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Phil McGhee at Fir Park

It was another midday kick-off in the rain in front of the live televised game at Fir Park and for the second consecutive Saturday it was the referee who dominated TV replays.

In a situation very similar to Scott McDonald’s red card the previous week, Motherwell found themselves victims of strict refereeing, when Andrew Dallas controversially sent Carl McHugh off for a robust but fair tackle seven minutes into the second half.

That handed Hearts, who had failed to make much of an impression until then, an extra man and Motherwell’s bad luck was compounded within minutes of the red card when the Tynecastle side took a fortunate lead through Alex Tziolus’ wickedly deflected shot. Two goals from Esmael Goncalves in the final six minutes left Hearts with a flattering scoreline and a hard working ‘Well side a heavy defeat they didn’t deserve.

Scott McDonald’s two-match suspension meant a start for Lionel Ainsworth. There was also a starting place for on loan defender Zak Jules, who formed a central back three with Stephen McManus and Ben Heneghan.

After six minutes McHugh’s terrific cross field pass found Richard Tait free to whip in a cross which Louis Moult met but as his header crashed of the cross bar the belated offside flag prevented any chance of a follow up.

That was virtually Tait’s last contribution as a challenge on Goncalves after 17 minutes cost the full back a booking and his place as he limped off to be replaced by Jack McMillan.

A dipping drive from Don Cowie and a Jamie Walker shot into the side netting gave notice of Hearts’ goal threat. It took until the 28^th minute, though, for Craig Samson to make his first save, low to his left to bundle Maluary Martin’s bouncing free kick round the post.

Having been penned in their own half for most of the opening 45 Motherwell had a couple of chances to break the deadlock before half-time.

Firstly from Stevie Hammell’s inswinging corner Jack Hamilton’s palmed clearance fell in front of Ainsworth and his half volley sped past the stranded ‘keeper only to be cleared off the goal line by Avlonitis.

Two minutes from the break, ‘Well were gifted a chance courtesy of the referee. As Moult raced on to a loose ball at the edge of the box he tripped over Ainsworth’s outstretched leg.

Amazingly, Andrew Dallas not only awarded a free kick but booked the innocent Martin.

Moult saved the ref from further embarrassment when he curled the free kick just beyond Hamilton’s left hand post.

The Fir Park side made a bright start to the second half and after a great burst forward, Jules released Cadden on the right but as Moult waited at the back post his cross was cut out by the Hearts’ ‘keeper.

However, a bizarre six minutes gave Hearts the advantage and left Motherwell facing an uphill task.

For the second consecutive Saturday ‘Well found themselves harshly reduced to 10 men. Carl McHugh was clearly committed to his tough tackle with Don Howie. And after clearly winning the ball he caught the former Scotland internationalist, but it was difficult to see how McHugh could avoid contact.

Reduced to 10 men for almost final 30 minutes, Mark McGhee made a double substitution bringing on Lee Lucas and Stephen Pearson for his third debut in Motherwell colours.

However, before either could contribute the Steelmen were dealt a double blow when the Tynecastle side opened the scoring. There was little danger as Alex Tziolis tried his luck from 25 yards until his fierce drive deflected off the closing down Lasley, sending the ball spiralling high over Samson before dropping under his bar.

Eight minutes later Lasley came within inches of an equaliser when he met a headed clearance 20 yards in front of goal and his controlled volley steered the ball through a packed defence and narrowly past the wrong side of the post.

With Pearson driving from the middle of the park and Cadden pushing down the right wing Motherwell continued to take the game to the visitor’s goal.

And 12 minutes from time Pearson’s sprint into the centre of goal was almost rewarded but Cadden’s cross drifted over the midfielder.

Motherwell were still pressing for a deserved equaliser until six minutes from time they were caught on the counter attack. Pearson and Lucas had possession at the edge of the Hearts’ box but when the Edinburgh side raced to the other end Goncalves swept the ball past the exposed Samson to make it 2-0 and kill the game.

The ‘Well ‘keeper then denied Goncalves a second brilliantly blocking at his feet. But when a tiring Jules lost out to Choulay at the corner flag, his cross was drilled home by Goncalves and gave Hearts a rather flattering scoreline for their efforts.

[tab:As it happened]

 Alastair Reilly at Fir Park

 

FT: Motherwell 0 – 3 Hearts #MFCvHMFC

90′ | 0-3

Three minutes added on

88′ | 0-3

Goal – Choulay wins the ball wide on the right and squares it to Goncalves who slots it past Samson.

