Down on numbers, being blown back across the M8 and finding difficulty outside of Edinburgh, Hearts put it all to one side in their huge win at Motherwell.

Claudio Braga and Calvin Miller struck expertly either side of half-time to claim three merited points for the Jambos who are dealing with an unprecedented injury crisis in midfield and defence. Less than 72 hours on from a spirited performance in Europe at Trabzonspor that ultimately ended in defeat, Wouter Vrancken’s men fully put to bed the woe of their last Premiership outing at Celtic, by forcing Motherwell into their sixth straight loss.

I was in the press box at Fir Park for the 2-0 success that precedes a huge clash with Rangers at Tynecastle on Wednesday and Premier Sports Cup semi-final business versus Hibs this Sunday. Here is what I spotted.

Undoubtedly some of the chat building into this was whether it'd go ahead at all. Storm Boelo has hit the North Lanarkshire region hard and sauntering up to the stadium became a task in trying to put one foot in front of the other. Both of these sides look to play with the ball on the deck and strong winds, albeit with rain largely reduced, wasn't great for it. Hearts played into the wind first half and against it coming out for the second. It was another test in adversity and this Jambos team - still in its relative infancy - have had several already.

A rocky start was rode out and Braga's header provided them a iron grip on proceedings. Motherwell did put them under pressure in the second half but without goalkeeper Beau Reus ever having to make a real smart stop of note. Then as the hosts coughed up a chance, Miller dispatched wonderfully. Excuses were plentiful if Hearts wanted them but head coach Vrancken winces at the idea of using any.

This is an utterly relentless fixture schedule Hearts are in the thick of it. Coming to Fir Park a few days on from their Conference League loss at Trabzonspor was far from ideal with Rangers and Hibs to come in the next seven days. Not only that, the room to rotate is narrowing, amid countless injuries. The starting XI brought forward Rogers Mato into right-back, having performed admirably against superstar Mo Salah on the other side during Thursday's affair, while full-back Jordi Altena again was deployed in midfield.

Mato has arguably had his best games in a Hearts shirt at full-back and Altena the same in midfield. There’s perhaps a decision for Vrancken to make on whether they are both actually suited to playing those positions in the long-term should this form carry on. A pair of questions for another day perhaps, but at the minute, defensive and midfield changes can’t be made in plentiful supply. They have what they have, and currently, those out there are doing so well amid the circumstances. Recovery methods are arguably more important than training time at present.

For all the plaudits Hearts have had this last 12 months, it’s perhaps snuck up on some that their last league away day success outside of the capital was against Dundee United on January 31, a 3-0 stroll at Tannadice. Of course, away wins at Hibs make up for that somewhat, but wins on the road are needed to sustain momentum near the top end of the table. This wasn’t a 10/10 display, it was never going to be amid the circumstances, but it’s the type of victory that builds huge confidence. It might not be remembered in the same breath as wins over Rangers and Hibs would be but it sets the foundations for what could be an epic week. A clinical edge in both boxes assured that.

“We do enough to get a result in many ways but to close the circle and get the result we need to convert in the offensive box and be even more solid in how we protect our box,” said Motherwell boss Alfred Johansson of the game. “We need to compete better in both boxes. We create more chances, have more touches in their box than they have in ours but they go away with the win which is very hard to accept. In the first half we were doing well and creating then they score and it’s the same in the second half. We don't get the payment from those moments.”