Motherwell 2-0 Heart of Midlothian: Second win in row strengthens Stuart Kettlewell hopes
- Published
Jon Obika (second right) last scored for parent club Morecombe last February
Stuart Kettlewell strengthened his case to be Motherwell manager as a second success in five days moved them six points clear of the Scottish Premiership's bottom spot.
Jon Obika's first goal in more than a year and Blair Spittal's opportunist strike earned an impressive victory over third-placed Heart of Midlothian.
That followed up Wednesday's win over St Mirren in Kettlewell's first game as caretaker and opened up a significant advantage over Motherwell's relegation rivals.
They are now six clear of bottom-placed Dundee United - albeit having played a game more - and five and three points ahead of Ross County and Kilmarnock respectively.
Hearts, whose run of six games unbeaten away from home came to an end, still have a five-point cushion in third spot.
Motherwell expect to appoint a new manager this week, with Kettlewell, Grant McCann and Ian Holloway the last three contenders - and this was another fine audition by the former Ross County manager.
While the man in interim charge not surprisingly relied on an unchanged side to further his cause, Hearts counterpart Robbie Neilson was able to recall captain Lawrence Shankland up front and fellow international Cammy Devlin in midfield.
The influence of those two was evident during early moments in which Motherwell displayed a nervousness that belied Kettlewell's suggestion that some of the pressure was off, considering his side would remain ninth no matter the result.
Hearts created the first clear-cut opportunity when a clever Robert Snodgrass chip found Shankland in the clear at the back post only for the striker to head off the outside of the opposite upright.
However, by then, the Lanarkshire side had already settled into the game, with the visitors becoming increasingly disjointed by the time two Sean Goss strikes produced the breakthrough.
The midfielder forced a fine one-handed save from Zander Clark, but the goalkeeper was left stranded from the resulting corner when Goss' mis-hit effort was bundled home by Obika for the on-loan striker's first goal since scoring for Morecambe last February.
A Stephen Kingsley free-kick then clipped the top of Motherwell's bar. But while the woodwork thwarted the Hearts defender, it came to Motherwell's aid almost directly after the restart when midfielder Spittal head-flicked a Kevin van Veen cross against the far post and drove home the rebound.
Hearts failed to seriously threaten home goalkeeper Liam Kelly as they strained every sinew to find a way back into the game, but the side re-invigorated under Kettlewell ran out worthy winners.
Player of the game - Sean Goss (Motherwell)
It was a close run thing between Sean Goss (left) and goalscorer Blair Spittal, but the former was influential with his passing and his role in the opening goal
Kettlewell adds to CV as Hearts disappoint - analysis
Kettlewell insisted the match was "not about me getting the Motherwell job" but also told BBC Scotland before kick-off that he thought being hands-on was a better way to impress than "presentations and Powerpoints".
The 38-year-old was looking for the same "aggression and energy" that produced that midweek win over St Mirren and the fact he got what he was looking for will surely be an impressive late addition to his CV as the Motherwell board pursue the successor to the sacked Stevie Hammell.
Kettlewell suggested he had gone "back to basics" with his players, but this was a performance built not just on endeavour but poise and precision.
The caretaker admitted Hearts were a different beast to St Mirren, but the visitors looked a pale shadow of the side that had already beaten the Fir Park side twice this season.
Manager Neilson will be particularly disappointed that, despite the return from injury of some key players, they missed an opportunity to cement third place and now having city rivals Hibernian breathing down their neck.
What they said
Motherwell caretaker manager Stuart Kettlewell: "They were almost perfect again. We knew that Hearts could create chances and would create chances - they hit the woodwork a couple of times.
"You know the quality they've got, there is going to be a threat, but I sometimes think you earn a bit of luck and we had to deal with the first 10 minutes because we were pinned in a little bit. But it showed a mental toughness that we could make it difficult for Hearts."
Hearts manager Robbie Neilson: "I just thought that from the start we were poor - the worst we've played, definitely this season if not for a long, long time. We just weren't at the races at all.
"You can sometimes maybe carry two or three players, but apart from Zander Clark, they weren't at the level they should be. We've done really well this season to get where we are, but today wasn't good enough."
What's next?
Motherwell travel to face Kilmarnock on 25 February, while Hearts do not feature again until St Johnstone visit on 4 March (both 15:00 GMT).