9.40pm

Yesterday's result: Hearts 3, Motherwell 0.

Wasn't at the game yesterday, but by all accounts it was a fairly comfortable win for the home side, even if 3-0 perhaps flattered them a little.  Skippy hit the post early on with the game still goalless while Craigan was also denied by the woodwork, so it certainly wasn't all one-way traffic.  Sadly, the defeat coupled with wins for both Aberdeen and ICT means we look very likely to be playing bottom six football this season.

Ricky's report of the game is available here.

Terry Butcher's post-match comments were as follows:
"If you give Hearts two goals start it's a very difficult task. It's unbelievable that we've hit the woodwork twice.  The first time we hit the post they broke away and scored and instead of being 1-0 up we are 1-0 down.  We gave away a sloppy second goal although it was a wonderful finish by Jankauskas. But we contributed to that with a poor clearance.  If we had that chance our strikers would have hit both posts then the bar and then it would have come out.  But we kept plugging away and played some decent football in the second-half.  At 2-0 down the next goal was vital but we couldn't get it and when they went 3-0 up that was that."

Graeme Smith missed the match yesterday with a groin strain but TB is optimistic that he'll be back for the trip to Inverness in a fortnight.

While we're on the subject of injuries, Clarkson, Paterson and Kinniburgh all featured for the reserves in their 1-0 win over Dundee Utd reserves in midweek, while Leitch, Fitzpatrick and Paul Quinn are all expected to be back in training next week.

The 'Well side for the reserve match was: Meldrum, Kane, M. Quinn, Fagan, Kinniburgh (Brownlie 60), Reynolds, D. Smith, McGarry, Thermeus, Clarkson, Paterson (Russell 45). 
Subs not used: Martin, Connolly, McGuire.

The club's appeal against the red card shown to new signing Abel Thermeus at Kilmarnock recently was rejected, therefore the striker had to sit out yesterday's match at Tynecastle.

Three Motherwell youngsters, Reynolds, Kane and Coakley, have been named in the Scotland Under-19 squad to take part in the La Manga Tournament in Spain.

Today's Sunday Mail reports that the club are suing former player John Spencer in a bid to recover a £400,000 loan paid to the striker when he became our record signing back in 1998.  Spencer claims the money was to cover his wages during his spell at Fir Park.

Admission prices for the Falkirk game on March 11 will be reduced to £8 for adults, students and senior citizens and £2 for under 16s as part of a charity day for Lanarkshire's Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre.  Details available from the Official Site.