Steven Naismith issues Hearts warning and has say on cup ticket state of play as Lawrence Shankland returns

Lions may be bottom of league but Jambos taking nothing for granted

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - APRIL 12: Hearts Head Coach Steven Naismith during a Heart of Midlothian training session at Oriam, on April 12, 2024, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Hearts boss Steven Naismith insists lowly Livingston are far from a hopeless case ahead of their final pre-split clash at Tynecastle on Saturday.

While the Jambos are in a strong third spot in the cinch Premiership, 11 points ahead of Kilmarnock with six fixtures remaining, the Lions are bottom, nine points behind Ross County with their top-flight status hanging by a thread. However, Naismith will give David Martindale’s side every respect.

“The one thing from watching Livingston is yes, they are in a struggling position at the bottom of the table but I don’t think they have ever lost hope,” said Naismith, who confirmed captain and top scorer Lawrence Shankland has recovered from illness. “There has not been a feeling watching them that the expectation is that they are going down or they have lost fight.

“The Aberdeen game last week (0-0) is the same but in the games before that they have always shown they have been a threat and certain players in the team do carry a threat. At times, yes, we will have the ball and we will try to break them down but that has been more normal this season than in previous seasons. So we are comfortable in that setting but we have to be sharp on the ball, and see what opportunities there are for us and if we get that win it takes us that bit closer to being third and for the individual, playing for a place in the semi-final.”

On that cup note, Naismith reiterated chief executive Andrew McKinlay’s appeal to supporters to buy Scottish Cup tickets or risk not getting equal allocations again. The Gorgie club were handed what they said was an equal initial 21,000 allocation for their April 21 semi-final with Rangers at Hampden.

“Hopefully the fans enjoy what we have done this season and we manage to get them all sold,” said Naismith. “I think the progression through the club has been massive over the last five or six years. I think we are on the cusp of getting to the next level at different parts of the club, one of them being our travelling support, where we consistently sell out.

“Come the semi-finals you ask for a big chunk and you want to sell out. Not many clubs in Scotland would take 16,500/17,000 but can we get it over the line? As a squad you want to have a packed stadium and the club have had to push to get that (equal split) and the consequence is you could potentially lose it in the future. We have had great support all season, hopefully we can sell it out and everyone turns up on a successful day to get to a final.”

Meanwhile, Jason Holt understands Livingston’s perilous predicament but while there is still a survival possibility he will hold out hope. “We are hoping the point against Aberdeen can prove to be a big one,” said the former Hearts player. “We know there is a bit of distance between us and Ross County but it is still achievable with the games we have got so we keep working towards that and try to turn it around if we can.”