Well’s Hartley right up for square go with the Buffalo
PETER Hartley has battled the beast. Now he plans to tame the buffalo. The last time Motherwell’s combative central defender visited one of the grand stages of the British game came at Wembley in last May’s League Two play-off final, when he faced the unenviable task of shackling the hulking 17-stone presence that is Adebayo Akinfenwa, the publicity-shy striker, now of Wycombe Wanderers, who is quite possibly the largest professional footballer in history.
So let’s just say that media morsels such as Alfredo Morelos’s recent insistence that he loves the “aggressive and physical” elements of the Scottish game are meat and drink to the English defender.
Indeed, if the Rangers striker wants a physical challenge at Hampden Park on Sunday, then the Motherwell centre-back has just volunteered to be the man to give it to him.
“If that’s one of his strengths, then we’ll see what happens, happens,” said Hartley. ey.
“I don’t n’t mind a physical fight. ght. If he wants one after the match as well, thenen I won’t be going anywhere.” where.”
It is worth rth pointing out here and nd now that Hartley’s tley’s showdown wn with Akininfenwa came me to a rather er beastly y end. The giant striker, then of AFC Wimbledon, scored the last-minute penalty which ended Plymouth Argyle’s hopes of a League Two Play-off final win. All that waswa bad enough were it not for the fact that Hartley was actually off the field then, having been stretc stretchered off for treatment aftera Akinfenwa landi landing on top of him left him severelysev winded. “I played at Wembley a couple of years ago for Plymouth,” Hartley said. “We got beatenb 2-0 on the day and in fairness to Wimbledon, they really did a job on us. We had a lot of the ball, but I don’t think we managed a shot on target. Akinfenwa played for Wimbledon that day. He is twice as wide as me – an absolute tank.
“He scored for them, but I was off the pitch at the time getting treatment because he landed right on top of me,” Hartley added. “I had to be stretchered off because I honestly thought I had broken my ribs.
“He’s about 20 stone and he came down right on top of me, and with the way he landed on me, my back just totally went into spasms.
“It wasn’t pleasant, that’s for sure. But it would mean the world to me if I could reach another final.
“I’m 29 now, so I’m at the stage of my career where I really want to experience these big occasions. This is different to the Play-off Final. It would be the biggest game of my career.”
Hartley, who scored the winner after Andy Rose cancelled out Giannis Skondras’ opener for the hosts, said that Saturday’s Lanarkshire derby against Hamilton Accies was like being “in League Two again” and that suited this Motherwell side perfectly.
They would back themselves in a battle against anyone and aren’t going to Hampden to make up the numbers.
Hartley added. “That physical style suits all three of us – myself, Cedric Kipre andCharles Dunne.
“If teams want to try and do what we do, we know we are going to be better than them.”