just 14 goals in the league, a record bettered only by Celtic. The attention has been drawn towards the club's efforts to meet the December 3 deadline set by HMRC to pay the oustanding amount – or the success of supporters in drumming up around £600,000 at least – but opposing players have not been unable to get much change out of the Tynecastle side this season. That strength is backed up, quite literally, by the experience of those in the Hearts defence. For all the concerns which had been raised about the impact that cutting costs would have on the first-team squad John McGlynn is still able to field a back four which comprises enviable nous and three internationalists.

It was the area of the Hearts team that Stuart McCall analysed most yesterday. It is likely that he has devoted much of his week to figuring out how best to break Hearts down, too. His Motherwell side appeared insatiable against Inverness Caledonian Thistle last weekend – they scored five times to earn their first win in three matches – but McCall favoured greater reticence ahead of the visit of Hearts. Having watched his side return to form in recent weeks, as well as to the top-four places in the league table, momentum has been built steadily and McCall is willing to be patient this afternoon.

"We played them about four weeks ago and I think defensively they are the strongest in the league. They've got the two big defensive midfielders sitting in front of the defence in [Darren] Barr and the boy Dylan McGowan, who came in last week," said the Motherwell manager, who remains without defender Simon Ramsden today. "They are really difficult to break down when they are away from home. I was there when they beat Dundee United 3-0, they only lost 1-0 at Celtic, drew 1-1 at Dundee United in the cup, drew 1-1 at Inverness; they don't concede many chances and many goals. We might have to be patient and it might have to go until the 93rd minute."

It will likely prove to be just as long a slog to seal a place in Europe again this season. The absence of Rangers has piqued the ambition of clubs who might have viewed a place in the top six as success; the likes of Inverness, St Johnstone and even Ross County having been engaged about their chances of enjoying continental competition next term. Such a prospect should become clear cut soon enough but there have been a number of sides to register an interest already.

"We certainly have the players to be up there in the European slots. It's just whether we can perform consistently well," said Shaun Hutchinson, the Motherwell defender. "You look at the league table and it's so tight but we want to get back into Europe."

It will be an ambition shared by Hearts, although one that can wait until the club's survival is assured. Danny Grainger will likely be more patient than most. It is hard to imagine the Englishman becoming flustered by much – the defender even dedicated a goal earlier this season to a fan who had been less than gracious about his efforts – and he is upbeat about the prospect of Hearts clawing away from their latest turmoil.

Grainger had moved on by the time Gretna went bust but his concern for former team-mates meant he was not removed from the stresses of the situation. He is not inclined to draw parallels with Hearts, though. "When Gretna had to dig deep we didn't have the backing Hearts have," said the Hearts defender. "We only had 300-400 loyal fans who wanted to be there every week, so there wasn't a lot we could do."

Taken from the Herald