Jambos have shown they can compete, says ex-Dundee striker

Former Dundee striker Craig Wighton has vowed heads will not drop at Hearts as he said the Jam Tarts proved they could go toe-totoe with Rangers on Sunday.

The capital club paid for a catastrophic start at Ibrox, conceding two woefully sloppy goals in the opening 13 minutes on their way to a 3-1 reverse.

Craig Levein’s side forced two fine saves from Scotland goalkeeper Allan McGregor in the first period, however, with Steven Naismith and Uche Ikpeazu denied – and were a persistent threat going forward.

Wighton reckons the sense of disappointment in the dressing room at full-time sums up the lofty standards being set at Hearts, who remain two points clear at the top of the table, but he is retaining a sense of perspective.

“We created chances and I think we proved we can go there and compete,” said Wighton, who joined the Tynecastle outfit at the end of August.

“We certainly did that, even when we went down to 10 men.

“It’s hard to win every game and it says a lot that we were so disappointed.

“We don’t want to be a team that goes to Ibrox and thinks ‘it’s Rangers, that was bound to happen’. It doesn’t matter who we play, we go out to win the game.

“I think people saw that at the weekend, despite the final outcome.

“It’s a tough one to take due to the manner it happened – they were poor goals to concede – but other than that, we still pressed them, created chances and there were a lot of positives to take from it.

“I think some people are forgetting we are still top of the league. We would have taken that at the start of the season.

“We can’t be too damning. The manager (Craig Levein) and Austin (MacPhee, assistant) said that to us after the game – it’s still been a great start.

“We can’t let our heads drop or feel sorry for ourselves. We just need to be ready for the next game.”

Wighton entered the fray as a second-half substitute at Ibrox as he aims to cement his place in the Hearts side following his switch from Dundee.

“I’ll go away and do even more fitness work by myself to make sure I am in the best possible shape,” the former Dens Park ace said.

“The other boys in the squad have absolutely earned their rest.”