Robbie Neilson explains the festive plan hatched by Hearts to drive their promotion bid

Robbie Neilson revealed how Hearts’ festive plan can drive them to the Championship title after they moved five points clear at the top.
Robbie Neilson knows the next few games are vital to Hearts.Robbie Neilson knows the next few games are vital to Hearts.
Robbie Neilson knows the next few games are vital to Hearts.

The Tynecastle manager explained that he and his squad pinpointed the December-January period as crucial to their promotion hopes. With six points from two games against Ayr United and Arbroath, Hearts are building momentum.

Steven Naismith’s first-half hat-trick earned a 3-1 win against Arbroath in Gorgie to put the Edinburgh club five points clear of second-placed Dunfermline in the table.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Neilson is now preparing for a potentially-pivotal trip to Dundee on Saturday, plus other important fixtures thereafter.

“We said that this Christmas period into January was massive for us,” he stated. “We have three games in a week, we’ve got six out of six so far, now we play Dundee, then the Scottish Cup, Dunfermline, Alloa and Raith twice.

“It’s a really important five or six weeks for us. We’ve started it well and we want to finish it well.”

Naismith’s treble came inside a five-minute period against Arbroath, although the rest of the game wasn’t any great spectacle. The visitors were gifted a consolation early in the second half when Kris Doolan struck.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I don’t think there will be many DVDs made from the game,” admitted Neilson.

“We scored three in the first half and did enough to get the result. In the second half, we spoke about concentrating for the first 15 minutes. Then we go out and give away a very bad goal.

“That brought some nervousness and gave Arbroath a wee lifeline. We managed to see it out but we were just a bit slow in the second half.

“Naisy has still got that goalscoring ability. We want to keep him as fit as we can and find places on the pitch where he can be most influential.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We moved him about a bit. He played up front and in the middle for us tonight, so he’s a guy who can win games for us.

“It’s good for him to get a hat-trick. He’s been great for us since day once, not just on the pitch but about the place as well.

“He’s got real experience, speaks to everyone on the pitch and is somebody people look up to.”

Read More
Hearts set challenge for Craig Wighton to earn a new contract

A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.