86′ | 0-2

Goncalves could have sealed it as he broke clear again but Samson stands up to it and makes the stop.

84′ | 0-2

Goal – Hearts counter and when Choulay plays in Goncalves, he slides it in past Samson.

MATCH ATTAX | Young ‘Well fans can vote now for your Man of the Match. Tweet us with your name, age, choice & #MatchAttaxMOTM.

78′ | 0-1

Cadden whips in a deep ball towards the head of Pearson but it’s just inches away from the midfielder!!

75′ | 0-1

Hearts sub, Nicholson on for Walker.

74′ | 0-1

Goncalves tests Samson with a low shot from the edge of the box but the ‘keeper makes the save.

68′ | 0-1

Goncalves hits it on the spin 10 yards out but he can’t hit the target. Dragged wide of the post.

64′ | 0-1

So close! Loose ball falls Lasley’s way but his low shot goes inches wide of the post!

62′ | 0-1

Hearts sub, Martin off for Kitchen.

59′ | 0-1

Goal – Tziolis tries his luck from range and it loops over Samson with the help of a huge deflection.

54′ | 0-0

Motherwell double sub, Hammell and Ainsworth off for Lucas and Pearson.

52′ | 0-0

Red card! McHugh shown the red! Was a firm challenge and got the ball but did catch the man on the follow through.

51′ | 0-0

Motherwell counter through Jules who sets Cadden free but he can’t find anyone with his delivery into the box.

48′ | 0-0

‘Well work the ball wide to McMillan but his low cross into the box is dealt with by the Hearts defence.

Lasley gets the second 45 underway. COYW!!!

Half time sub for Hearts, Choulay on for Johnsen

50-50 | The winning numbers are:

1st: 163724

2nd: 165063

3rd: 163683

HT: Motherwell 0 – 0 Hearts #MFCvHMFC

43′ | 0-0

Martin booked for trip on Moult. Looked harsh to be fair. Free-kick to ‘Well 20 yards out….just wide by Moult!!

40′ | 0-0

Corner Motherwell…off the line by Avlonitis! Ainsworth had Hamilton beaten but the defender sweeps it clear.

39′ | 0-0

Gonvalves looked like he was going to break away from McMillan but Dallas’ whistle blows for handball against the frontman

33′ | 0-0

Walker booked for kicking the ball away after the whistle had gone. Daft one.

29′ | 0-0

From the resulting free-kick Martin forces Samson into a decent low save.

28′ | 0-0

Lasley booked for a trip on Walker 35 yards from goal.

17′ | 0-0

Best chance of the game there as Walker blasts into the side-netting from 10 yards!

17′ | 0-0

Motherwell sub, McMillan on as Tait limps off.

16′ | 0-0

Tait booked for pulling down Goncalves in the Hearts half.

14′ | 0-0

Walker dispossesses Jules 30 yards out but thankfully his shot from distance flies over the bar.

13′ | 0-0

Sowah does well and gets past Cadden down the left. Samson takes no chances and puts his low cross out for a corner.

6′ | 0-0

Close! Moult has a header off the bar! The linesman’s flag went up but the well striker was onside. Encouraging.

4′ | 0-0

Goncalves drags a shot just wide of the post from outside the box. Samson looked comfortable with it.

Andrew Dallas gets the game underway. COYW!!

 

[tab:Reaction]

Motherwell manager Mark McGhee:

 

Hearts manager Ian Cathro:

 

[tab:Man-of-the-match]

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The fourteenth issue of the Steelmen matchday magazine is on sale ahead of tomorrow’s league clash with Hearts at Fir Park.

Here, we take a look at what can be found inside the 68-page programme.

New signing Elliott Frear reveals why he decided to join the Steelmen in the January transfer window and talks about what he hopes to achieve in claret and amber.

Regular pieces including the pre-match column from manager Mark McGhee and club captain Keith Lasley, along with ‘5 Fast Facts’ and ‘Getting to Know You’ – where midfielder Lee Lucas is profiled – all remain in the latest issue of the 2016/17 season programme.

The interesting feature ‘Well in Numbers’, where feature writer Andrew Paterson looks at some of the key numbers in Motherwell history, continues.

