BEN HENEGHAN has vowed Motherwell’s player won’t point the finger at blundering Zak Jules after his howler left his team in the relegation play-off place.

The Steelmen were on course for a 0-0 draw with Ross County on Saturday when the on-loan Reading defender gifted the Highlanders a glorious chance for the only goal of the game.

With the ball ready to roll out for a goal kick, Jules stopped it on the line before playing a loose pass inside that was won by County and eventually turned into the net by Christopher Routis.

That goal midway through the second half killed off any hope of a victory to take Motherwell out of the play-off place, but defender Heneghan insists his 20-year-old team-mate will not be hung out to dry in the wake of his blunder.

He said: “Of course it’s easy to point the finger but everyone has made mistakes throughout the course of the season. We’re never going to single anyone out, we stick together as a group. We’re on the pitch together.

“It’s a worry we keep making mistakes. But I suppose it is part of football as well where you have to learn.

“We seem to keep making mistakes. But we need to learn it can’t keep happening.

“The older boys will tell the younger ones, myself included, if there’s a mistake that you can’t be doing it. It’s as simple as that.

“The young lads have got to make the mistakes to learn, but you’d rather they did it in training rather than games.”

During a five-minute interview, a clearly exacerbated Heneghan used the phrase ‘sticking together’ seven times. Given their predicament and the individual errors which continue to cost them, it’s easier repeatedly said than done.

Motherwell have come to the end of a run of three home games on the bounce which, if taken advantage of, would have had them virtually out of reach of danger already. Instead, one win and two defeats leaves them staring ominously down a barrel.

Just four points ahead of bottom-side Inverness and level on points with Hamilton, Heneghan is blunt about what is required in the three remaining fixtures – starting away to Accies next week.

He said: “We are having no luck at the moment, but we have three cup finals left. We have to do our best to win every one.

“We have to stick together as a group. It’s frustrating times and it’s obviously not where you want to be but we’re in it. We have to work hard in training and make it count.

“We’ve got the character, yeah. All the lads are ready for the challenge ahead. They have shown that when they played. Everyone is sticking together, the morale is good.

“We have to take it on the pitch. We’ve got to see games out, it’s as simple as that.

“The Hamilton game is massive. They are our rivals and we have to prove a point, taking it to them. There is no hiding in this game.

“We’ve made mistakes, we’ve been criticised and we’re down at the bottom. That’s how the game goes and it’s not where we want to be.”

Saturday’s defeat means Motherwell have only won four games and drawn three at home this season, compared to four victories and five stalemates on the road. It is perhaps best, then, that two of their final trio of games are away from Fir Park.

“I don’t know how to answer that. It’s just not gone our way and it’s annoying,” added Heneghan.

“The record shows [it’s better to play away]. But we have those three cup finals left and we’ll stick together.

“We have to work in training, keeping everyone’s confidence high. I know it’s going to be a struggle with the results but we have to stick together.”