The moment Hearts flipped: From negativity and being bullied to victory at Celtic Park

The Edinburgh club’s campaign took a huge boost from one result in particular

Nobody really expected anything when Hearts last visited Celtic Park in December. Players and coaches believed a result was possible, but externally there was slender hope for a team which collapsed meekly to lose 2-1 at Aberdeen the previous weekend.

It turned out to be a pivotal day in Hearts’ campaign. Lawrence Shankland and Stephen Kingsley scored in a 2-0 victory, the Tynecastle club’s first league success at Parkhead since 2007. They didn’t look back. It began a run of 15 wins in their next 22 games which took them to the Scottish Cup semi-finals and propelled them from sixth place to third in the Premiership.

Accused of being “bullied” by Aberdeen in the words of head coach Steven Naismith, the Hearts players responded with a result which altered the complexion of their season. They will guarantee finishing third and secure European league-stage football with another win away to Celtic on Saturday.

“It was definitely a big moment in the season for us,” commented Naismith on December’s affair. “All the way along to that point, I did believe, I thought a lot of our games we were unlucky, or it was a small moment that cost us. With that brings the pressure and pressure builds because you are not winning games. We were at Aberdeen and were 1-0 up and then we lose it from being bullied.

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“That brings its own negativity, but I always felt we were progressing in the right direction. Did I feel the Parkhead game and result was going to be the start of a really good run? I probably didn’t - but I did go in believing we could get a really good result.

“It would be nice to do it again. This is probably different to the other games we’ve had against them because of where we are at in the season. We know it will be a really tough game. Celtic have had a couple of results that haven’t gone their way and then it has turned into a title race [with Rangers]. That pressure will be there and we have got to try and use that.

“Like we have done in the other games against them, we have to be good in and out of possession because there will be times where we need to defend. We need to be comfortable when we defend and then we have got to still carry a theat. That’s what we’ve done in these games and we have scored goals, which have obviously got us the wins.”

Some Hearts teams throughout many previous years looked intimidated merely stepping out of the Celtic Park tunnel. This year, a different mindset has built. “I’ve not found that at all this season in any of our games. I feel we have had a belief going into them all,” said Naismith. “The players have felt that belief and then you see the performances. In some of our performances we have not played well but we have not shown any fear going into any game. We have gone in and tried.

“On days where it’s not going your way, the biggest thing is to keep trying to do what it takes to get a result of some sort. The more you play in these games, and the more you compete and get results, it gives you the feeling that you deserve to be there and that you can do it. We’ve done it twice against Celtic this season so we have got a lot of belief. Every game is an opportunity and I think what we’ve shown this season is that we can compete in these games and that has been the foundations of what we have done.”

After December’s 2-0 win in Glasgow and then March’s 2-0 victory at Tynecastle, Celtic have suffered back-to-back losses against Hearts. Naismith is convinced the opposition will be focused on other matters, however. “I don’t think they’ll see it that way [seeking revenge]. At this stage, with four games to go, they are in the best position to win the league. That’ll be their motivation. ‘We just need to keep winning.’ That’ll be the mindset from the start, but as the game develops, whatever way it goes is when that changes.

“It either goes to where they can be comfortable and try and control the game or, if we are controlling the game and ahead in it, they either need a reaction or the pressure builds. As they say, it is the business end of the season and one slip from either team is going to give the other one the opportunity to capitalise and win the league.”