WE WON’T ALLOW ANOTHER SLUMP, INSISTS McHUGH
AMID the euphoria of reaching the Scottish Cup semi-finals, no one will have to remind Motherwell of the danger that can lurk within. As much as November’s Betfred Cup Final appearance was a welcome sign of progress under Stephen Robinson, defeat to Celtic sent the Steelmen into a worrying mid-season tail spin. Mindful of the fact that 2-0 loss was the first of nine games without a win, Fir Park skipper Carl McHugh appreciates there can now be no such regression. ‘The final kind of hit us hard,’ said the hero of Sunday’s victory over Hearts. ‘We hit a run of bad form after that. The three games we had against Celtic really hit us hard, too. ‘It shows you, though, the group of lads we have in there and the determination we’ve had to bounce back since the break. Our form has been good. ‘We’ve got the three results in the cup and we’ve had a hard run with three Premiership teams to get this far. We’re confident we can take on anyone.’ McHugh’s winning goal was indicative of a side who have turned a corner. Edging the ball towards goal with his chest, his spectacular volley beat Jon McLaughlin to end Hearts’ hopes of turning the tie on its head. ‘I was as surprised as anyone it went in,’ said the Irishman. ‘The ball broke and it sat up nice on my chest, so I just thought I might as well hit it. It was my right foot, too, so I don’t know what I was doing really, but thankfully it went in. ‘After the goal, they all jumped on top of me and I was squashed, so I was shouting at them to get off. But it was great, those are the moments you play football for.’ A memorable first goal of the season came at a price. Already the recipient of a booking in the cup, a yellow card against Hearts means McHugh will be watching from the stand against either Kilmarnock or Aberdeen next month. There is not, however, any hint of regret. ‘You could get injured the day before the semi-final in training or anything, and the way I play, I can’t be thinking about not getting booked,’ said McHugh. ‘I’m just a bit disappointed that I didn’t win the tackle, but that’s football and hopefully I’ll get to play in the final.’