‘I feel like I’ve been punched in the guts’ says unhappy Levein

that the disconsolate Hearts manager said: “I find it difficult to be positive about the future when I am sitting here feeling like I’ve been punched in the guts.

“We’ve been beaten but we did not deserve to lose the match. We did enough to get a draw. We were on top until the sending off.

“I don’t think there was a huge amount of contact in the box for their penalty but he gave the ref a decision to make. We take it on the chin.

“There was plenty going on today that’s for sure. We should be talking about the good things we did rather than rueing some of our decision making.

“Aaron is a young kid and he was very good in the game. He was booked in the first half and he should not have made that challenge.

“I’ve watched it and he deserved to be booked in the first half and he deserved to be sent off. He dived in but he will learn. He is a great kid. It’s tarnished his game a little but he will get better.”

That’s bound to be the case with Naismith as well as the forward showed ample signs during his run-out that he will be as influential as ever. Levein added: “He’s a good player. Bringing the likes of him on the pitch is something I wasn’t able to do last season because I didn’t have the strength in depth. Aberdeen were on the back foot when he and Conor Washington came on.”

In the meantime the Hearts manager is still confident of adding midfielder Glenn Whelan to his squad as talks will continue this week with the 35-year-old former Aston Villa player. Aberdeen boss Derek Mcinnes still doesn’t know if Scotland defender Scott Mckenna will be at the club by the time they board their flight to Croatia on Wednesday for their Europa League qualifier against Rijeka. Queens Park Rangers have ended their interest in the player and are set to sign exrangers stopper David Bates from Hamburg but Nottingham Forest are still interested and have increased their original £3 million bid.

That has also been rejected but Mcinnes is poised for more offers ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline in England as he said:“will Scott be on the plane? Who knows, but as it stands if there is no other action he will be.”