Heart of Midlothian

Head coach Neil Critchley has urged Hearts to kick their campaign into life by defeating Moldovan side Petrocub on Thursday to secure European football beyond Christmas for the first time in 35 years.

The Edinburgh side were heavily criticised by their fans after slipping back to the foot of the Premiership with a 1-0 defeat away to 10-man Kilmarnock on Sunday.

But Critchley believes qualification for the knockout phase play-off round of the Conference League would serve as a much-needed boost in their quest to improve their poor league season.

A victory over Petrocub would ensure Hearts finish in the top 24 of the 36-team league and continue their European adventure until February at least, while a draw may be enough depending on other results.

"Obviously, we have the opportunity to progress in a European competition," said Critchley.

"And if we do that, then we can put that to rest for a few months and look to then improve our domestic form, because we've got a really important period coming up with lots of games in a short period of time.

"I said to the players when we got back together after the game against Kilmarnock at the weekend, 'how often do you get opportunities like this in your career?'.

"It goes by in a flash and you can't miss these opportunities."

Petrocub are second bottom of the Conference League table and one of only two teams to have officially been eliminated already after taking just one point from their opening five matches.

"You can obviously look at their position and look at the points that they've got and underestimate them," said Critchley.

"We certainly won't be doing that. There are no gimmes in European football. They're there for a reason. And if you look at their recent results, they've been very tight games.

"They're tough to play against. They're not easy to break down. They're well coached and they like to have the ball. They like to play as well.

"We're not underestimating them at all. We have to make sure our cause is greater than theirs."

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Head coach Neil Critchley has been speaking to the media prior to Hearts' Conference League clash against Petrocub.

Here are the key lines:

• Following the 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock on Sunday, he says "we were bitterly disappointed" but he's "really looking forward to seeing our response".

• He acknowledges the "big expectations" at Hearts and says "that was one of the attractions and reasons for coming here".

• He says winning in Europe will "give everyone a lift and a boost going into an important period of league games".

• He says Hearts won't "underestimate" their European opposition and he wants "a quick start to get the crowd on board".

• The Edinburgh side will be "utilising" their squad as Lawrence Shankland is back, but they're still missing Frankie Kent and Stephen Kingsley.

• Meanwhile, Beni Baningime is back in training, Adam Forrester is suspended and Musa Drammeh is not eligible.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

The last two defeats for Hearts have rattled the Tynecastle faithful. And rightly so.

The manner in which the team wilted in both Copenhagen and Kilmarnock was alarming.

Fingers will again be pointed at the head coach and there are a few disgruntled voices already saying Neil Critchley is to blame.

But this problem goes a lot deeper than Critchley or even Steven Naismith.

Recruitment is the key issue at every club and while people may say these same players were a success in last season's third-place finish, it's obvious some are incapable of going close to a repeat this time around.

The reliance on Lawrence Shankland is there for everyone to see.

A root and branch review of all who have been involved in recruitment over the past few years is required and while the addition of Jamestown Analytics will undoubtedly help moving forward, there has to be a realisation big mistakes have been made.

Thursday night's Conference League visit of Moldovan club Petrocub should be an opportunity to give all at the club a much-needed boost, with a win guaranteeing a play-off spot for a place in the last 16.

With key home Premiership matches in the next week against St Johnstone and city rivals Hibernian coming up, a European victory would lift some of the dark clouds hanging over the club at the moment.

The last thing Hearts want as they head into 2025 is to be anchoring the Premiership table, so the next week is probably the most important so far this campaign.

Former sporting director Joe Savage is stunned to see Hearts sitting bottom of the Scottish Premiership and reveals that Oh Hyeon-gyu and Luke McCowan were on his Tynecastle radar but the club were blown out of the water when Celtic came calling. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Wednesday's Scottish gossip.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

Before the weekend there were some Hearts fans fervently optimistic that we could finish fourth in the Premiership. But after defeat at 10-man Kilmarnock, I'd snap your hand off to finish fourth bottom.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what has gone wrong for us this season. When teams face us in domestic competition, we are the side who gift them points and it's just not acceptable.

Head Coach Neil Critchley has developed a reputation as being a 'nice guy', but after the 1-0 defeat at Rugby Park to a side who had 10 men for 84 minutes, he was rightly furious.

To hear your manager question your desire, intelligence and quality in any profession is pretty damning. It's the most animated we've seen Critchley in his 13 matches in charge so far and he'll be wondering why we chalked up our seventh defeat under his stewardship.

Of course, some questions can be asked of Critchley in terms of some of his subs. Why swap your right-backs in the 85th minute when you're pushing for a goal? However, I think some of the flak he's getting is over the top.

For me, it all comes back to the players. A large chunk of this squad have played - and underperformed - under Robbie Neilson, Steven Naismith and now Critchley.

Critchley has a massive job on his hands, perhaps bigger than he envisaged when he took on the role, and I'm afraid it's going to be a battle between now and the end of May.

I know CEO Andrew McKinlay recently said he expects the side to be in the top six and refused to entertain the notion of relegation. I'm sorry, Andrew, but if you believe that then you're detached from what is going on and we're sleepwalking our way back down to the Championship for the third time in 10 years.

I said last week that we had to take seven points from the three league came before the end of the year. With the defeat at Kilmarnock, it's absolutely imperative that we beat St Johnstone and we cannot lose to Hibs in the derby. A defeat in that game is unthinkable for the players and fans.

