How Hearts plan to keep pace with Celtic and Rangers

Midweek results saw Celtic move into second place behind Rangers but Hearts boss Robbie Neilson says the remaining clubs should not simply settle into a battle for third place.

Robbie Neilson does not want Hearts to settle for the battle to finish third. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Only three points separate fourth place from first in the Premiership and with just over two thirds of the campaign remaining, the Gorgie gaffer believes his men can maintain their challenge at the top, provided they focus on stretching their 11-game unbeaten start to the league season and work on transforming even more of the draws into victories.

“It is about trying to win every game, if you win your games you will still be around them,” said the man whose team sits third, one point behind second-placed Celtic and three behind leaders Rangers. Their superior goal difference gives them their slight advantage over fourth-placed Dundee United.

“Rangers and Celtic have dropped points this season, will they continue to do that? I don’t know. Generally they put their foot down and start to get away but it’s up to us to try and stay with them and it’s an opportunity to do it on Saturday.

“Depending on how the results go, we can get ourselves back in the mix again.”

Having spent much of the opening cycle of matches vying for the top spot, a couple of draws over the past week, in games they might have been expected to win, have led to Hearts losing a little ground on the Old Firm but the capital outfit, who face a revitalised Aberdeen at Pittodrie this afternoon, will not be backing off.

“When they came to Tynecastle a couple of months back, that was a game we drew that we felt we could have won,” said defender Craig Halkett, of another of their six league stalemates.

“I think it speaks volumes for us as a club that we are disappointed going through 11 games undefeated but still feeling we maybe don’t have as many points as we should.

“If we were to sit down and look at all the games along the way, there are still a few where we have dropped points that we could have had.

“We are looking forward to now working at turning those draws into wins and hopefully we can go and have an even better points tally in the next third.”

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today