Steven Naismith assesses new Hearts players and explains why team will take several weeks to show real worth

Hearts technical director Steven Naismith described the pre-season friendly against Leeds United as a “good workout” but, keen to get the competitive action under way, he admitted it will probably take another month to get the squad firing on all cylinders.

Losing the game to a 38th-minute Luke Ayling goal, the Gorgie side focused on limiting the multi-million pound English Championship side and preventing them from adding to that tally. “With the pre-season games the main focus is different for each opponent,” explained Naismith, who will now turn his attention to getting the team ready for their opening league match, away to St Johnstone, on Saturday, before embarking on the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifying tie the following Thursday. We were up against a good Leeds side, so the emphasis was on being out of possession and how we’re going to be, and how we’re going to defend our box, as that was a big issue last season. If anything, we’re slightly disappointed with what we did in possession. We could have done better but out of possession we were good.”

On a day when debutant Frankie Kent showed up well in the centre of defence, despite being unable to hook Ayling’s angled drive off the line as he slid in hoping for some last gasp heroics, fellow newcomer Calem Nieuwenhof also came into his on the longer the match went on and offers promise for the remainder of the season. “Frankie has come in and showed why we’re trying to get players like him,” said Naismith of his summer signings. “We knew we needed to get people in who are not just good players, but good leaders, people who organise. You could tell Calem is coming into a new country. At times you could see his quality, at times you could see he’s still trying to get to grips with British football. Both of them coming through the minutes they did is brilliant for us.”

But pre-season friendlies are not always the best gauge of a player’s real worth to a side or a team’s overall prospects. Having spent the close season working on transfer dealings that will allow him and fellow coaches Frankie McAvoy and Gordon Forrest to impress their style and their tactics on the team Naismith revealed that a lot of hard graft has also been done during pre-season to ensure that every player is able to grasp the detail of what is expected. But, while there was industry in the show against Leeds, it is only when the competitive fixtures get underway that the fruits of their labour will be evident, he added. “I don’t think you can really say you are there or happy until a month into the season, that’s when everybody is hitting their sharpness.”

Hearts' Frankie Kent acknowledges the support following the pre-season friendly against Leeds United at Tynecastle. Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group

Along with Beni Baningime, Liam Boyce was rested as the staff continued to manage their graduated return and there was little to excite the home crowd in an attacking sense, with Yutaro Oda’s second-hand effort one of the few that tested Illan Meslier. But the scoreline could have been worse. Fleet of foot and with good movement and vision Leeds did manage to defy Hearts’ doggedness on a few occasions but sent their shots soaring over.