Source: Team_Talk
McGhee sets Tynecastle target
McGhee's side won 2-1 at Inverness in their latest Scottish Premier League match, but the Motherwell boss believes Hearts' victory against Dundee United has made it tougher for the Steelmen to clinch third spot.
Motherwell finished third last season but are currently sixth - nine points behind Hearts.
However McGhee - who was targeted by Hearts last summer before the appointment of Csaba Laszlo - insists their mission is certainly not impossible.
He said: "We needed Hearts to draw today and it means that a draw with them next week won't be good enough, we have to win it to have a chance of catching them.
"That was a big result for Hearts against Dundee United, that's for sure.
"We have consolidated in the top six and we have got nearer to Dundee United and Aberdeen.
"The Hearts win today makes it harder to get third spot but we're still on course for moving up the table.
"We're not playing as well as we can, but we have something else about us now. We need to show our determination on Wednesday, but we will also have to play well."
McGhee praised on-loan Celtic striker Cillian Sheridan who hit a superb winner at the Caledonian Stadium.
He stressed: "It was a great goal. We are delighted with him because his all-round contribution has been superb.
"He played well and that goal was terrific. His work-rate was excellent, but you would expect that from a player from Celtic."
Brian McLean returned from cruciate ligament damage sustained last pre-season to stroll through the game. McGhee was delighted to see McLean back and praised the club physio for his part in the success story.
He added: "Brian McLean got a round of applause in the dressing room because it was his first game back after being out with a horrendous injury. He deserves all the credit and it was brilliant for him to be part of this victory.
"Our physio, John Porteous, deserves a special mention because he's got Brian back to this stage as quickly as he has done.
"The work he has done for him has been tremendous. Last year, we had so few injuries and much of that was down to his injury prevention programme."
For Inverness, it was manager Terry Butcher's first loss since taking over from the axed Craig Brewster last month.
Butcher said: "If you make mistakes at this level you will get punished, and Motherwell have players capable of doing that to you.
"Their front four were a handful, while our back five who have been so dominant and strong weren't.
"We didn't have the platform to play the way we wanted to.
"We put a lot of effort into the game, but didn't do enough to get anything from it. We might have had a wee break in the box, but we didn't put enough crosses in, to be honest.
"Motherwell are the best team we have played so far, and that includes Celtic. They were immense because they keep the ball well and they hurt you. They made it very difficult for us."
Inverness head to Ibrox to face Rangers on Wednesday, and Butcher - who will be returning to his old club - joked: "It's a nice easy one for us, maybe we can start our unbeaten run again.
"It's a tough one for us, but we'll look forward to that."
