Clare can flourish now that Hearts are unbroken
SEAN CLARE believes Hearts becoming healthier has helped him start to show why Craig Levein broke the Tynecastle budget to sign him.
Clare struck a classy first league goal for the club in his 15th Ladbrokes Premiership outing on Friday night against Kilmarnock.
He admits his own fitness struggles and coming into a team ravaged by injuries to star men Christophe Berra, John Souttar, Steven Naismith and Uche Ikpeazu contributed to his poor start.
The 22-year-old captured on a cross-border compensation package from Sheffield Wednesday is leaving those early impressions behind now.
‘I still think there is more to come from me,’ said Clare. ‘It’s been a hard graft because I came into the team not fully fit because of a foot injury.
‘Then I kept getting wee niggles here and there, I still do. But I feel stronger, fitter now.
‘It wasn’t quite clicking at the start but we’ve some big players back now and are playing with a lot of confidence.
‘Everyone is playing better, not just me. So now my creative side is coming out and I’m helping the team.
‘It would have been easier coming into the team when they were winning games like at the start of the season.’
Five victories in six from Hearts, including the 2-1 success at Rugby Park, has launched Levein’s team to within three points of Kilmarnock and landed them a home Scottish Cup draw against Auchinleck Talbot next Sunday.
‘We are hitting form at the right time and it’s the form we need if we want to challenge at the top,’ said Clare. ‘We are in touch with teams at the top.
‘We have dropped points when maybe we shouldn’t have, so we know we could be higher up in the league.
‘That’s in the past and we have to concentrate on the next game against Livingston. It’s nice to be in the mix.
‘That dip in form, with the injuries and a lack of confidence, was tough. But we knew we would get out of that.
‘We have had to grind out some results but are playing with confidence again.’