‘Future Steel’ is an inside look at the next generation of players waiting patiently to break in to the first team and this week’s star is defender Barry Maguire, as he continues to put in sound displays for the U20s.

As part of the clubs aims to work closely with the Motherwell FC Community Trust and The ‘Well Society, regular updates are included in the programme.

This week’s main features on tomorrow’s opposition remain, including an in depth look at Hearts as well as this season’s new ‘Tactics Board’, where we ponder Ian Cathro’s starting eleven from the Jambo’s win over Rangers on Wednesday.

Our match report section looks back on Tuesday nights 2-1 victory over Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium in Dingwall.

An update on Stephen Craigan’s U20s side is included too, reporting on the youngster’s victory on Monday night when a dramatic final 20 minutes saw the youngsters turn around a 3-0 deficit against rivals Hamilton to win 4-3 and remain second in the Development League table.

After a busy January transfer window, the clubs latest news makes for interesting reading in tomorrow’s programme.

Get all the latest from the Ticket Office as well as an in-depth look at tomorrow’s match-officials.

All this and more is available for £3 and is on sale from the Club Shop as well as the usual sellers located in and around the ground pre-match.

You can also order back editions or take a subscription to the magazine for the rest of the season by visiting the website of our publishers, Curtis-Sports.

The ‘Signing Zone’ continues ahead of tomorrow’s fixture against Hearts – and ‘Well fans have the chance to meet Scott McDonald and Stephen Pearson.

So why not come to Fir Park tomorrow morning in The Well Shop’s ‘Signing Zone’ from 10am until 10:30am to meet fans, sign autographs and pose for selfies.

Each week, two different players will take their seats as the season progresses as part of the developing fan engagement programme here at Fir Park.

Share your pics on twitter @motherwellfc using #MFCSigningZone or facebook.com/motherwellfc

The club shop is situated at the Cooper Stand and is open from 9.30am.

Motherwell face Hearts in the Ladbrokes Premiership tomorrow afternoon with an early kick off time of 12.15pm.

And as both sides head in to the match on the back of important wins midweek, tomorrow’s clash makes for an intriguing fixture for both sets of supporters.

Mark McGhee’s men recorded a crucial win away to Ross County on Tuesday night, with goals from Scott McDonald and Louis Moult doing the business for the Steelmen.

That result moved Motherwell into the top six and within seven points of tomorrow’s opponents.

However, Ian Cathro’s side extended that gap back to ten points with an emphatic victory on Wednesday night.

With second placed Rangers making the trip to the capital, the Jambo’s 4-1 win wasn’t just crucial in narrowing the gap on Mark Warburton’s side but it was also a timely performance for manager Ian Cathro.

Both Motherwell and Hearts have boosted their squads over the January window, and ahead of tomorrow’s match, Mark McGhee admitted his squad is the strongest it’s been at any stage this season.

He said: “The great change here is that we weren’t praying someone would come in for one of our players in terms of the financial situation which has become stabilised and means we can afford to keep these boys.

“We still remain a club who are here to improve these lads and if they can get themselves moved on then that’s what we have to live with because its part of what we have to do to sustain the club.

“In this time we’re in a good position and we didn’t have to sell so we didn’t – happy days.”

Stephen Pearson, who signed until the end of the season, brings something important to the table, believes McGhee.

He said: “We know what Pearo is, he’s different from the others, he’s got a goal in him and we’re delighted to have him back.”

With the chasing pack behind Motherwell just a point or two off sixth spot, the ‘Well boss insists his side just need to keep their heads down.

He said: “It’s incremental; you keep your head down and look at the next game and we know that we have a tough run coming up now.

“All we can do is look behind us at the others and just chip away at it. We’ve got eleven games before the split and I’m expecting improvement now, regardless what happens in the next few games. I think we’re playing well enough and we’re competitive enough to win enough games to give us a chance of getting that sixth spot.”

And ahead of Hearts tomorrow, McGhee believes that their convincing win over Rangers can’t be something that plays too big a part in the Steelmen’s preparations.

He said: “We can’t worry about last night because by all accounts Rangers were poor compared to what they were against us. We know Hearts can beat anyone in the league and when I looked at their team last night I didn’t really recognise it in a sense because of all these signings.

“We’ve got a wee bit to learn this afternoon about how they did it and what they were like.”

He added: “We have as strong a squad as we’ve had at any time this season, I think we’re in as good form as we have been at any time this season and therefore we’ve got a good chance of doing well against Hearts.”

