Hearts defender John Souttar: We can’t afford many more slip-ups

John Souttar, right, enjoys a laugh in training with Steven MacLean and Uche Ikpeazu

After leading the Scottish Premiership until the onset of November, the Tynecastle side now find themselves three points outside the top four with just 12 games to play. Unless they can outperform Aberdeen or Kilmarnock – the two teams who can be considered within striking distance at present – then they will have to settle for a third consecutive mid-table finish. Having seen a promising run of four wins from five post-Christmas league fixtures give way to a more recent return of just one point from two matches, Souttar is well aware of the need to start accumulating a regular flow of points in the coming weeks. The visit of bottom-of-the-table St Mirren tomorrow represents a clear opportunity for Hearts to start the process of reasserting themselves in the top four.

“It’s going to be tight for the European places but it’s important we get some consistency now,” Souttar said. “There aren’t that many games left. All season we’ve been aiming for Europe but it looks like it could go down to the wire so we need to go on a run starting this weekend. We’ve got a great home record but the games against Livingston and Dundee haven’t been great so it’s important we do everything to get a win at the weekend.”

Prior to Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Motherwell, sustained after a stoppage-time error by goalkeeper Colin Doyle, Hearts were on a run of six victories from eight matches in all competitions. While disappointed to slip up, Souttar remains optimistic that his side are gradually getting back on an upward curve after losing their way amid a testing end to 2018.

“It’s important to bounce back after Sunday,” he said. “Losing at Motherwell wasn’t ideal but we’re not a million miles away from where we want to be so we can’t dwell on it. We were feeling good and I felt like we were getting back on track before that game.

“We didn’t move the ball quick enough on Sunday but we still had chances to win or at least draw the game. We need to move on.”

What would have been a well-deserved away point for Hearts against one of the country’s form teams turned into a defeat when Doyle fumbled David Turnbull’s tame free-kick into the net. The Irish internationalist has started each of the team’s past ten matches since dislodging Zdenek Zlamal in December, and Souttar has no doubts about his team-mate’s ability to banish the costly error from his mind and re-establish his authority between the sticks.

“The mistake has been well documented but he’ll bounce back,” said the centre-back. “With goalies, one mistake can cost you the game, so it’ll test him mentally but he’s a big strong boy and I’ve no doubt he’ll be fine. He’s done well for us. Everyone makes mistakes, it’s just about how you react to it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Souttar has started each of Hearts’ last five matches since recovering from the hip injury that kept him on the sidelines for three months. Craig Levein said last month that the defender was in sublime condition after fighting back strongly from his latest lay-off. Souttar explained that he feels in great shape and has suffered no adverse effects since getting himself back on the pitch.

“I’m feeling really good, just like I was before I got injured,” he said. “I’ve had no bother at all with it, no reaction whatsoever. Everything’s been perfect.”

This is the second time in two years that Souttar has come back strongly from serious injury. The 22-year-old was out for almost six months at the start of 2017 with a ruptured Achilles and returned as if he had never been away, taking his game to a new level and earning international recognition. “That’s two big injuries and the recovery has been pretty smooth with both of them, thankfully,” he said. “This one was nowhere near as bad as my Achilles so it was a pretty straightforward recovery. So far I’ve been feeling brilliant. I’ve just got to keep my fitness up now and keep myself feeling good.”

Souttar picked up his hip injury while playing for Scotland against Israel in October. He is well aware of the importance of maintaining his form in the coming weeks as he eyes a return to the international fold for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Kazakhstan and San Marino next month.

“It will be brilliant if I’m in the Scotland squad but you’ve got to make sure you’re playing well for your club before you think about that. It’s important that I just keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully that will lead to a call-up.”