Naismith calls on Hearts to lift trophy for Souttar

STEVEN NAISMITH has urged his Hearts team-mates to focus their minds on combining survival with Scottish Cup glory for crocked defender John Souttar.

Souttar was taken off after just 16 minutes in yesterday’s 1-0 quarter-final win over Rangers at Tynecastle, with manager Daniel Stendel revealing afterwards that he looks likely to be out for the rest of the season.

Naismith admits the 23-year-old centre-back’s latest fitness problem marred an otherwise glorious evening for the Edinburgh side and he wants the club to rally on his behalf and dodge relegation in addition to winning at Hampden.

‘I’m gutted for him,’ said the Tynecastle captain. ‘He is somebody who strives to get better and taps into every bit of knowledge from the older pros. For him to have the injuries he’s had is brutal for him.

‘He’s a guy who is just starting out internationally and wants to kick on and he’s getting hit with a sledgehammer like that.

‘With the injuries he’s had, it’s not as if they’re muscular and it can be put down to his professionalism. It’s really sad.

‘We need perform from now until the end of the season as well as we can for ourselves, get to a cup final and do it for John.

‘It’s now or never. We need to start picking up results in the league as well.’

Hearts earned the win through a 58th-minute strike from Oliver Bozanic and Naismith believes it was thoroughly deserved.

‘The right team won because we played better,’ he said. ‘We had better chances than them and put them under more pressure, but that isn’t down to Rangers being a bad team.

‘It is a combination of them missing their main strikers and having had a big European night that they have gone through in.

‘We spoke before the game about getting to the latter parts of cup competitions in the last couple of years and also that Rangers having a big win (against Braga) on Wednesday would inevitably play its part.

‘It was up to us whether we wanted to let them off with that or put them under pressure and test them. I’ve been there. I know how hard it can be after a big result in Europe to go into the next game with momentum.

‘I think we used it to our advantage. They had a few headers and corners but never many great chances.’

With the game at 0-0, Naismith felt Hearts should have been given a penalty just before half-time when Rangers defender George Edmundson handled.

‘It was a penalty,’ he said. ‘It is tough for the linesman and ref because we are so close but I saw his hand go to the ball.’

From the corner, Loic Damour palmed the ball into the away net, somehow escaping a second yellow, with confusion on the pitch seeing Hearts celebrate before it was ruled out by referee Steven McLean.

Asked if he felt a goal had been given, Naismith replied: ‘Kind of, when he pointed to the halfway line. But it was probably a close signal between a free-kick or a goal. At the end of day, it didn’t cost anybody anything.’

Manager Stendel was particularly happy with his side’s efforts at the back in holding out for victory.

‘We’ve worked hard on our defensive behaviour in the last couple of weeks, so I’m happy we kept a clean sheet against one of the best teams in the league,’ he said.

‘It was the team that earned it. That gives me hope that we can win this competition.’