Exclusive:Stephen Kingsley talks 'horrible Hearts' and the title mindset as he issues a cautious warning to team-mates

Emotions are running high around Gorgie as Hearts players push to realise a lifetime ambition. Winning the Scottish league title is something they dreamed of as children, hoping talent, dedication and a quirk of fate would conspire to help them achieve it. They would have expected such success to come at Celtic or Rangers. Instead, it could happen at Tynecastle Park.

There are three games remaining and Hearts sit three points clear at the William Hill Premiership summit. Experienced players are used to high-octane occasions, but recent games have reached an unprecedented note of fever-pitch. Defender Stephen Kingsley, a 31-year-old with international caps and English Premier League appearances, is revelling in the emotion of it all. Never more so than against Rangers on Monday.

Kingsley’s goal and then his assist for Lawrence Shankland underpinned a dramatic 2-1 Hearts victory. It was the fourth game in succession where they had to come from behind having seen the opposition score first. The resilience, the guts and refusal to give in is admirable, although Kingsley knows they cannot continue giving teams a goal of a start if they are to win their first title in 66 years.

“It was a bit raw and emotions were high but we are just full of pride at how we have dealt with the situation,” said Kingsley, speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News. “Things weren’t right in the first half against Rangers and we had a lot to fix. We made a few adjustments and came out flying in the second half. Spitz [Blair Spittal] coming on helped a lot and we looked like we had that bit of aggression we didn’t have in the first half.

“I think it was frustration more than anger at half-time. It was anger out on the pitch because we just felt we were five yards off it, giving them time and space to do what they wanted. Rangers completely controlled that first half. Whether it was personally, individually, or the boys just weren’t comfortable enough with the shape, I think it was a number of things. We just didn’t give the right account of ourselves and we had to take accountability for it at half-time.

“We lost the first goal again, which is really disappointing from our point of view. We can’t keep giving teams a leg up like that, but credit to the boys for doing it time and time again. The attitude and mentality to keep coming back is fantastic. It’s just a belief. We know we are going to do it. We know we are going to get back into the game. You just feed off the crowd and the energy. We get one goal and we just know we are going to go and get another one. It’s another game ticked off the list. We have three games to go and the next one is just as big at the weekend.”

Ironically, Kingsley’s mind contemplated the possibility that he could score against Rangers. Hearts have played a three-man defensive set-up recently and the full-back enjoyed more licence to attack as a wing-back. “I’d be lying if I wasn’t thinking about that a few days before the game,” he said. “I felt that, playing left wing-back instead of full-back, I was almost trying to create a situation where I’d get a chance to score. Kyzi [Alexandros Kyziridis] has done brilliant cutting in off the right and his shot is so close. There was a lot of luck that it came off the post and fell straight to me. I didn’t have a lot of time to think about my reaction.

“I tried to keep the ball down because it’s so easy to lean back, not catch it right and it flies over the bar. I just wanted to keep it down and hit the target. For the second goal, Spitz rolled me in and from that angle it was only going to be a cutback. I was trying to get my foot wrapped round it and hope somebody was there. I think there were two there.

“If Shanks didn’t get it, someone else was ready to shoot [Kyziridis]. And what a finish from Shanks, I’ve got to say. When he is in those positions, you just have that confidence that he will work the keeper. He has done it so many times in training and games. He is great in those big moments. He is our captain and our leader for a reason and he stepped up again.”

The scenes at full-time were of widespread delirium as the Hearts supporters celebrated a win which was more than just another three points against a Glasgow rival. It was a victory which could prove pivotal in the title race as Kingsley and his colleagues look to etch their names in Tynecastle folklore. The head to Motherwell on Saturday night before hosting Falkirk next Wednesday. The season ends with a trip to Celtic, who are currently three points behind Hearts in the league table. The drive to finish the job is now all-consuming.

“The emotion of Monday, where we came from to get back in the game, we’ve done it so often,” remarked Kingsley. “It was an emotional rollercoaster throughout the game. I think you saw that at the end with fans and players. There is belief there. We go into every game thinking we can beat anyone. Even when we are not at our best, we somehow find a way.

“That never-say-die attitude is a credit to the boys and that’s massive when you’re going for a title. We push each other on and I don’t think you can accomplish anything if you don’t have that, but we have it. Now it’s three massive games, three cup finals, and they are going to be tough. We know we have the confidence and belief to get the wins.”

Understandably, minds are now drifting towards lifting the Premiership trophy. Players are only human and, even with the utmost professionalism, they know they are edging towards the brink of Scottish football history. “We’ve had a chat about how we’ve gone about this season,” explained Kingsley. “You’d be lying to say you haven’t thought about it. What has served us so well is that mentality of: ‘Just win the next game. Be that horrible-to-play-against, hard-to-beat team that doesn’t know when they’re dead.’

“We will keep going. It’s hard to not think of what’s round the corner if we get another two or three wins, but you need to physically switch your mind off and think: ‘Motherwell on Saturday. That’s it.’ We can’t change that approach now. Don’t think too far in the future, don’t think about Falkirk, don’t think about Celtic, don’t worry about what anyone else is doing, just focus on our next one. If we get another three wins, it would just be incredible. One of the best things you could ever accomplish.”