BRO FOOTBALL
Hylton: The boys are all desperate to do Well for each other and you can see it’s paying off
IT sounds a bit dramatic but Jermaine Hylton believes that Motherwell’s band of brothers are ready to die for each other in pursuit of Premiership success.
The winger insists a togetherness and spirit has been forged at Fir Park that has carried them into third spot as they made it five wins from six by beating Hearts.
Nothing appears too much trouble for his team-mates to make the Englishman’s stay in Lanarkshire an enjoyable one.
And no man did more than Hylton to ensure they headed for a Christmas night out in Manchester on a high.
The 26-year-old was exceptional against the Jambos and he’s adamant it’s an all-for-one-and-one-for-all attitude that has seen them hit the heights.
He said: “From the first day I came here I saw that everyone was just so willing to help.
“Things like picking me up to bring me to training, they wouldn’t let me get a taxi!
“It’s just really friendly and welcoming and when you are moving to a new place that helps massively.
“It makes the settling-in period easier and helps you on the pitch.
“We’re fighting for each other. Sometimes you’ll be in a team and there will be someone you aren’t too fond of.
“Sometimes you think you don’t want to do an unselfish run to cover them but in this team we’ll die for each other.
“There’s competition for places too and that’s what’s so special about this place.
“Even though it’s really competitive and we’re all fighting for places, somehow it doesn’t manage to rot things off the pitch.
“There’s no one who’s vindictive. We’re all just pushing each other on.
“That’s how you get the best out of each other.”
Christopher Long’s clinical finish in the 40th minute was enough to bank the win for Well.
It came after some superb set-up play from Hylton against a Hearts side that didn’t do enough under caretaker boss Austin MacPhee to merit anything from the game.
Hylton’s improvement under Well boss Stephen Robinson since arriving in the summer has been stark – and he credits his gaffer’s perfectionist nature for making him a better player.
He said: ‘The gaffer has been massive in my development. I was saying to a friend the other day it would have been great to get that knowledge he’s been instilling in me when I was younger.
“He’s constantly on at me to get cutbacks and provide an end product.
“His attention to detail is crazy. You could think you’ve had the greatest game ever and he’s going to find little points.
“I feel I’m starting to create things and make it happen. He’s constantly elevating everyone’s game.
“I’ve got a couple of assists which I’m buzzing about. It was a great
finish by Longy on his weaker foot putting it into the top bin. Hopefully, I can get more assists and add some goals too.” Hearts did at least carve out a few decent opportunities in the second half but it was to end in more misery with an injury time red card for Jake Mulraney for apparently aiming some colourful language at ref Alan Muir. At least the news that broke on Saturday night that Daniel Stendel had decided to accept the challenge of becoming their boss was a rare bit of positivity for a club stuck in joint bottom place. The Edinburgh club’s fortunes couldn’t be more different from Motherwell’s.
The Steelmen are working on a vastly inferior budget and Hylton didn’t want to give the game away when asked if a European place is now a genuine ambition.
He said: “I don’t know about all of that stuff – targets are for behind closed doors.
“It’s early in the season but hopefully we just keep plugging away and are in a good position at the end of the season.
“I feel there’s a lot more to come from this team. It’s pretty much a new team that’s been put together. We’ve all been figuring out how each other plays, where everyone wants the ball, how to get the best out of them. Now it’s starting to click.
“There’s been a few hurdles we had to overcome and I’m sure there will be a few more but it’s good to see we are constantly improving and getting results.
“It’s been a massive week. There are a lot of games in this period and I hope we carry on from this now and are in this good position when the busy Christmas period is over.”