Gary Mackay: Not helping Dundee will temper any Hearts setback on Friday

Hearts fans will be glad to see the back of the Championship when the season concludes away to Raith Rovers on Friday night.

Dundee manager James McPake (left) will be hoping for Hearts win on Friday night to aid his side's chances of finishing second. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

It’s been a slog of a season at times – some of it positive, some not so positive – but the main thing to take from it is that Hearts will be playing in the Premiership next season.

I have been speaking to two Raith supporters this week, and they are saying that what they've watched this season in relation to what they expected, it's been great for them.

They've played with an openness and freedom this season and credit to John McGlynn for that. It doesn't matter what your vocation is in life, it's about learning and continuing to progress and develop your own style, and that’s what John has done since he left Hearts.

They turned us over at Tynecastle, albeit we returned the favour at Stark's Park, but they also turned over local rivals Dunfermline in great fashion.

They're up there in second place on merit and Friday will be another judgement night for Hearts in the sense of seeing how we approach the game against a team that has punched well above their weight this season.

It's weird the way football works that after all the shenanigans last summer, Dundee are now looking to Hearts for a favour on Friday to finish second in the table. From a Hearts perspective I don't think it's a case of thinking about what's needed elsewhere.

Hearts are going to try and finish the season with a victory. If we don't, maybe the disappointment will be tempered by the fact that we wouldn't have helped Dundee's situation. But all Hearts will be focused on is finishing their season on a high and going into the summer on a positive note.

Hearts have shown in the last two home games that they’re more than capable of playing on the front foot and it's up to them to continue that. They have taken hits at various points and that will have impacted their confidence at times, and that's why, come the first game of next season, we need to be well prepared to come and have a go at other teams.

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