Pressure on Cathro as arch critic Boyd enters the lion’s den at Tynecastle

Boyd insists the heat is all on Cathro as he gets ready to run the gauntlet at Tynecastle

KRIS BOYD sees no reason for back-tracking or diplomatic niceties. He was asked for his opinion on Ian Cathro. He gave it. Over and done with.

The Kilmarnock striker is prepared for the stick that will inevitably come his way from the Tynecastle crowd this evening. He can handle that. Actions on the pitch, rather than words off it, are what truly matter.

That may be so, but Boyd’s words unquestionably helped set the tone for the intense debate that accompanied Cathro’s appointment.

His critical appraisal drew a response every bit as fierce from supporters of the new Hearts head coach.

As such, this first Premiership meeting between the two men was always going to be one to chalk up on the calendar. The precise circumstances have merely heightened the fascination.

Boyd would rather draw a line under the comments he made in his newspaper column. Not because he regrets the doubts he raised about Cathro — questioning the 30-year-old’s capability as a man-manager and suggesting he could be ‘out of his depth’ — but because he sees little further worth in adding to them. Proving whether he was right or wrong is now over to Cathro and the Hearts players.

So far, they have not done anything to cause Boyd embarrassment.

Blowing a two-goal lead against Dundee last Friday evening left the recently-installed regime with just one point from their opening three games.

No one sensible is about to make judgments after such short period of time. Failing to defeat Kilmarnock at home would, however, spawn further doubts.

Boyd insists his focus is solely on Kilmarnock, whose need for points is no less pressing. But his assessment of Cathro has inevitably dominated the build-up to a thoroughly intriguing encounter.

‘I said what I said,’ reflected Boyd. ‘It was three or four weeks ago’s news.

‘For me, it is finished. It is over to the people who... maybe he needs to do his talking now.

‘I will go there as a Kilmarnock player and look to get the three points. I am asked for my opinion and I will give my opinion.’

Boyd, who took the same Pro License coaching course as Cathro, was dismissive when asked if he would attempt to make contact with the Dundonian.

‘I have never spoken to him in my life,’ responded Boyd.

‘I am not in the habit of speaking to other teams’ managers.

‘At the end of the day, I will go there as a Kilmarnock player looking to win the game. It will be a difficult game no doubt about it.

‘Hearts haven’t won in a few games now, either. They will be looking to get off the mark. They were beaten 3-2 (against Dundee) on Friday night, so it was a disappointing result for them but we can only look to ourselves.

‘We have not put in performances that mean we can go there full of confidence, but there is always an opportunity.’

A suggestion that Hearts’ recent results may have vindicated his thoughts on Cathro, so far at least, was blanked by Boyd. He was not about to further fan the flames.

But the 33-year-old knows there won’t be any way to avoid a hot reception if he takes to the field in Gorgie tonight.

‘Going to Tynecastle is always a great occasion to play in and I’m looking forward to it,’ he insisted. ‘It’s never going to be easy, but we will give it our best shot.

‘The (Cathro situation) doesn’t bother me. I’ve been to grounds with hostile crowds time after time.

‘I’ve had the spotlight focused on me many times before, but I’ll just do my best for the team and, hopefully, we will get the three points.

‘It’s up to Hearts how they handle the situation. He’s had a difficult start, but we’re in the same boat now.

‘We’ve not won in a few games now and we know we need to go there and put on a performance.

‘It’s a difficult place to go, but we’ve proved over the years we can go there and get a result.’

Kilmarnock recorded a 2-0 victory when the teams last met in October at Rugby Park.

Since then, however, Lee Clark’s side have won only one of their subsequent eight matches.

A 1-0 home defeat against St Johnstone last Friday night left them in eighth place, three points above bottom club Inverness Caley Thistle.

Boyd made his comeback after a six-week absence from a thigh injury as he appeared as a second-half substitute.

‘It was good to be back, but it was a disappointing result,’ he said.

‘There is no getting away from it. But you have to give credit to St Johnstone.

‘That is the reason why they have been in the top six every single season. Or at least for the last few seasons.

‘They always seem to grind out results, whether it is 1-0 or 2-1. There are periods in the game where they find it tough, but they always seem to find a way to get the three points.

‘You hear people saying they win ugly, but it is a talent they have.

‘It doesn’t really matter how you win games of football.

‘At the end of the day, they had the same plan as us, to get three points. How you do it is irrelevant.

‘It is a learning curve for us because I think Tommy Wright builds his team on experienced players and maybe adds one or two youngsters into it.

‘They buy into it straight away and that is the reason why they are consistently at the right end of the table.

‘What we need to do is start taking our chances when they come. We had a couple of balls which came across the front of the goal against St Johnstone and could have led to something better.’

Boyd has made a career out of finishing off those opportunities. What price him doing so at Tynecastle tonight?