Dan admits Hearts face survival scrap

Daniel Stendel admitted the target is now to avoid relegation after suffering his third loss on the spin as Hearts slumped to the foot of the Premiership.

But the German insisted others were to blame for the dire situation the Jambos find themselves in as he warned his Gorgie flops he would wield the axe if they don’t improve.

Hamilton won their first game in 12 as Mickel Miller and Will Collar netted second- half goals to haul themselves off the foot of the table.

Sub Oliver Bozanic pulled one back for the Jambos to end a run of 354 minutes without a goal but they go into the Boxing Day Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle shorn of confidence and in real drop danger.

Having lost to St Johnstone last week – who were bottom – and then to Celtic in midweek, Stendel said: “The biggest thing for us now is just to avoid relegation. We have to be realistic. We played last week against St Johnstone and today against Hamilton. Both were the worst teams in the league at that time and we lost them both.

“Maybe some players will surprise me in the future or we have to change things. Either some players have to come back or we need some different players.

“It’s hard to take. It wasn’t the best game today, especially some of our performances. We can say it’s all s*** but next week we have two games and we need to look to that. The problem is not just from the last two weeks but a long time before.”

Stendel made five changes from the side that lost to Celtic and the

Jambos dominated early on with Michael Smith sending a 30-yard effort just over.

But Brian Rice’s side created two great chances against the run of play.

George Oakley headed wide when he should have at least hit the target from Aaron McGowan’s cross.

McGowan then found Oakley moments later and this time the former Inverness striker’s shot was on target but Joel Pereira pulled off a fine one-handed save.

Aaron Hickey pulled a shot just wide of the post before Hearts carved out a golden chance just after the half hour.

Uche Ikpeazu’s cross was headed down by Steven MacLean into the path of Steven Naismith but the stand-in skipper – in the absence of suspended Christophe Berra – volleyed over from close range.

Craig Halkett then saw his floated header crash off the bar from

Ikpeazu’s cross as the teams went in deadlocked.

Scotland striker Naismith failed to reappear for the second half due to injury as Jake Mulraney took his place but it was Oakley who had a header saved for the home side just before they found the net.

And the Accies striker set up the opener after 64 minutes, playing a one-two with Miller who smashed a brilliant curling shot into Pereira’s top-right-hand corner.

Mil ler then turned provider, picking out Collar with a ball that he fired beyond Pereira.

That had some Jambos fans heading for the exit but they missed their side’s first away goal since the Edinburgh derby in September as Bozanic got on the end of Smith’s corner to give his side hope.

MacLean had a header saved at the death but it was too little, too late for lowly Hearts.