THE storm clouds were gathering over Craig Levein as kick-off approached but this merited victory amid monsoon conditions in Motherwell will allow the former Scotland manager to keep his head above water for a while yet.
Jamie Walker might have become the latest addition to the club’s early-season injury woes when he left the fray with a left ankle injury in the first half, but goals during that opening period from Michael Smith and the excellent Conor Washington were sufficient to see Hearts become the first team to book their spot in the BetFred Cup last eight. They even had the luxury of missing an early penalty, when Sean Clare’s spot kick rebounded right to him off the foot of a post.
While the penalty – one of two awarded by Bobby Madden on the night – ultimately counted for nothing, it was one of the main post-match talking points, not least for the window it offered into what Fifa’s new handball rule has in store for us all. By the letter of the law it was probably correct, but quite how Charles Dunne was expected to get his arms out of the way as he and Washington tangled for a loose ball isn’t exactly clear.
The second penalty was less controversial, even if it owed something to the surface water which had gathered on the Fir Park pitch due to half an hour of torrential rain. A through pass held up long enough for Jake Mulraney to nip in and nick the ball past Mark Gillespie, the out-of-control English keeper taking him out. Washington made a far better job of the penalty than Clare had.
Hearts were already a goal to the good by then, Washington getting the benefit of the doubt as the ball brushed his arm prior to him finding Michael Smith with a crossfield pass. The right back had the belief and ability to cut onto his left foot before firing a beauty into the bottom corner.
Not content with giving Scotland’s top four teams a bye into the last 16, the SPFL employ a cheerless seeded draw at this stage to smooth the big boys’ passage still further. That makes meetings between the country’s mid-range Premiership teams like Hearts and Motherwell commonplace, the Tynecastle outfit booking their place in the last four last season with a 4-2 win against these opponents.
Nothing will ever replicate the heat Craig Levein felt towards the end of his time as Scotland manager, but the natives are already restless down Gorgie Way just a handful of games into the season. The manager faced angry calls for his dismissal after the goalless draw with Ross County and it doesn’t help when you seem to be carrying an injury curse from one season to the next. Hearts were riding high when they lost a posse of their best players and last night they added Jamie Walker to an early season casualty list which already includes Steven Naismith, John Souttar and Peter Haring.
The only time in the first period where Motherwell had managed to test Joel Pereira, the new on-loan Manchester United player in the Hearts goal, was a scrambled Jermain Hylton effort which led to Aaron Hickey clearing a Sherwin Seedorf effort off the goalline. But Stephen Robinson brought Chris Long and Davante Cole into the fray at half time and they instantly looked more dangerous. The enterprising Long gave them a lifeline on the hour mark, finishing well after a cute pass from Liam Polworth. The goalkeeper was alert to prevent Washington ending up with an own goal. There was a late flashpoint between Smith, Seedorf and Richard Tait, all three ending up in Mr Madden’s book. Aidan White rumbled forward to fire a shot off Gillespie’s legs but the final whistle sounded, to cheers from the away fans and another spat between Seedorf and Smith.
Motherwell 1
Long 60
Hearts 2
Smith 40, Washington 45 pen
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