Motherwell and Hearts meet at Fir Park on Sunday afternoon with three points at stake.
The teams are level on ten points with each having three wins and a draw in credit. This game will complete a two match September for Motherwell while Hearts will end the month’s action with four fixtures; two in the league and two in the Europa Conference. After a late Thursday night match in Latvia Robbie Neilson’s team return to Scotland on Friday.
Lamie scores!
Motherwell impressed in their last outing and the 0-0 score did not reflect the balance of play against Dundee United. A missed penalty and spurned chances devalued the good outfield play. The quiet confidence around Fir Park has grown with every outing under the charge of Stevie Hammell and the players are aware that opportunities must be taken.
The fortnight since the end of the transfer window has given Louis Moult some minutes in a reserve game and further time to get closer to match speed. It would not be a surprise if he is available for some action on Sunday.
Hearts began their season with two wins and a draw but followed that with a bleak spell that afforded one win in seven attempts. Recent losses to Kilmarnock and Livingston then a 4-0 home loss to Basaksehir have done nothing to lift spirits ahead of the Thursday Conference tie against Riga.
The close season saw lots of changes in the Tynecastle dressing room with a dozen recruits matching the departures. New recruit Lawrence Shankland leads their scoring table but a few familiar faces remain including Craig Gordon in goal.
Last season’s meetings went with home advantage, two wins apiece. Let's hope the trend continues with a repeat of the score when the teams last met in Motherwell, 2-1.