Neil Critchley delivers lofty Hearts praise to Tynecastle 'menace' and ace primed to get even better after win

Neil Critchley has weighty Hearts praise for two of his top stars after a key Premiership win against Ross County at Tynecastle.

The Jambos turned in a controlled performance to ease past the Staggies. Goals from Elton Kabangu and Jorge Grant either side of half-time secured a 2-0 win against Don Cowie’s side on a fruitful day in their pursuit of the top six.

Not only do they sit in that sixth position heading into the international break, Motherwell and St Mirren directly below them drew at Fir Park. It means Hearts are now a point ahead of the former and four in front of the latter plus opposition they defeated in Gorgie.

Duo praise

Speaking post-match, Critchley was quick to praise goalscorer Kabangu, who netted for the eighth time in just 11 Hearts outings, notching two assists in that time also. He said: “Elton is such a threat all the time. He keeps getting into goal scoring situations and positions. And he's been frustrated because he's missed a few recently. But his mentality is top. It doesn't let him affect him.

“He had a couple of chances in the second half. He's always on the move. And inside the penalty box, he's hard to keep quiet. You know, defenders, he's a menace. He's hard to hold. It was a really good team goal. We were asking him just to play slightly wider and hang outside the outside centre-back. And he did that.

“He dived behind him. And Beni Baningime slid a brilliant weighted pass through for him for the first goal. I'm delighted for Elton because I know recently, when he's missed a few chances, that plays on his mind. But it shouldn't do because since he's been here, he's been outstanding.”

Another player in for personal praise was defender Michael Steinwender, who put in another solid shift in defence. Critchley added: “I think he goes from strength to strength. I think he'll get better. He's only 24. He's got his best years in front of him. And when he adapts to the nature of this league, the intensity of it, because it's different from the league that he's come to, he'll improve.

“Again, excellent mentality. Even if there's a mistake, it doesn't affect him. He's always there. He's so focused. He's a really good guy to have around the place in the dressing room.”

Pivotal points

The run-in till the split now looks like Celtic away from home, Dundee United at Tynecastle and a possible crucial away trip to Motherwell. Critchley added on the win and where the Jambos sit in the league: “In the end, you'd class it as a routine home win, but we've had to fight and work really hard for it, as Ross County make you do that. It's not easy when a team basically puts 11 players behind the ball on the halfway line. It's very difficult to play against. You have to be patient and you have to work for your openings, and we did that with a fantastic first goal.

“Really good team goal. It's important to get the first goal. And then they had to go for the game, more attacking subs on, and open the game up, which you'd expect them to do. I thought the subs came on and made a real difference for us as well. So that just shows it's all about the squad. It's a squad game and I thought it was a fantastic second goal. In the end, we've deserved to win the game.

“All results have gone in our favour, which is positive for us. Sunshine was out, fantastic pitch. We scored two goals, kept a clean sheet, and the results have gone for us. We're in a good place. We get a little bit of time to rest. You know over a period of time that performances will lead to good results. So you want to be performance happy and result happy. You're always after those, searching for those two things. But of course, if you're not going to perform well and you can still win, then that's a sign of a good team as well.”