INTERIM Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell guided Motherwell to their second win of the week as goals from Jon Obika and Blair Spittal gave the Steelmen the three points against a hugely off-colour Hearts side.
Here are three talking points as the Steelmen put a little daylight between themselves and the relegation mire at the bottom of the Premiership.
STUART KETTLEWELL NAILING HIS JOB INTERVIEW
There might understandably have been some trepidation from Motherwell supporters about the prospect of promoting from within to fill the dugout once more, but Kettlewell must surely have eased those fears by the tune he has got out of this group of players over the last few days.
After the win over St Mirren in midweek, Kettlewell went with the same personnel in the same 3-5-2 formation, and while again, it wasn’t always easy on the eye, there was a lot to admire about the way Motherwell went about their business.
The team had a clear structure, the players were putting in a huge shift for the cause, and there was a dogged quality to their defending that has been conspicuous by its absence all season. Indeed, this was their first clean sheet in the Premiership since the 1-0 win over Dundee United at the end of October, with the centre-back pairing of Dan Casey and Callum Butcher outstanding once again.
With results all going their way on Saturday, it has been a brilliant week for the Steelmen, who now have a little cushion on the bottom three, and sit six points ahead of bottom side Dundee United. And it has been a week where Kettlewell has surely underlined his credentials to take the top job at Fir Park on a permanent basis.
SEAN GOSS REBORN IN MOTHERWELL MIDFIELD
There has rarely been much doubt about Sean Goss’s ability as a footballer, but he has struggled to consistently show his qualities since arriving at Motherwell, particularly this season as the midfield has been a major weakness - and a major reason for their lowly position in the table.
Since tweaking the system though, Kettlewell has managed to provide a platform for Goss to show his talent, with the energy of Dean Cornelius in the engine room allowing Goss to concentrate on getting on the ball and making Motherwell tick.
He did that to great effect here, providing a link between the midfield and the attack, and getting up to support Obika and Kevin van Veen whenever he could. Indeed, it was his forceful play that led to Motherwell’s opening goal.
First, it was his stinging shot from the edge of the area that was turned onto the bar and over by Zander Clark, before he picked up the scraps from the resultant corner and got another shot away that was bundled home by Obika.
HEARTS SUPPORTERS TURNED UP, THEIR TEAM DIDN’T
There was little inkling from the way that Hearts started this game that they would go on to stink Fir Park out quite so badly, but their early dominance soon made way to an abject display that was entirely out of character in the context of their season.
Yes, they could and maybe should have had the lead in the first half as Lawrence Shankland placed a header from a clever Robert Snodgrass cross off the face of the post with Liam Kelly beaten all ends up, and Stephen Kingsley almost dragged them level after Obika’s leveller as his free-kick came off the top of the bar.
That apart though, the Jambos were a pale imitation of the team that has more than earned its place as Scotland’s third-best team over the past year or more. Passes frequently went astray and their creative players had a collective off-day, particularly Barrie McKay, who struggled to make any sort of impact on proceedings at all.
It was all a rather poor return for the huge travelling support that made their way to Lanarkshire, with around 2400 Hearts fans packed into the Tommy McLean Stand to witness one of the worst performances their team have put in this term.
All-in-all, those fans may forgive the rare off-day given how their team have performed over a sustained period. Though manager Robbie Neilson might not be quite as understanding.
