Hearts boss Robbie Neilson thrilled to go top but still wants more. 'We are up there at the moment but can we do it consistently, that is the key'.

His side moved to the top of the league table with a 2-0 victory over Motherwell but Robbie Neilson took little time to enjoy it, instead the Hearts manager has already turned his attention to the trip to Ibrox in two weeks time.

"We are only eight games in. We've had a lot of challenges this season. The first one was could we improve the away record. Playing at Tynecastle, historically, we win the majority of our games. I think in the last 15-20 years, Hearts have won more than 50% of their away games once, so that's the first thing for us to try and rectify and the second one we spoke about at the start of the season is whether we can we go to Glasgow and win.”

The outcome of Sunday’s meeting between Steven Gerrard’s men and HIbs will determine whether Hearts travel there as table toppers once the international break is over. But, whether leading or chasing, Neilson sees it as a key fixture in determining his side’s true potential this term.

"We've got young players in the team, [Alex] Cochrane, [Beni] Baningime, [Cammy] Devlin, [Ben] Woodburn, young guys who are improving all the time, so it's another test for them to go there. It will be tough but we have a belief we can go there and perform.

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson (centre) and assistant Grant Forrest (left) celebrate their second goal with assistant Lee McCulloch during the victory over Motherwell. Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group

“We have good strength in depth and plenty of energy. We have 20 first team players that want to be here and who want to do well for the club and last season we didn’t have that.

“We are up there at the moment but can we do it consistently, that is the key. We’re sitting on a high but there is going to be a low.”Looking to prove that they have the mettle to travel to Glasgow and prove themselves, he is just hoping it does not come at Ibrox.

“That is the ultimate aim for every team because that tells you where you are. Can you go to Glasgow and win? It’s a different beast when you go through to Glasgow so we need to be ready for that.

“We have players who can handle the ball and players that can work defensively so we will go there and we will give it a shot.”

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.