Steven Naismith explains what Hearts must do better after drawing with Hibs at Tynecastle

Areas of the performance pleased the head coach but there is much room for improvement

Steven Naismith identified different areas where Hearts must improve following the 1-1 draw with Hibs in the Edinburgh derby. Following Saturday's 5-0 destruction at Ibrox, a draw at Tynecastle Park is no disaster for Hearts but their head coach remains focused on addressing what can be done better.

He lamented the lack of quality on show and wanted better passing from his side in opposition territory. Lawrence Shankland converted a disputed penalty to equalise Emiliano Marcondes' opening goal for Hibs on a tense night in Gorgie. Naismith was content at Hearts' response after losing heavily to Rangers, although he was nonethless frustrated that they did not exert more control over their city rivals.

"The performance was slightly better than the last one, but probably lacked a bit of quality for both teams," he said. "It was end-to-end at times, both teams had chances and, ultimately, that bit of quality was the thing that was missing in the game.

"Going behind, we showed good resilience to get back into it then dominate a bit of the game. When we had control of the ball and made the right decisions, we were a threat and created chances. It was just that final moment. Whether that was taking a touch to shoot, square it, or just enjoy having the ball in the attacking half to create the opportunity.

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"When we made the wrong choice, the game ended up going inevitably end-to-end, giving them a chance. They have a lot of pace, are physical in terms of having power and they were a real threat from set-plays, which I thought we dealt with really well on the back of what was a really poor defensive performance at the weekend."

Hearts' attempts to pass through Hibs caused problems but did not happen often enough for Naismith's liking. "We spoke about it before because in the last derby it was probably poor, so it was about trying to do that - but it’s a derby," he explained. "The heat of the battle, we have young players who are experiencing this for the first time and the demand.

"There are positives to take out of it: The opportunities and moments we had. We were three v two in attack and ended up not getting the shot. When we have shots, we are snatching at it and it goes over the top. We just need to be better.

"On the back of the performance at the weekend, it was really important that we showed that we were going to be defensively sound and that we were up for the next game - and want to get as many points as we can. So we get that. Ultimately, the game lacked that bit of quality. I think both teams could sit and say we could have won that, but a draw is probably a fair result."

Midfielder Cammy Devlin returned to the Hearts team against Hibs for his first start since 1 November. Naismith was pleased with the Australian's contribution. "I thought he was good. Cammy’s got an infectious energy. He’s been desperate to get back on the pitch and I thought in the derby we’d need that energy. It was good for him to get back on the pitch and get the minutes. He’ll be an important player for us going forward."