MARC McNULTY probably won’t start for Scotland in their double-header against Kazakhstan and San Marino his week but he again did his prospects no harm at all.
The on-loan Reading striker celebrated his maiden call-up to the international set-up by scoring his seventh goal since moving back north to send Hibernian on their way to what was a surprisingly comfortable win over Motherwell.
The victory was Hibs’ first in three matches and should, barring a highly unlikely chain of events, assure them of a place in the top half of the table come the league split, with rivals Hearts in their sights now, too.
Manager Paul Heckingbottom cut a satisfied figure as he summed up his side’s performance. “We were playing against the form team and we showed them massive respect because of that,” he said.
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“And we also know as games run out they become more dangerous as they throw everything at you, which they did in the last 15 minutes. So we prepared well for it during the week and we knew it would take a good performance to beat them.”
McNulty’s goal came from a penalty after his endeavour and link-up play with Daryl Horgan had created the opening. The pair, in fact, combined well all afternoon down Hibs’ right flank, McNulty was unfortunate to see a close-range header from a Horgan cross saved shortly before the goal.
Motherwell disputed the penalty decision – the offenders usually do in these situations – but referee Kevin Clancy had no doubt that Tom Aldred had used his arm to block McNulty’s goalbound shot. The defender was booked and McNulty thrashed in his kick for his seventh goal in his last seven games. There are few other strikers available to Alex McLeish right now in this kind of regular scoring form.
“I’d love him to get a chance [at starting] for Scotland but of course I’m biased.,” said Heckingbottom. “I’d love him to get a cap. I said to him walking off the pitch that the hard work's done here so he can go and enjoy himself. He's in good form and at a stage now where he's played enough games so he's match fit. I don't think he could be going in any better shape.”
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Hibernian scored again before the half was out, that second goal all but ending Motherwell’s chances of taking anything from the match. It came from another dead ball situation, Stevie Mallan plonking a corner right on David Gray’s head and the Hibs captain couldn’t miss from a matter of yards. That ended the scoring, although Horgan could have made it a more comfortable conclusion had he not dragged a shot wide of goal from 12 yards.
This was a rare off-day for a Motherwell side whose only other league defeat this year came at Celtic Park. They struck the post after 25 seconds – Lewis Stevenson fortunate not to turn Gboly Ariyibi’s cross into his own net – but barely threatened thereafter, a low Curtis Main shot easily held and a Danny Johnson effort deflected over the bar in injury time the sum of the rest of their chances.
“It’s disappointing as we’ve lost from two set plays,” said manager Stephen Robinson. “Our build-up was very good up to a point but we lacked a killer instinct in the final third.
“There are just three games to go [before the split] so of course it’s a blow to getting into the top six. We wanted a minimum of a point today. It makes it more difficult now but why not go and win the next three games?”
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