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Slack Hearts let it slip |
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Hearts and Motherwell will have to do it all again at Fir Park on 22 January after a stirring encounter at Tynecastle this afternoon. Deividas Cesnauskis had Hearts ahead after ten minutes, a lead doubled seven minutes into the second period by Andrius Velicka. Motherwell were far from done, however, Chris Porter's two second-half strikes earning a deserved replay for the Steelmen.
The home side made three changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Kilmarnock last week. Eduardas Kurskis came in for the injured Steve Banks, whilst Michael Stewart and Andrew Driver replaced Eggert Jonsson and Calum Elliot. Motherwell made just one change, Keith Lasley with the unenviable task of replacing the sadly departed Phil O'Donnell.
All parties had spent the week calling for a celebration of football in memory of the Motherwell number 10 and certainly a Tynecastle packed with 3,500 Well fans and around 10,000 of their Jambo counterparts provided a fitting venue for that celebration. And anyone wondering how Motherwell would react in their first outing for two weeks had that questions answered inside the first two minutes as the Steelmen nearly carved out an opening goal.
Ross McCormack embarked on a good run from halfway which took him past Robbie Neilson to the Hearts byline. His low cutback found David Clarkson inside the six yard box and inexplicably unmarked, but the striker dallied too long on the ball and allowed Kurskis to get down and block.
That apart, though, the opening period of the match belonged to the home side, who carved out their first chance a minute later when Deividas Cesnauskis combined beautifully with Andrius Velicka to send Robbie Neilson clear on the right. The full-back's low cross was met early by Andrew Driver at the near post, but the young Englishman could only turn his shot wide.
Velicka then had a similar effort off target after Driver's mazy run had allowed him to feed Cesnauskis for a cross from the right, but Hearts were looking lively, and duly for their goal with just ten minutes on the clock.
Ruben Palazuelos got things moving with a good tackle and pass to release Audrius Ksanavicius deep inside the Motherwell box on the left, his cross was missed by every defender but met on the volley by Cesnauskis at the far post. Although not particularly convincing, the effort caught Graeme Smith flat-footed and sneaked into the net off the keeper's right-hand post.
Their tails up, Hearts soon had the chance to double their advantage two minutes later. Ksanavicius showed great vision with a superb crossfield pass to find Driver on the right, Driver ignored Neilson's supporting run through the middle, but unfortunately curled his left-foot effort a yard high and wide.
Ross McCormack then almost flummoxed Kurskis with a cheeky free kick from the left hand touchline which almost sneaked in at the near-post, but the Lithuanian was just able to scramble across his line and push the ball out for a corner kick.
The match pattern had been established now, and if Hearts appeared rather too keen to stand off the Motherwell players as they struck their passes crisply around the midfield area, the Tynecastle side did at least continue to threaten on the break. Palazuelos could count himself a little unfortunate to be pulled up for handball as the half drew on, and then Driver almost capitalised from six yards after the Spaniard found him with a neat header into the danger area. Only Jim Paterson's timely intervention prevented Hearts ending the half two goals to the good.
As in the December league game, we expected an onslaught from the visitors at the start of the second period. What we got though was a booking for Paul Quinn and a ball to the soft parts, which left Christophe Berra puffing his cheeks for a full five minutes after the incident.
More importantly, we got a second goal. Goncalves's long free kick from just outside his own penalty box was shinned forward by Michael Stewart right into the path of Andrius Velicka. The Lithuanian does not look a gift horse in the mouth and after negotiating a path around Craigan, he neatly sidestepped Smith before drilling home his eleventh goal of the season.
That was on 52 minutes and it should have been game over on the hour mark, when a brilliant combination between Palazuelos and Goncalves allowed the latter to release Cesnauskis on the right. His deep cross cleared everyone in the middle before falling for Ksanavicius at the far post, but the Lithuanian international appeared to be taken by surprise and headed the ball harmlessly into the ground.
We were left ruing that miss just two minutes later as Motherwell's neat passing finally carved a way through the Hearts defence. Lasley forward flicked Hughes's prod over Karipidis's head, McCormack latched onto the ball and his low cutback was turned into the unguarded goal by Chris Porter.
Hearts were allowing themselves to be pushed deeper and deeper into their own half and with the forward players clearly tiring, their opportunities to counter attack were becoming less and less. Stephen Frail attempted to address that situation by swapping both his wide players, Cesnauskis making way for Saulius Mikoliunas and then Driver being replaced by Lee Wallace.
Before those changes had any chance to take effect, though, Motherwell were level. The Hearts defence was stretched again as McCormack headed on for Lasley, and the midfielder's pass into the centre was expertly hooked past Kurskis by the clinical Porter.
With fifteen minutes to go you feared for a tiring Hearts side, although Velicka might have restored the lead almost immediately when he took possession sixteen yards from goal. His first effort was blocked by defender or keeper (it was hard to tell), but either he or Mikoliunas might have got in an effort from the rebound, had they not effectively knocked each other off the ball.
Full credit to all the players though as both sides continued to press forward in search of a winner. Motherwell's best attempt came when Karipidis dithered on his own byline and was robbed by McCormack, who made tracks goalward before slipping a pass in towards Porter. The Englishman looked set to tap into the empty net, but Goncalves was alert and saved the day with a timely block.
Then Velicka thrust into the box at the other end and got away a half-shot, which looped off a defender and high towards Smith's goal. On another day it might have dropped into the net, or onto the head of the waiting Lee Wallace. Today, of course, it bounced off the top of the crossbar and behind for an ultimately fruitless corner.
More promising from Hearts, but still Stevie Frail's men search for their first win since the 11th November last year. With Hibs next Saturday and a cup replay a week on Tuesday, let's hope it comes very soon.
Hearts: Kurskis; Neilson, Karipidis, Berra, Goncalves; Cesnauskis (Mikoliunas 73), Stewart, Palazuelos, Driver (Wallace 76); Ksanavicius (Pospisil 85), Velicka. Booked: Stewart, Neilson. Subs not used: Bjornsson, Jonsson.
Motherwell: Smith; Quinn, Craigan, Reynolds, Paterson; McGarry (Smith 62), Hughes, Lasley, Clarkson (Fitzpatrick 89); Porter, McCormack. Booked: Quinn, Craigan. Subs not used: Meldrum, McLean, Murphy.
Referee: Stuart Dougal
Top man: Ruben Palazuelos
