The news that St Mirren had lost also raised a few smiles and we now have a healthy five point buffer over the sixth placed Saints. With only one game remaining before the first cycle of fixtures is complete we can begin to take a realistic view of our prospects for the rest of the season.
It is only sensible to take on board the manager's mid-week comments about the size and age of our squad and the inevitable disadvantages that follow but there's nothing like success to instil a feeling of self-belief in a squad and Motherwell have had plenty in the opening phase of the season.
The league results have produced 4 wins, 5 draws and only 1 defeat yielding 17 points. It is hard to believe but that is a point better than McGhee's fast paced stars had earned in season 2007/8 when we watched in awe at the sparkling performances from Porter, McCormack, Clarkson, O'Donnell and co.
The centre backs (combined age 36) coped well with the limited threat posed by the visitors' attack. It is hard to see how Craigan can force himself back into being a first choice pick given the wealth of talent we now have in the middle of defence. Reynolds fared better at left back, though we have to hope that Hammell's return is not far away, and the combination of Jutkiewicz and Sutton kept the Hearts' defenders busy.
The new surface looked perfect (again) and the players were able to strike the ball along the ground with confidence that no bobble would interfere. As autumn ends we can only hope that it stands up to the rigours of its first winter without damage and allows our passing game to flourish.
Getting better...
The sign writers have been busy correcting the embarrassing spelling error which was highlighted some weeks ago (it would be pedantic to point out that there no word 'incase' in the dictionary!) and it was good to see the ball boys uniformed and looking the part. These small things all contribute to the presentation of the club and they deserve recognition.
We have three fixtures scheduled for November starting with Hamilton (a) next week. Thereafter Aberdeen and Dundee United give us back to back home games. Half a dozen points from these games will keep our momentum going.