From protest banners to securing Europe - Hearts transformation is credit to Steven Naismith and players

Jambos season summed up in victory over Livingston

'Ran by clowns. We deserve better'. The words of a protest banner displayed by Hearts supporters back in September seemed like a lifetime ago as European football was secured with a 4-2 win over Livingston at Tynecastle on Saturday.

Rewind six months and Steven Naismith was a man under pressure. A run of five defeats in six ensured a Viaplay Cup quarter-final at Kilmarnock had become a must-win for a head coach only a few months into his first job. Victory was secured that night and both Naismith and Hearts have not looked back. The banners were folded up and put away as any concerns fans had with their team’s start to the campaign were soothed over a 12-game unbeaten run.

Hearts are now 11 points clear in the third place and with just five, yet to be confirmed, post-split fixtures to come, fourth place, at worst, is already guaranteed, confirming a return to Europe for a third successive season. Naismith and his players deserve enormous credit for the spectacular transformation that could yet end with silverware with a Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers coming up next weekend. If Hearts go on to seal third place and lift the cup then it will go down as a season for the ages.

Hearts' Lawrence Shankland celebrates after Yutaro Oda scored to make it 2-2 against Livingston. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

The campaign was effectively summed up during a remarkable opening 45 minutes at Tynecastle on Saturday as Hearts fell two goals behind to the side at the bottom the table before recovering brilliantly to lead 4-2 at the break.

Hearts were punished for a slow start with Stephen Kelly’s brace putting Livingston 2-0 ahead as boos rang out. The hosts fought back though and scored four times through Jorge Grant, Yutaro Oda, Cammy Devlin and a Lawrence Shankland penalty before the break to transform the atmosphere inside the stadium. There are plenty reasons to be cheerful down Gorgie way but Naismith insists there is still plenty of work left to do.

“It’s pleasing but our aim is confirmed European football from finishing third, and there are still some hurdles to get over," he said. “We are pleased because we won the game, got the points and it cuts out another game in our bid for third. We are in a good position for that and we have got to drive for that. The win also gives us a good couple of games going into the semi-final.”

Livingston manager Davie Martindale called for more common sense from match officials after Tete Yengi picked up a bizarre second yellow card in the second half. The Australian forward was cautioned again just moments after being substituted in the second half after kicking a water bottle in frustration within the confines of the away dugout. Yengi will now sit out the Lions’ first post-split match and his absence will be felt, with Martindale only able to name four substitutes on his bench at Tynecastle due to personnel issues.

“The kid comes off park frustrated, he’s kicked one of our bottles,” he said. "He’s kicked it into our dugout, I just think there has to be a bit of common sense applied. "I’m not saying what he’s done is right but I think you need to give him some leeway. If that bottle had gone into the fans, book him all day long, if it had gone into the Hearts technical area, book him."