Clevid Dikamona targets sustained run in Hearts team after first start in five months

Following the recent injury sustained by Craig Halkett, the Congolese centre-back was restored to the team for Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Kilmarnock. It marked his first start since a 2-1 loss away to Aberdeen in May and only his third appearance this season.

Dikamona was widely deemed to have been one of Hearts better players against Killie, but the 29-year-old defender, who missed a great chance to equalise, wasn’t particularly pleased with his performance. He is adamant he will improve if he is given the chance to remain in the team after the international break.

“It was a little bit difficult on Saturday because I am not match fit but I will do everything I can to be as a fit as possible and show the best of me, hopefully in the next game,” he told the Evening News. “Honestly I wasn’t happy with my performance because this is just my job. I am a defender so, first of all, when I come into the team I don’t want to concede a goal. We conceded against Kilmarnock and lost the game and I also missed an opportunity that I don’t know how it was possible to miss so I can’t be happy with my performance.

“Yes, I haven’t played for a long time but it is my job to be fit and ready to play when I am needed. I got cramp towards the end but I will work hard over the next two weeks to make sure I am fitter for the Rangers game. I feel OK, I don’t have any injuries. I worked on this because last season I had some injuries. I feel stronger now but I need game time and to get game time I need to give my best in training.”

Dikamona admits Hearts are in a rut at present but is confident things will turn for the better. “Every game is tough for us at the moment,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what team we are playing, we are not getting a lot of points at Tynecastle. We have played against Ross County, Hamilton, Motherwell and Kilmarnock and every game is hard for us. We need to give everything to try and get some points.

“It’s a tough moment but we all have to stick together and keep working hard because we have a lot of quality in this team. I know it’s easy to say that, but we just have to work hard. The problem when you are in a tough moment is that you need to have consistency in your game but when you win one game, then lose the next one it is difficult to find momentum in the league. You need to win one, two, three games in a row to go up the table. In this situation, we don’t have that momentum so it’s very difficult. But, trust me, we work hard in the training and we are still altogether. I know we can do it.”