The keeper knows Celtic have something in their locker that Hearts have missed in recent weeks
(Image: SNS Group)
It was left to Alexander Schwolow to deliver a sense of perspective for more dropped points by Hearts in front of the biggest Fir Park crowd since Helicopter Sunday two decades ago.
The stalemate with Motherwell makes to just claimed just three points from the past 15 available and it doesn’t take Jamestown Analytics to know that data analysis won’t have the Premiership title flag flying over Tynecastle any time soon.
A run of only one defeat from 14 league games going into December is also a scenario the German keeper couldn’t have dreamt about when he signed on in Gorgie this summer but he admits the early season ability to dig out last-gasp results has deserted them. Schwolow cited Callum McGregor’s injury time winner for Celtic against St Mirren last weekend as type of moment which separates champions from also-rans and he’s convinced Hearts can get back to digging out their own triumphs over adversity.
He said: “The run we have been on is unbelievable so we should always know where we come from and it’s a special situation for us. It was our performances which which brought us there and we know what we’re able to do and the team is so hungry to get those
“It’s just normal that you have different runs of form and we just haven’t been in the top form in the last three games. In the games before we just played the same but we scored a decisive goal and won the game and against Motherwell I also thought it would happen again.
“Motherwell had so many chances and didn’t score and I thought, ‘okay now we will score for sure in the last minute’. We need to look at what we can do better to improve and to get to get back to winning because that’s what you tend to see with teams that go on to win leagues or come very close to winning leagues.
“When it’s 0-0 in the last minute, like Celtic did last week, somebody pops up with a goal. That’s definitely a quality we showed those already this season and I’m sure we will show those qualities again.
“But you can’t do those things every week. It’s the way you play, it’s how many chances you create. I think over the complete season, that’s what counts more, because you cannot expect to win every game in the last minute and play average.”
Callum McGregor finds the top corner against St Mirren(Image: Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock)
Derek McInnes was correct to insists his team are the own architects of the current lofty expectation being weighed onto the shoulders of his players and it’s the consequence of a confident and at times swashbuckling start to the campaign which had them sitting nine points clear at the start of November. No longer.
Motherwell created the better chances and had it not been for a succession of stunning second-half saves from Schwolow than a second league defeat would have been registered.
Once again the 33-year-old opted for a pint half full approach to picking up a point with the acceptance that for periods in the contest his side fell below their usual standards, especially in the later stages when he had to bail his team out with some wonder saves.
He said: “In the end it’s another point, it’s another clean sheet. We know we could have done better, for sure, this is clear. But we have also to say that it was a difficult away game against a good team in a good form, so we knew it was going to be hard. I think there was a good time in the second half, from the 50th to the 75th minute, where we had full control. Suddenly, I don’t know why, we lost it at some point. Then we got lucky in some situations. But in the end it’s a good point, we take that. It’s a long season, like we always said.
“It was another tough away game, like last week against Aberdeen so it’s never easy.”
Hearts managed just one shot on target with Callium Hendry clearing Lawrence Shankland’s header off the line but the best moments belonged to Motherwell.
Hendry has the ball in the next with a close-range poked effort which was ruled out by VAR for offside, Tawanda Maswanhise had a few near things before Elijah Just, Ibrahim Said, Lukas Fadingar and a free-kick from Callum Slattery were all repelled by Schwolow admits the habit of racking up wins must start against Kilmarnock on Wednesday before a trip to Celtic Park on Sunday.
He said: “We need to get those winning feelings again as you could feel the disappointment in the dressing room always even after we drawn a difficult away game. The hunger so is so high and everybody wants to win every game but the thing to always remember is what we did that got you into this position. This week we will have a good session in terms of watching the video of this game and look at what we could and what we can do better what. We go on Wednesday again and Sunday as well.”
Whether Hearts can get back to winning ways against Killie remains to be seen but Schwolow paid special mention to another sold-out away stand at Fir Park.
He said: “It makes me sad that we couldn’t give them the win because the support has been unreal. It was the same in the last game in Aberdeen, so many people came the long way up. It’s a good reward for our performances in the last couple of weeks and we cannot take them for granted and have to work every week to get the fans happy.
“It’s a good thing when you have so many games in a week and we’re looking forward to Wednesday to try and win this home against Kilmarnock and then also, of course, the big away game versus Celtic on Sunday. But first Wednesday, we want to play better, we want to do our things better.”