Motherwell U19s kept up their terrific run of form by smashing three past third-placed Hibs this afternoon.
Since returning from their mid-season training camp, the youths have disposed of Dundee United, Inverness and St Johnstone, scoring fourteen goals.
High-flying Hibs were looking to keep tabs with Celtic and city rivals Hearts but were quickly pegged back when Lee Erwin netted after a super flowing move.
Steve Hetherington cut the visitors open with a terrific diagonal pass that allowed Zaine Francis-Angol to collect on the left flank. He raced towards the box before squaring it to Erwin who slammed high into an unguarded net.
Motherwell scored again six minutes after the interval and, once again, the assist came from Francis-Angol and, once again, the goal came from Lee Erwin.
A ball over the top by the former Spurs full-back didn’t look overly threatening but when the Hibs ‘keeper Paul Grant rushed off his line and mistimed an attempted headed clearance, it allowed the Scotland U18s hitman to casually roll the ball into an empty net.
Motherwell ended the fixture as a contest with a third with about fifteen minutes left to play. Substitutes Jack Leith and Craig Moore combined in the middle of the park to play in Josh Watt down the right flank. Cutting in, the winger’s shot was palmed away by Grant only for Moore to slide the ball home.
Both sides had opportunities to add to the scoring but it finished 3-0 as the Steelmen continued their excellent form, moving above Rangers into fourth after the Murray Park side lost away to Aberdeen. Young’s men are now hot on the heels of today’s opponents, trailing by four points with a game in hand.
Motherwell: Stewart, Devlin (Cummins -65mins) , Francis-Angol, Murray, Brownlie, Mboa-Mekongo (Leitch – 73mins), Hetherington, Asghar, Watt, McGachie (Moore – 66mins), Erwin
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