'Next man up' - Andy Halliday on the Hearts mentality driving injury-hit squad towards another third place finish

It says a lot about the standards Hearts have set themselves that when it comes to issuing an end of year report card, Andy Halliday’s summation is that they could have done better.

Andy Halliday during a Hearts training session at the Oriam. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Finishing third in the league last season and runners up in the Scottish Cup, the start to the current campaign has included European football and league and cup challenges. While their overseas involvement ended at the group stage and an early exit from the League Cup was disappointing, their first victory at McDiarmid Park in a dozen years has allowed them to see out 2022 in third spot, five points and five places above rivals Hibs.

But, as they prepare to kickstart what they hope will be a happy new year when they welcome their capital foes to Tynecastle tomorrow, Halliday says it is important that they do not rest on their laurels.

“I think it could have been better. I don't think there is any doubt about that but I do think we showed on numerous occasions, in Europe and domestically, that we can be a very good side.”

The lengthy list of injuries to key personnel, exemplified by the loss of stalwarts Craig Gordon, Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley last week, has been a factor but the experienced Halliday does not think it should be used as a crutch to excuse dropped points or soft goals. Not if they want to keep getting better.

“It is hard for any team when you don't have that consistency on your teamsheet,” explained the 31-year-old, who has reached new levels in terms of his form, consistency and impact this term. That has earned far more recognition from the fans, who also valued his willingness to fill in at different positions and play through niggling injury as options became more and more limited in the early part of the season.

“I'm not trying to give you a hard luck story because every team has got to go through difficult periods but for the boys who come in, you want to have a run of games to get up to your best, so it is difficult but I think anyone who has come in, while they have had the jersey, they have done well for the most part but between now and the end of the season we have just got to take it one game at a time and try to get back to that consistency that we had last year.

“We look back at last year and compare that to where we were at the start of this season, we were a wee bit short and a big part of that was down to the goals conceded column. I'm a big believer that when you look back at the end of the season, nine times out of ten it’s the teams who conceded the fewest goals that are the higher up so it is disappointing but that is something we are trying to rectify.”

The most recent Tynecastle head to head with Hibs, at the end of last season, ended 3-1 in Hearts’ favour, with Halliday contributing two of the goals, but the loss of a late Martin Boyle goal at Easter Road cost them maximum points in the first derby of this season.

Back on home turf, they have plans for better. But they will have to do without Gordon. That will undoubtedly offer Hibs a psychological boost, having been denied by Scotland’s No 1 so often in the past, but Halliday says that while everyone in Hearts’ ranks recognises the merits of their captain on and off the field, they also have confidence in his understudy, Zander Clark.

“It is a ‘next man up’ mentality and the boys who have come in need to do well for the jersey and need to do well to keep their place in the team. For me, Toby Sibbick did really well against St Johnstone. He was one who had to come in due to the absence of Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley and he made a very telling header in the final minutes and that meant we went home with all three points.

“I have been there myself, in fact I was there last year, when you find yourself frustrated on the bench and you're never sure what is going to happen so you just need to be ready.

“Physio rooms are the busiest place for all the wrong reasons and people are in there having a bit of banter but when you go into ours every morning you cannae move! It is like sardines, week to week! It is really disappointing because we know we have a lot of big players in there but if you look at the injury list we’ve had then look at the starting XI we are still managing to put out, that shows how good a squad we are.

“It is a blow for any team to lose a player of Craigy’s calibre but when you look at the able replacements we have. Zander has come in. I think he was one of the best keepers in the league over the last few years and he has been in the Scotland set-up so to have him, we are very very lucky. I thought he was very good against St Johnstone and made a couple of great saves. He couldn't really do anything about either goal so the belief we had in Craig we also have that in big Zander.”

And, his record against Hibs in big games, defeating them in both cups en route to their 2020/21 double, cements that view.

“Yeah, he has been part of a couple of cup triumphs and beat Hibs on the way to those so hopefully he can pull off another of those performances for us in the derby.”