Hartley believes Steelmen have hit top gear again in time for Tynecastle trip

Motherwell skipper Peter Hartley felt his team clicked into place again in the midweek win over Ross County.

The Steelmen secured their first victory in nine games with an emphatic display in a 4-1 triumph at Fir Park.

Motherwell extended their lead in third place in the Ladbrokes Premiership to three points but Hartley admits they will need to continue their midweek form against Hearts at Tynecastle today.

The defender said: “It feels like a team that has clicked again and got back into the gear we showed before Christmas. We were playing with a good rhythm and were controlling a lot of games.

“We hit a little bit of a blip, I don’t know if it was players coming in and it was just games in quick succession and it took its toll a little bit.

“But we had a bit of a break and it shows what a fresh

Motherwell team can do. We have played well in spells over the last five or six games but a complete performance like that has been a long time coming.”

Hartley lost Liam Fontaine at a third-minute corner and the County defender volleyed home but the centreback soon set up Motherwell’s equaliser.

“We didn’t start well and it showed good character from the team,” he said. “We have gone ahead in recent games and ended up losing the three points so it was important that, when we did concede so early, we reacted in the right way, and the fans were fantastic.”

Hearts remain bottom but they have looked rejuvenated in the past week with victories over Rangers and Hibernian.

“It’s a challenging time to play them,” Hartley said. “Hearts are always a good team, they have some quality players.

“We have played them twice [in the league] and beat them twice and hopefully we can get another three points.”

Peter Hartley: ‘Fresh team’