How Hearts have marched to third place by eradicating major weakness

The Jambos have cured their travel sickness – and it has them in pole position

Hearts boss Steven Naimsith has said he will attempt to take some time to switch off during the winter break but, perpetual motion as a player, his mind seems no less inclined to chill out now that he is forging ahead as a manager.

As far as the Hearts boss is concerned, there is always something to improve on, elements to fine tune and standards to be set. Coming into the job at the start of the season (albeit initially as technical director to satisfy European rules), Naismith was the man behind the curtain, setting the season’s ambitions. Laying out more than a gameplan, he gave the players’ targets, that included reaching for national finals and silverware, booking a European return, and he broke it all down to include things like away form, which has been a hindrance rather than a help to the Gorgie side over too long a period.

It is in such details that progress lies. Following Tuesday’s victory over Livingston – the club’s seventh league win in 11 away games – Peter Haring said: “That was one of the things Naisy told us before the start of the season, that over the years [the away form] hasn't been good enough. It was one thing he said we needed to improve and get better. So far it is working."

Hearts' Lawrence Shankland celebrates with Frankie Kent after making it 1-0 against Hibs at Easter Road. Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group

Just over halfway through the season and the away points haul of 21 is already better than all but three of the club’s past ten top-tier end of season tallies for games on the road. Four more points from their remaining league travels and that number would drop to one. If they can accumulate even a couple more wins, they wouldn’t just be registering their best showing away from Tynecastle since 2015/16 when they finished third thanks in part to amassing 27 points away from home, they would be harking back to 2010/11 and 1997/98 when Jim Jefferies was the last manger to notch nine away games in a season.

But the current Hearts boss has long since recognised the value in strong away performances, not just because of the points they contribute but the way they can help build momentum and a degree of consistency. That in turn helps galvanise players and creates an aura of invincibility – one the team can draw on to hone a winning mentality and one that can intimidate opponents.

“We want to be a bit more solid away from home than we were last season and obviously pick up more points. Looking at our results in the previous few seasons, we definitely need to improve,” said Naismith, not at the start of this campaign but back in 2015 when he was playing for Everton. Back then he recognised the weakness and knew that any team looking for success needed to address it.

As the interim boss for the final few games of last season, there were obvious areas that needed strengthening, which was why the club brought in Frankie Kent to complement the assets already in the building. Looking to regain third spot from Aberdeen, and the straightforward route to greater European kudos and money, they needed to limit the number of cheap goals conceded and with ten Premiership clean sheets so far (there was another in the League Cup), five of them at home and five away, the club have built a solid foundation. And that, given the way teams tend to have a go when they are on their own turf, combined with the creativity upfield and Lawrence Shankland’s potency has helped them to soak up pressure and then exploit gaps when out and about.

Hearts manager Steven Naismith has overseen a win over Hibs at Easter Road.

A tough start to the season, when European games and international breaks disrupted the rhythm of things, and injuries denied Naismith first choice starters, the defence seems to have found its footing. Aided by the return of Beni Baningime in the middle of the park, there is a balance that has given them greater consistency in performance, while a timely boot up the backside from the gaffer, after he accused them of being bullied by Aberdeen at the beginning of December, seemed to have the desired effect.

Since then they have consolidated their position in third, and racking up away wins at Celtic Park, Easter Road, and on Livingston’s awkward artificial surface have been pivotal. Which is why when Naismith was asked to reflect on the season so far he was upbeat.

“I think it’s been good. I think it’s been really good,” he said. “We have dealt with the media speculation and the so-called pressure that comes with the job hasn’t been felt by me. Some of the games and the performances have been poor, but small margins have been the difference. We have probably been the unluckiest team with VAR – a lot of our other performances could have been a lot more comfortable if VAR was making the right decisions.

“But, we are sitting in third place with a bit of a gap, which is all you can ask for at this point of the season. I think the Livingston win and the Ross County result, even though it was only a draw, could play a big part later on in the season. So overall it’s been a really good first half of the season.

“Yeah, I’ll take time [over the winter break]. It’s full on. But I think you’re always thinking, ‘right, when we get back we need a plan here, how are we improving again, how are we developing?’. It’s a constant thing and it is never too far from my mind, but I will try and take some time to switch off.”

The fact that his team have not done that so often this term has left them in such a pleasing position at this stage of the season.