Title tilt the ideal cure for Kingsley
STEPHEN Kingsley admits t he t ask of making an instant top-flight r eturn helped Hearts get over their Scottish Cup final agony.
The Tynecastle men faced a major test of their resolve from Ayr just six days after the cruel nature of their shoot-out defeat to Celtic.
And with the exception of the eight second-half minutes when the Honest Men l ed, Robbie Neilson’s side came through with flying colours i n a 5- 3 win to maintain their three-point lead atop the Championship.
The games come thick and fast, with Arbroath visiting tomorrow before Hearts round off the week at title rivals Dundee.
Left-back Kingsley, who missed a crucial penalty against the Bhoys, insists the players could not afford to wallow in self-pity following their Hampden heartache.
He said: ‘The way the final ended was obviously disappointing but I’m proud of my performance, proud of how the boys fought back and the character we showed.
‘We were all there for each other. It’s a great bunch and we were all supporting each other. It was an experience, we take the positives, learn from it and move on.
‘We knew it was a massive week coming up. The Christmas period is huge for any team going for the title. We’ve got Arbroath and then the Dundee game on Saturday, so all eyes were on making sure we were right for this week.’
Kingsley got the Jambos up and running with a free-kick after 11 minutes but Ayr stormed ahead with two goals in three second-half minutes through Cammy Smith and Luke McGowan. Hearts brought on Craig Wighton, who al s o missed hi s penalty at Hampden, and t he f orward changed the match with a brace either side of an Olly Lee strike.
Wighton then set up Liam Boyce before Tom Walsh added a third for Ayr with the last kick of the game.
Boss Neilson is already trying to tie down Kingsley on a longer deal after the ex-Swansea and Hull defender penned a season-long contract in October, and the 26-year- old has dropped a big hint he would be keen to extend his stay.
‘It was a case of getting the final out of the way and just focusing on the games coming up,’ he said.
‘I didn’t want to cloud anything and the gaffer agreed — hopefully we’ll get things moving in January and February. I’m here until the end of the season, so I can take it as it comes. I’ve been given such a great opportunity, I’m genuinely loving every second.’
Ayr boss Mark Kerr was bitterly disappointed his team failed to keep Hearts at bay for longer after going in front.
He said: ‘You can’t fault the boys in terms of their application but it’s about using their head and learning to shut out a game to allow you to get back up the pitch and hold that lead for longer.
‘ We scored good goals, then Hearts changed shape. They have to know to shuffle across the pitch to stop these simple runs.’
HEARTS (4-2-3-1): Gordon, Smith, Halkett, Berra, Kingsley (Haring 78), Halliday, Irving, Lee, Frear (Wighton 63), Roberts (Naismith 58), Boyce. Subs not used: Stewart, Walker, Popescu, Henderson. Ayr United (4-1-4-1): Sinisalo, Muirhead, Baird, Roscoe, Reading; Miller; McCowan, Murdoch, Chalmers (Walsh 78), Smith (Zanatta 78); Moffat (Anderson 58). Subs not used: Hare-Reid, Houston, McKenzie, Kerr Man of the match: Craig Wighton. Referee: David Munro.