BEATEN AT LAST
Hearts keeper McLaughlin finally foiled as clean-sheet run comes to a bitter end
ALL that work, all that effort, all those hours and hours of standing firm, sticking together and rewriting club records. All ruined by a simple inability to manage a game in the dying seconds and see it through.
All on Foundation Day as well, the afternoon designed to mark the contribution of the many thousands of supporters who clubbed together in the wake of administration to not only save Hearts from the scrapyard, but give them a splendid new £15million main stand to build a future around.
When David Milinkovic, thrown on for Ross Callachan midway through the second half, broke the deadlock ten minutes from time, the fairytale looked like continuing.
Hearts had enjoyed the best of the game despite Motherwell growing in stature and had withstood a goal being ruled out for offside and another couple of sticky moments at the back.
Certainly, the immediate moments after Milinkovic’s strike told their own story. As Tynecastle reverberated to the sounds of throaty cries and stamping feet, home manager Craig Levein was locked in stone-faced discussion in the technical area with coaches Austin MacPhee and Jon Daly.
Protecting a lead, having fought so hard to establish, was the point of debate. Using Connor Randall’s defensive nous as an extra shield for the three-man rearguard the accepted solution.
Young Andy Irving, who did well during his home debut, made way as Randall slotted in just in front of the defence. For all that, though, it just was not enough. No matter how pragmatic Levein may be, there is little he can do about his side giving away needless free-kicks when the game is virtually done and dusted.
Warning number one, with Hearts having racked up a remarkable 831 minutes without conceding, came midway through time added-on.
Craig Tanner fired in a set-piece and fellow substitute Deimantas Petravicius rose high, only to see his header go past the post.
With the five extra minutes up and most of Tynecastle casting anxious glances towards referee Willie Collum, Motherwell were presented with another opportunity when John Souttar fouled Curtis Main.
Tanner fired a deep cross that looked as though it might drift out of play but Andy Rose nodded it back into the danger area.
Chris Cadden sclaffed it towards Main, with home keeper Jon McLaughlin unable to prevent his instinctive header from crossing the line despite getting a hand to it.
McLaughlin complained bitterly to Collum over the decision. By the time the dust had settled, though, he was honest enough to admit that Hearts had been the masters of their own downfall and highlighted a recurring problem that has marked their recent run of a dozen games without defeat.
‘The fact is that, the run of clean sheets aside, it is a really poor way to give away two points to a side that hadn’t looked like breaking us down,’ said McLaughlin.
‘You give teams chances to keep putting the ball in your box by giving away more than one silly free-kick. It allowed them, a far bigger side than us, to bring everyone forward and it becomes a lottery.
‘It is so frustrating. We’ve only lost three goals in our last 12 games, but all three have been late on from set-pieces poorly defended — Partick, Hamilton and now this — and that’s a problem.’
Certainly, Hearts started by far the sharper of the two. Callachan saw an early effort come off the post and then appeared to have a strong claim for a penalty turned down when Cedric Kipre handled a header from him inside the box.
Main had the ball in the net just before the half-hour after flicking home a shot from Tom Aldred, but was ruled offside.
Aldred was in the spotlight again at the other end of the pitch moments later when appearing to bring down Callachan inside the box. Again, Collum refused to point to the spot.
The signs became all the more ominous for Hearts when Demetri Mitchell was denied by the post with a great shot in the closing moments of the first half.
However, Milinkovic looked like he had made an important day all the more special when he beat keeper Trevor Carson with a low drive.
That was, until Main, who looks a smashing capture for Motherwell, snatched a point and reminded everyone that Hearts, like their new stand, remain a work in progress.