 

Stephen Pearson faces a race against time to get himself up to full fitness for tomorrow.

Regardless of whether the midfielder makes the team or not, he is a massive boost to the squad for matches coming up.

The 34-year-old, who returns for his third stint in Lanarkshire, admitted that he feels good to be back and looks forward to getting in to action.

He said: “It’s nice to be back, obviously it doesn’t feel that long since I left but there’s plenty of new faces in there and I’m looking forward to getting started now.

“Everybody knows the affiliation I’ve got with the club and I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed my time here, it’s a good place to come and work – so it ticked all the boxes for me.”

Everybody knows the affiliation I’ve got with the club and I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed my time here, it’s a good place to come and work – so it ticked all the boxes for me.

And while it was the right move for him as a player, Motherwell’s number 88 also insists that he hopes to benefit the club as they push for a top six spot.

[pullquote]I’ve watched quite a few of the games since I’ve been away and the players that have come in have been of a good standard and there’s no reason why we can’t finish in the top six, so that’ll be the aim for us.[/pullquote]

He said: “Hopefully it suits Motherwell to have me back in the short term, and then who knows where we go from there, but I’m just looking forward to helping the team out first and foremost, contribute as much as I can between now and the end of the season and help this club finish as high up the league as possible.”

‘Well assistant James McFadden played a pivotal role in brining Pearson back to Motherwell, with the player revealing the two kept in contact while he was out in India.

Pearson said: “Faddy’s Faddy, I’ve known him for years obviously and I get on with him really well.

The players that have come in have been of a good standard and there’s no reason why we can’t finish in the top six, so that’ll be the aim for us.

“He was just asking me how I was doing and how I was enjoying my time out in India and when I left in the summer I left it open to come back, the possibility was always there and I said that at the time so I’m delighted to be back again.”

On the pitch, Pearson believes the Steelmen have what it takes to secure a top six finish and admitted the win on Tuesday was huge.

He said: “A big win midweek away to Ross County put the team in to the top six and we’re obviously looking to cement that place and finish as high up the league as we possibly can.

“I’ve watched quite a few of the games since I’ve been away and the players that have come in have been of a good standard and there’s no reason why we can’t finish in the top six, so that’ll be the aim for us.”

 

For manager Ian Cathro and his squad, today is an important game as the club from the capital search for another three points.

The young manager has endured a difficult start since he arrived at Tynecastle from his role at Newcastle United, but both the performance and the convincing scoreline against Rangers on Wednesday night will have done more than just steady the ship.

With an impressive CV in what is an already glittering career, it is surely just a matter of time until Cathro starts to enjoy greater success in Scotland and the manager will be feeling eager for more points today.

In what was a good start to the 2016/17 campaign, the Jambo’s have seen a dip in form and have gone from challenging for second place to languishing a little in fourth.

It may seem easy to find criticisms for the downturn in form at Hearts, but after the departure of Robbie Neilson it was always going to be a tough task to replace the manager, let alone keep results as consistently positive as they were under the stewardship of the 36-year-old.

Neilson, now in charge at MK Dons, left the club in a sound position for the incoming Cathro, who had gained valuable experience in his roles alongside the likes of Rafael Benitez at Newcaslte and Nuno Espírito Santo at Valencia and Rio Ave.

But now he’s back in Scotland, albeit with far more pressure on his shoulders than from his days as the Head of Dundee United’s youth academy aged just 22.

Eight years on from those successful days, Cathro finds himself in charge of one of the biggest clubs in the country and, while there was always going to be pressure and expectation on the club and the manager himself, the future could be very bright for Hearts.

Not only is their stadium currently undergoing a plush redevelopment but the Jambo’s have a plethora of young exciting players in their ranks too.

Top scorer Jamie Walker has progressed to the first team at Hearts and, at just 23-years of age, is enjoying a tremendous campaign so far with eleven goals and three assists to his name so far.

Bjorn Johnsen may have started the season a little slowly but has shot in to life in the last few months and the 6ft 5in American has six goals as well as four assists for the Jam Tarts.

Injury though, is something that has played it’s part with Hearts this season.

Jambo’s gaffer Cathro was unfortunate to see two of his most important players suffer long-term injuries when Callum Patterson and John Souttar suffered knee and Achilles injuries respectively.

This naturally meant Hearts suffered a fairly significant dent in their push to get back to form under their new boss.

