Hearts move another step closer to securing third after goalless draw
HEARTS moved one step closer to group-stage European football next season with a goalless draw at Kilmarnock - but Steven Naismith and his players were unable to get third sewn up in Ayrshire.
Here are three things we learned.
Killie delay the inevitable
A win for Hearts would have sealed third place and confirmed groupstage European football next season, BUT Kilmarnock made the visitors wait. Not that the travelling fans let that deter them. It didn’t take the sizable away contingent long to get the party started.
They spent the first five minutes of the game loudly singing about watching Gorgie on a Thursday night alongside the customary dig at Hibs. Last season’s campaign in the Europa Conference League group stage gave supporters a taste of what regular trips to the continent is like, and they are now understandably salivating at the minimum of eight European games that await next term.
Hearts remain 11 points clear with four to go and it is a case of when, not if, third will be sealed. “We’ve had a good season and today shows the drive and determination we’ve got,” Naismith said.
“It needs to be an exceptional run for Kilmarnock to beat us to third, we could just turn up but we’re not – we’re driven and it’s good signs.
“You want to get to the point where you enjoy this month, very rarely does it happen. Football is so intense and so demanding that you don’t enjoy those moments at the time.
“We’re in a really good place, it has been a good season and we can enjoy this month quite well, then look forward to the challenges of next season.”
Devlin gets forward
It tends to be the tenacious midfielder’s off-the-ball work that helps the Aussie stand out on the pitch, and he does most of his best work in the middle of the park as a ball-winner. Cammy Devlin lined up in his usual position on the right of the midfield three, but it was notable that he was bursting a gut to get forward and support the attack. Three times in the opening 15 minutes he lost his marker and darted upfield to become Hearts’ most advanced player, and on two of those occasions he managed to tee up Lawrence Shankland. At times he was almost playing like a striker in the build-up, acting as the team’s focal point at the tip of the spear, and his runs in behind the Killie backline caused all sorts of problems throughout the afternoon but especially early on. We saw another side of Devlin against Killie and it was an impressive sight indeed.
“I thought our performance today was brilliant, the only thing that was missing was probably a few goals – we did everything but score,” Naismith added. “I say that taking into consideration where we are and who we are playing. It’s one of the toughest places you’ll come to in the season.
“Maybe if it’s September and you
haven’t won the game then you are frustrated more than we are at the moment. We’ve ticked a game off and have had a really good performance.”
Kilmarnock cling on
By the time the half-time whistle rang out at Rugby Park, the away fans must have been wondering how the game was only level. Zander Clark, back in the starting line-up at the expense of Craig Gordon, barely had a save to make but at the other end, Hearts had more than enough chances to take the lead. Twice they hit the woodwork the first saw Kenneth Vargas hit the bar from 15 yards out in a 1v1 with Will Dennis, and the second was a curled Devlin effort from the edge of the box that rebounded off the frame of the goal and although they were fashioning opportunities fairly regularly, that all-important final touch was missing. Jorge Grant and Frankie Kent both went close too but try as they might, Hearts just couldn’t find the breakthrough.
“I think the subs helped us, they give us a wee bit of life and a bit more freshness,” McInnes said.
“I thought Hearts were good first half, they changed their shape which threw us a wee bit. We’d worked and spoken about playing against a back four but they went with a back five.
“Their system was causing us problems and our system had to change. It was part of the reason we made a change at half-time.
“I thought about it before halftime which is something a manager never likes to do. We had to stem the flow a wee bit.
“We weren’t at our best but we keep unbeaten, it’s only Rangers that have beaten us in the league since we came back from the winter break.”