Manager’s Notes

Hello and greetings from Tynecastle Park.

A week has passed since we kicked off our Betfred Cup campaign here in Gorgie, against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. It was important to start with a win and I was pleased to get three points on the board straight away. It’s always hard to gauge how opening games are going to pan out. You have factors such as fi tness, game sharpness and new players in unfamiliar surroundings to take into account. I’m happy with the way we equipped ourselves in terms of chances created and on another night more of our 21 shots at goal would’ve seen us through with a more comfortable scoreline.

At the other end of the park we had Craig Gordon to thank for a stunning save that kept the scores level. To be honest, I’m that used to Craig making those types of saves that when the opposition attack, I expect a save to be made. There is fl exibility across the backline to switch formation during a game and the defence will continue to improve as we get into our stride.

Saturday’s win over Cowdenbeath was a reminder that we are going to have to learn how to break teams down. Hearts coming to town or a visit to Tynecastle is a big occasion and, as such, we’ll be seen as a scalp. Sides will sit in against us which means we must work our way through them, and I’d like us to do it quicker than we did at Bayview.

Tonight we welcome John McGlynn and Raith Rovers to Tynecastle. I’ve known John for years and he’s a guy that cares passionately about his role. I expect Raith to come here with a gameplan and try to make life diffi cult for us, so the onus is on us to focus on our game and play to the best of our abilities.

Playing at an empty Tynecastle will remain a strange feeling for some time. We pumped crowd noise in during the Inverness game, and while it was good to have some form of noise in the background, it doesn’t compare to when our fans are here and backing the team from start to fi nish. We’ll do our best to keep the positive results coming and advance in this competition so that hopefully, when it is safe to do so, the fans can come and cheer us on to another cup run.

Robbie Neilson

BACK ON TRACK

Stephen Kingsley wants to make up for lost time. Hearts have a point to prove. It could be a match made in heaven.

The 26-year-old last week penned a one-year deal with the Jambos following the expiry of his contract at English Championship side Hull City. Thrust into the Scottish football limelight aged only 16, he took his talents a step further when he joined then Premier League side Swansea City in 2014. His road to Tynecatle has been fi lled with twists and turns but he admits he wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

“It’s been amazing,” he said. “It’s been such a rollercoaster. I’ve had some of the best years that I’ll probably ever have in my career. I’ve gone from Falkirk, and being a young boy, to being fl ung in to the best league in the world and having to grow up and become a man. That’s such a great experience that I had down there. “Going from Swansea to Hull and really pushing to get as many games as I could with them. There were a few struggles along the way but it just made me so much stronger, mentally. I met some great people there as well. The last six years in general have been such an amazing experience. “I knew I wasn’t going to go down there and be in a with a shout or playing or anything, I had to adapt, I had to grow up. I was still a 19-year-old lad going down there. Even though I had experience playing fi rst team men’s football, I had to adapt my game and adapt myself and that took time. I knew that. I was patient. “The fi rst year I was almost kind of just getting used to it and getting to grips. I went out on loan to Yeovil and had a pretty successful loan spell there. I came back the next season and really wanted to kick on. That was my desire, my dream, to play in the Premier League. Thankfully I achieved that the second season I was there.

“My debut against Arsenal at the Emirates was pretty special, not just in my career but in my whole life. It was said to me the night before that I would be starting at the Emirates and everything else is a bit of a blur, looking back on it. We ended up going out there and winning 2-1 so it was a really, really special moment. I can’t even remember if I had family there, to tell the truth. I think it was just the adrenaline of everything going on at the one