'We need to do better' - Hearts boss Craig Levein bemoans slow performance

Craig Levein cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines.

Boos greeted the full-time whistle as the home side let their lead, given to them by Clevid Dikamona, slip with Sean Clare heading past his own goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal.

Levein explained the poor performance, noting the team's lack of tempo to their play.

He said: "We didn't start the game particularly well today and brought pressure on ourselves. We didn't pass the ball quickly or accurately enough and St Mirren came to do what they came to do.

"They did it to Aberdeen last week and they done the same thing to us today, all credit to them. But when a team does defend a little bit deeper and you have a lot of ball in front of them then it needs to move quickly and it didn't move quickly enough today. And, also, it wasn't accurate enough.

"We didn't cross the ball enough. All the space was in the wide areas and just didn't make the right decisions. When you stop crossing it the boys who make the runs in the box to score think 'well, I've made four runs and no cross came in I'll maybe do something different'.

"Alongside that, we had players who didn't play well, the recipe isn't a good one."

He added: "I'm frustrated we are doing things that we don't normally do and decision making at times when you are feeling a little bit under pressure becomes cloudy and you try and do more to make things better and really it just makes it worse."

Despite the presence of the returning Peter Haring, as well as Uche Ikpeazu, Hearts are still looking to rediscover their early season form but Levein noted it is easier said than done.

"It's almost like well that's them back we should be winning without actually doing anything," he said.

"That's not what happens. Everyone needs to pull their weight and all the injured players coming back then actually they can be the main players for us. But it requires everybody to do what they need to do. Everybody has got a role and it needs everybody to do that.

"If you come into a came thinking we have got Peter back or Uche back we should win then that's not simple as that."