Wednesday nights match up with Rangers was an important game for the club, not only for getting their heads right for their trip to Fir Park this afternoon but also for getting over the 4-0 loss to Celtic just last Sunday.

And what a way to respond, with Cathro claiming it was perhaps Hearts most complete display since his arrival.

After the match, he said: “Across the 90 minutes, it was the most complete we’ve been.

“It’s important that right throughout the difficult moments that we’ve had, I’ve always known where we were going and I’ve always known what the football would be like and I’m just pleased tonight that the 17,000 inside Tynecastle were able to see some of that as well.

“The results will determine the narrative. That’s not particularly important for me. We’ve had some difficult times, we’ve had to suffer. We’ve had results that we’ve not liked. Tonight was all of us getting our frustrations out and I’m really, really pleased that everyone’s had that opportunity.”

 

Motherwell’s rearranged fixture with Aberdeen on Wednesday 15th February at Pittodrie is a pay on the gate match.

Previous tickets will not apply, however if brought to the Fir Park ticket office and provided with a name and address, duplicates will be issued from Aberdeen.

Alternatively, you can take your ticket on the night and replacements will be issued then.

For those supporters who cannot attend the rearranged game they should bring their tickets to the Fir Park ticket office where a refund will be arranged.

Ticket prices for the night are as follows, with kick-off at 7.45pm:    

ADULTS	£25
OVER 65	£19
OVER 75	£15
UNDER 18	£10
UNDER 12	£6

Referee for Saturday’s Ladbrokes Premiership clash with Hearts at Fir Park is Andrew Dallas.

It will be Andrew’s third Motherwell game of the season, after he officiated the goalless draw with Dundee at Fir Park back in August and the 2-0 victory over Partick Thistle in December.

The referee took charge on two occasions last term including a disappointing loss against Kilmarnock when the ‘Well slumped to a 2-0 loss back in February.

He also oversaw a huge 1-0 victory for Mark McGhee’s side against Hearts at Tynecastle.

With Hearts just one spot above the ‘Well, it was a massive win in solidifying fifth spot as the season was coming to a close.

Son of famous referee Hugh Dallas, Andrew takes charge of his fifth Motherwell game today.

So far he has dished out sixteen yellow cards, no reds and in total has booked seven Motherwell players.

He will be assisted by Stuart Stevenson and Jordan Stokoe, with Kevin Clancy on Fourth Official duties.

Join us before and after the game!

The club would like you to join us in the Cooper Bar again this weekend as we take on Hearts. The Cooper Bar opens at 11am and will be serving breakfast rolls and drinks before the game, and will be opening again after the final whistle where further food and drinks will be available.

The Cooper Bar saw a record breaking week when it came to takings as the bars took 150% more than they had done previously at any other game this season. A new queuing system was introduced which saw waiting times massively reduced and the bottle bar opened again due to popular demand.

This weekend we again welcome Motherwell and Hearts fans to join us for your breakfasts rolls and drinks before and after the game.

Food prices are as follows:

Pre Match

Roll with Sausage or Bacon: £1.50

Roll with Potato Scone: £1.30

Doublers: £2.00

Post Match

Hot Dogs: £2.00

Burgers: £2.50

We look forward to you joining us on Saturday and thank you all for your help in helping these positive changes become a reality.

New signing Stephen Pearson spoke to the press shortly after signing a deal with the Fir Parkers which will keep him at the club until the end of the season.

The midfielder, who returns for his third stint in Lanarkshire, admitted that he feels good to be back and looks forward to getting in to action.

He said: “It’s nice to be back, obviously it doesn’t feel that long since I left but there’s plenty of new faces in there and I’m looking forward to getting started now.

“Everybody knows the affiliation I’ve got with the club and I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed my time here, it’s a good place to come and work – so it ticked all the boxes for me.”

[pullquote]Everybody knows the affiliation I’ve got with the club and I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed my time here, it’s a good place to come and work – so it ticked all the boxes for me.[/pullquote]

And while it was the right move for him as a player, Motherwell’s number 88 also insists that he hopes to benefit the club as they push for a top six spot.

He said: “Hopefully it suits Motherwell to have me back in the short term, and then who knows where we go from there, but I’m just looking forward to helping the team out first and foremost, contribute as much as I can between now and the end of the season and help this club finish as high up the league as possible.”

