Manager Gary Locke praises 'outstanding' Hearts

Hearts manager Gary Locke was delighted with the response of his players in the 1-1 draw with St Mirren.

After falling behind to an early Steven Thompson goal for St Mirren, Locke's men drew level in the second half through Jamie Hamill.

"I thought, second-half especially, it was an outstanding performance," Locke told BBC Radio Scotland.

"We asked for a better performance than the other day and I think the players responded in the right manner."

Having lost 4-0 to Kilmarnock on Thursday, Hearts were eager to avoid another defeat and, but for former Tynecastle goalkeeper Marian Kello, may have left Paisley with all three points.

"We were always on the front foot," said Locke.

"Marian, unfortunately, has pulled off two or three cracking saves, especially one at the end, I don't know how he saved that one.

"I thought every player in a Hearts jersey deserved enormous credit because they dug in and played very well.

"It was a fantastic finish from Jamie Hamill and I thought that summed up his performance. I thought he was outstanding and covered every blade of grass.

"It was a great team performance but he in particular really drove the team on."

A point takes the bottom side to within two of the zero mark, having started the season with a 15-point deduction due to insolvency problems. Hearts now trail Ross County by 13 points.

"There's still a long way to go," added Locke. "We know it's still going to be a huge task and a difficult task.

"But, we'll keep believing and if we put in performances like that then we'll win more games than we'll lose."