Players know a reaction is needed in the east end of Glasgow.
Following some harsh words from coaching staff and supporters in the wake of last weekend’s defeat at Aberdeen, Hearts players are required to show a reaction against Celtic in Glasgow. It is a daunting prospect against opponents who have not lost at Parkhead against domestic opponents in almost three years since St Mirren’s 2-1 win there in January 2021.
Frankie Kent, the Hearts defender, admitted a degree of hurt after the 2-1 loss at Pittodrie. Head coach Steven Naismith admitted his team had been bullied, and an inquest at Riccarton on Monday included further frank assessment of what went wrong after Lawrence Shankland’s header gave the Tynecastle side the lead.
Kent acknowledged that the first-team squad have had to take flak on the chin this week. “Yes, there were harsh words on Monday and straight after the game as well. We knew it wasn’t good enough, especially in the second half,” he stated.
“So there are things we’ve touched on throughout the week, things we need to get better at. Hopefully we start tomorrow. It [being told you were bullied] is not nice. Obviously it hurts anyone’s ego being told that by your manager, but it’s one of those things. You have to bounce back from it, react to it, and prove that’s not the case.”
Some would argue that the criticism was fair and justified. “Probably. That second half, yeah, it was difficult to take. We knew we didn’t play well in the second half,” conceded Kent. “There were things that we needed to sort out on the pitch and blah, blah, blah, but it just wasn’t happening. I’m not saying it was good enough, but it’s behind us now. We can’t rest on it, we need to react and there’s no harder game than Saturday, away at theirs.”
Dropping points from winning positions has been a recurring theme for Hearts this term. Games against Hibs and Rangers followed similar patterns. Kent was asked if that had been discussed among players. “Not really. I don’t think we’ve sat down and asked why we’ve lost goals or points once we’ve gone ahead,” he explained.
“It’s just performance in terms of individuals and as a team and managing the game. It’s been the small details we need to get better at. Last week it was second balls and the fight, which isn’t nice, obviously. No-one wants to lose a game in that way. In previous games it’s been little details that have let us down, but that’s all behind us now. We just need to produce a positive reaction.”
The Englishman is looking forward to his first experience of Celtic Park since joining Hearts from Peterborough United in the summer. “It will be my first time and these are 100 per cent the occasions that brought me to Hearts,” he remarked.
“I said when I first signed that these are the game you want to be involved in, and enjoy the experience. That’s only going to come by playing well and having a good team performance. I think everyone knows how Celtic play. We played them once before and we weren’t good enough at home [losing 4-1]. It didn’t go as well as what we wanted it to, we didn’t really show up. We want to put in a better performance.”
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