‘Well assistant James McFadden played a pivotal role in brining Pearson back to Motherwell, with the player revealing the two kept in contact while he was out in India.

Pearson said: “Faddy’s Faddy, I’ve known him for years obviously and I get on with him really well.

[pullquote]The players that have come in have been of a good standard and there’s no reason why we can’t finish in the top six, so that’ll be the aim for us.[/pullquote]

“He was just asking me how I was doing and how I was enjoying my time out in India and when I left in the summer I left it open to come back, the possibility was always there and I said that at the time so I’m delighted to be back again.”

On the pitch, Pearson believes the Steelmen have what it takes to secure a top six finish and admitted the win on Tuesday was huge.

He said: “A big win midweek away to Ross County put the team in to the top six and we’re obviously looking to cement that place and finish as high up the league as we possibly can.

“I’ve watched quite a few of the games since I’ve been away and the players that have come in have been of a good standard and there’s no reason why we can’t finish in the top six, so that’ll be the aim for us.”

‘Well boss Mark McGhee believes his squad are in a good position to face Hearts on Saturday afternoon.

After introducing a few new signings in January, the Fir Park boss feels he has a strong squad and one in form too.

Speaking to the press this morning, the manager credited the clubs ability to stabilise the budget in playing a big part in adding depth to the squad.

McGhee said: “I think the great change here is that we weren’t praying someone would come in for one of our players in terms of the financial situation which has become stabilised and means we can afford to keep these boys.

“We still remain a club who are here to improve these lads and if they can get themselves moved on then that’s what we have to live with because its part of what we have to do to sustain the club.

“In this time we’re in a good position and we didn’t have to sell so we didn’t – happy days.”

Stephen Pearson, who signed until the end of the season this morning, brings something important to the table, believes McGhee.

[pullquote]The great change here is that we weren’t praying someone would come in for one of our players in terms of the financial situation which has become stabilised and means we can afford to keep these boys.[/pullquote]

He said: “We know what Pearo is, he’s different from the others, he’s got a goal in him and we’re delighted to have him back.”

After Aussie striker Scott McDonald was sent off against Rangers, the club appealed Willie Collum’s decision, which McGhee admitted he was positive was incorrect.

He said: “I’m 100% convinced that it wasn’t a red card but I’m not 100% convinced that the people over there will see that or will be prepared to turn it over.

Ultimately, the boss predicted it correctly, after the Scottish FA dismissed the appeal at Hampden this morning.

McGhee defended his striker though and said: “I’m absolutely adamant that everything that happened about the challenge was fair and proper and that Scott McDonald actually took due care in making sure that he didn’t hurt Kenny Miller because he bent his leg.

“There’s all sorts of evidence in my opinion that shown that Scotty was under control, won the ball and then did his best to make sure he didn’t hurt Kenny.”

With the chasing pack behind Motherwell just a point or two off that sixth spot, the ‘Well boss insists his side just need to keep their heads down.

[pullquote]All we can do is look behind us at the others and just chip away at it. We’ve got eleven games before the split and I’m expecting improvement now, regardless what happens in the next few games.[/pullquote]

He said: “It’s incremental; you keep your head down and look at the next game and we know that we have a tough run coming up now.

“All we can do is look behind us at the others and just chip away at it. We’ve got eleven games before the split and I’m expecting improvement now, regardless what happens in the next few games. I think we’re playing well enough and we’re competitive enough to win enough games to give us a chance of getting that sixth spot.”

And ahead of Hearts on Saturday, McGhee believes that their convincing win over Rangers can’t be something that plays too big a part in the Steelmen’s preparations.

He said: “We can’t worry about last night because by all accounts Rangers were poor compared to what they were against us. We know Hearts can beat anyone in the league and when I looked at their team last night I didn’t really recognise it in a sense because of all these signings.

“We’ve got a wee bit to learn this afternoon about how they did it and what they were like.”

He added: “We have as strong a squad as we’ve had at any time this season, I think we’re in as good form as we have been at any time this season and therefore we’ve got a good chance of doing well against Hearts.”

Motherwell’s match at Rugby Park next month will now go ahead on Saturday afternoon, 4th March 2017.

The game against Killie was originally scheduled for the midweek of Wednesday 1st March, but with both teams having a free weekend just days later, it was felt a move to the more traditional kick-off time (3pm) on the Saturday would be preferable.

>> Updated Fixture List