Kingston: Hearts' winless pattern must end in Paisley

HEARTS head for Paisley tomorrow knowing victory is essential if they are stave off the threat of their once-promising season unravelling beyond repair.

A remarkably uplifting start to the Csaba Laszlo era had the bulk of the maroon army convinced the dark days of the past two years had been banished, but matters are now beginning to look eerily familiar for a group of supporters who are fast nearing immunity to kicks in the teeth. With a run of five games without a win having brought Laszlo's honeymoon period shuddering to a halt, a concoction of apathy, bitterness and despair is once again manifesting itself among the beleaguered Hearts faithful.

While things are looking bleak at present, the Tynecastle side can at least take comfort from the fact it's not too late to rectify the situation. Although they languish in eighth place in the SPL, the fact no side outwith the Old Firm has managed to maintain a consistent run of form means Hearts are only two points adrift of Dundee United, Motherwell and Kilmarnock, who are currently in a share of third place.

A slump-arresting win over St Mirren at Love Street, therefore, would suddenly propel Laszlo and his men into a far more promising position

Larry Kingston, who is poised to return to the midfield tomorrow after missing Hearts' last two games with a pain in his right leg, is all too aware that the trip along the M8 to face Gus MacPherson's resolute outfit heralds the beginning of a pivotal period in the Gorgie side's season.

"It's a very big concern for everyone at the club that we've not won for a while," he conceded.

"We started the season well and we wanted to win every game or at least maintain the consistency, but that's not happening at the moment. It's a very difficult part of the season for all the players and the management. At the moment, everyone is a little bit down but hopefully we can sort things out and start winning games. Three points is very important tomorrow because the position we are in is no good at all. It's important to start winning."

With Tynecastle turmoil never more than a few bad results away, Laszlo is under pressure to stop the rot. The fact Hearts' next three games are against teams they have already beaten this term – Saints, Hamilton and Inverness – undoubtedly provides some comfort to the Hungarian, while the next game in the sequence, at home to Falkirk, will also be viewed by everyone at Tynecastle as eminently winnable. Whether or not they are to garner the lion's share of points from those fixtures is likely to depend on how they fare on their last-ever visit to Love Street. A win tomorrow would restore the feelgood factor ahead of the Accies game at Tynecastle on Wednesday night, therefore ensuring Hearts can approach the match in optimistic mood. But if the winless run were to continue beyond tomorrow, the visit of Billy Reid's men would become a whole lot more hazardous, as the players will be short of confidence, while fans will be long on restlessness. Intolerance from the stands is the last thing Kingston and Co want after the venom regularly aimed in their direction during the gloomiest days of last season.

"We need consistency because we want the fans to be happy all the time," said the Ghanaian, who celebrates his 28th birthday today. "We don't want them coming to the stadium feeling down and having doubts about us like they did last season. We have to win a couple of games consistently and after that the fans will have confidence in us."

Five years ago to the day, over 3000 Hearts fans were funnelling back into the country after watching their heroes produce one of the best results in the club's history when a Mark de Vries goal secured a memorable UEFA Cup win in Bordeaux. If the current batch of players harbour hopes of emulating Craig Levein's dogged outfit by shining in continental competition next season, then the next four games are likely to be crucial. With the SPL so tightly congested that six of the European contenders are separated by a mere two points, Hearts must look to capitalise on the favourable run of fixtures they have been handed over the next fortnight or so.

Kingston is adamant he and his team-mates still have enough quality to overcome their recent struggles and take command of what is shaping up to be a wide-open race for third place.

"The league is very tight," he acknowledged. "No game is easy in the SPL. But we are confident we have the materials to put a run together and pull away from the pack. Again, though, it's all about getting some consistency."

Hearts will be hoping the fact the trip west falls on Remembrance Weekend – a time which stirs passion in everyone connected with the club – helps rouse them tomorrow, as it did a year ago. Last season, on the back of a four-game run without a victory, the Gorgie side managed to muster one of their best performances of the season when they vanquished Aberdeen 4-1 on a poignant Remembrance Sunday at Tynecastle. Also in the Edinburgh outfit's favour is the fact they haven't lost at Love Street on their last seven visits to the ground, a run which stretches way back to 1991. Kingston is positive the Jambos can ensure that record remains intact by seeing off a side who sit two points and one place beneath them in the table.

"Everyone is confident we can beat St Mirren," he said. "We have been working hard this week and everyone is pulling together. The last time we played St Mirren at Tynecastle we played very well even though we only beat them 2-1. If we continue like that against them, we should be okay." The obvious drawback to Hearts' chances of winning games this term has been their lack of goals. Their home total of eight goals in six games is respectable enough, but the fact they have hit the net a paltry four times in five away games indicates why they have taken only four points from a possible 15 on their travels. While Kingston is perturbed by his side's profligacy in front of goal, he does not believe Laszlo's insistence on deploying a lone forward is the reason for the team's striking woes. "Football is about scoring goals, so, of course, everyone is worried that we're not scoring enough," he said. "But we are all trying to chip in with more goals. I'm not the manager so I don't decide the formation. I am happy to play in whatever formation the manager decides. It is good to play 4-5-1 because nowadays football is played mostly in the midfield. It is a good idea for the manager to put more bodies in the middle."

One way or another, Kingston and his colleagues could do with finding their collective shooting boots as they bid to resuscitate their ailing campaign tomorrow.