Youngster seals dream debut with late winner

MOTHERWELL 1 HEARTS 2 THE normally-taciturn Craig Levein had always seemed like a man with something up his sleeve as he praised his side's youth policy to the high heavens in yesterday's morning newspapers. No wonder. At Fir Park yesterday, the Hearts boss was thankful that cutbacks in his squad afforded him the chance to play the latest products of the Gorgie Road youth academy. For it was a well-executed late strike from Robert Sloan, a 19-year-old left- sided midfielder, on his first start for the club, that broke the second-half stalemate and arrested Hearts' six-game run without a win.

The winner may have edged the Tynecastle side nearer to a top-six place, but with Aberdeen also losing, the Edinburgh side remain in the race for one of Scotland's three Uefa Cup places.

Sloan's moment of glory came with just seven minutes remaining after Thomas Flogel found him advancing on the flank. The youngster, whose left foot had been entrusted with the dead ball duties, cut in past his marker, and nudged the ball past Steve Woods from a tight angle with his right foot, with the aid of the post.

Levein substituted him immediately afterwards. Indeed even after the game the Hearts boss was still not getting carried away with the performance of the youngster, and Graeme Weir, another teenager was given his first start. "If I had all my players in place, then Sloan would not have had the opportunity he has had there," Levein said.

"I felt that he had started to tire just before he scored, and I also felt Robert was at fault with the Motherwell goal, as he had let his player [Keith Lasley] in. So I hope scoring the goal will have cheered him up a little bit." Levein also revealed it is looking increasingly likely that Flogel, despite lofty praise for his performance, will be leaving the club under the Bosman ruling in the summer.

Another point of post-match contention came in regard to Ricardo Fuller, with the Hearts boss claiming Motherwell had used underhand tactics to stop him exerting his usual influence on the game. And that referee Bobby Orr could have done more to protect the ball players on the field. Fuller still managed to exert some, however, and had his shot from an acute angle in the 28th minute crept in after his delightful backheel flick had bamboozled Martyn Corrigan and Karl Ready, it would have been goal of the season. Full stop.

"Ricardo was tackled badly five times in the first 20 minutes," Levein said. "I would instruct my players to do the same but it is the ref's job to protect people."

Surprisingly or not, his opposite number Eric Black chose to see it differently. "It is a competitive game," he said. "The boys are competitive and that is the way we want them to be." On wider issues, Black was refusing to concede his battle for a place in the SPL's top half had come to an end. "The top six place is never gone until it's gone," he said.

Yesterday his side may have emerged anew after a half-time pep talk from their manager, but their first-half display was woeful. With both teams having been inactive last weekend, Hearts certainly displayed what initiative there was on show in an impoverished opening half- hour. The best they had to offer in the early exchanges came when Kevin McKenna's goalbound shot was blocked by his own man, or when Woods clasped Steven Pressley's tame header. The opening goal after 23 minutes, however, was a beacon amidst the mediocrity.

Stephane Mahe had cleverly eschewed the quick counter in favour of a floated switch of direction to Flogel. The Austrian advanced before rolling a slide-rule pass into the stride of Scott Severin, who had timed his run to perfection. The Scottish youngster slid in as he struck a fierce first-time shot beyond Woods from just inside the box.

Without the suspended Eric Deloumeaux, Motherwell had at first used Dirk Lehmann at the back, but they were improved immeasurably when he rejoined the attack after the break. Their goal came soon enough. Greg Strong's free kick from deep looked innocuous, but Pressley and McKenna left it to each other. The swerve on the ball took it into the no-man's land between goalkeeper and defence, but Sloan had failed to track the run of Lasley. The young midfielder pounced and struck a searing right-foot volley past Antti Niemi from 12 yards.

There then ensued a 20-minute period when the game opened up, and Lehmann missed a hat-trick of chances to win the game. First the German's effort was blocked by Pressley after Karl Ready had got his head to a Corrigan free kick, then the former Hibs player shot straight at Niemi. The best chance of the lot came after David Ferrere - making his first start - put him clean through on goal. Lehmann, however, could only shoot straight at Niemi with James McFadden screaming at him for a square delivery.

At the other end, Fuller was still battling on through the pain to test Woods after he left Strong and Ready trailing in his wake. It was Sloan, however, who was to finally beat the big goalkeeper, before taking his bow to the visiting support.

Before the kick-off, the Motherwell players had showed off their new huddle. After such a devastating finish, they could have done with a group hug after the game as well.

Copyright 2002
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