Before all that, we have our final European game this year against Moldovan side Petrocub and bizarrely enough, a chance of rare success for this Hearts team.

Given how we started in the group stage, I hoped this game would have been a dead rubber but it's a chance to win and qualify. Not only would a victory build confidence, the prize money might also help Critchley sign a player or ideally five in January.

Kenny Crawford
BBC Sport Scotland

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Former Hearts striker Darren Jackson says the Tynecastle side's defeat to 10-man Kilmarnock was "alarming" but has "no doubt" Neil Critchley will "get it right".

The ex-Scotland international scored 11 goals in 64 appearances for the Gorgie side between 1999 and 2001.

Hearts had a one-man advantage for around nearly the whole game but failed to take anything from the match, and now sit one point adrift at the bottom of the Premiership.

"It's a massive blow," Jackson told BBC Radio Scotland.

"It was unacceptable. I was lucky enough to work with Neil Critchley for three years at Blackpool and he's a fantastic coach. I've no doubt he'll get it right.

"They'll look at it and say they've got so many games, but Hearts have to be in Europe every year and Hearts have to be successful, and that brings so many games, so you just have to get on with it.

"Just now, it is alarming and it's maybe players not handling pressure."

Hearts host Moldovan club Petrocub in the Uefa Conference League on Thursday, almost certainly needing a win to ensure progression in European competition beyond Christmas for the first time since 1989.

We asked for your views on Hearts' 1-0 defeat against Kilmarnock.

Here's what some of you said:

Robert: Where has the pride of wearing the Hearts top gone? And I have to be honest about what I've seen, or should I say NOT seen in the managers' style and tactics. Our strikers are missing in action, the question is... is it the strikers or the tactics?

Jim: How long are the board going to give this guy he was meant to get more from the players not less we are going down without a fight. Bring back Lockie.

Keith: That was dire. No intensity. No pace. No quality. No clue.

George: That performance was absolutely abysmal, the players need to have a good think to themselves as I'm tired of all the excuses and the 'they know we must do better statements'. So do better or leave as Hearts as a club treat you much better than you deserve.

Anon: The players should be ashamed of themselves after that performance. An embarrassment to the jersey!

Brian: As much as I don't want to admit it Hearts are absolutely relegation material. I just can't see them staying up on performances like that.

Chris: Brutal to watch. Just brutal. The casualness of passing the ball around the back, in the third minute of stoppage time, is the mentality of this team. No passion. No energy. No matchwinners. Kilmarnock could have and should have won by more. Can't differentiate between a Robbie Neilson, Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley team just now. I'm dreading Thursday.

Chris: That was the worst performance of the season and that's going some - there have been some shockers. The team is going backwards and I feel for Critchley who has inherited a dreadful squad of paceless duds. But he isn't moving things in the right direction and the players should hang their heads in shame. Relegation is a real possibility.

Aldo: So poor in all departments, missed Frankie Kent, abysmal up top again, massive changes required to avoid the drop.

Charlie: I didn't think that Hearts could get any worse, I had a feeling we would lose today, however, the manner in how this came about was beyond belief, there are players wearing the Hearts shirt who simply do not care and are not good enough to be associated with this club.

Keith: We are soft, have no character, lack any leaders on the pitch and the failure to properly invest in better quality players at the end of last season points to the wider club management. Bottom of the league with the third-biggest budget is ludicrous, Critchley must be bemused at the mess he's inherited

Anon: Is it possible that was the worst Hearts performance in living memory? So bad, they could have been Hibs.

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Neil Critchley admits he was stunned at his side's performance after they slipped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to 10-man Kilmarnock at Rugby Park to remain bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

Despite playing almost the full match with a man down, after Robbie Deas was sent off for a high challenge on Kenneth Vargas, Killie had the better chances and deservedly won the game thanks to Bruce Anderson's first-half penalty.

Hearts hit the woodwork a couple of times, but, failed to assert any sort of dominance and create clear-cut chances.

Critchley said Hearts "played into Kilmarnock's hands".

"I'm more than disappointed.I was stunned by what I've just witnessed," the Hearts head coach said post-match.

"We've made poor decisions off the ball and one of them cost us a penalty, which ultimately lost us the game.

"But after that, we've had ample enough time to get back into the game, and we didn't produce anywhere near enough quality. Our intelligence and our decision-making were woeful.

"It's like we forgot where the goal was, and I can assure you the message was, we need to ask questions of the defence, they're going to put men behind the ball, defend low.

"When when you defend low, there's not a lot of space behind, they give you the space in front, and we just played in front of them, we played into their hands, and we didn't do anywhere near enough.

"It was as if we accepted what was happening on the pitch, and I was really shocked by what I saw.

"We need to make sure that we draw a line in the sand, and that level of performance can't happen again."

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• Bruce Anderson has scored five goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), more than any other Kilmarnock player.

• Kye Rowles attempted 114 passes in this game, the highest total for a Hearts player in the Premiership this season.

Dogged Kilmarnock battled to an impressive victory over Hearts despite playing with 10 men for 90 minutes, to leave their visitors bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

Hearts fans, let us know your thoughts on the game. How concerned are you by that performance against 10 men?

Share your views.

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Hearts head coach Neil Critchley: "I'm not frustrated, I'm more than frustrated. I'm stunned and shocked by that performance.

"I've not seen that from this group in my time here. That was miles away in every department.

"We started brightly and then the sending off changes the game, and the next 10 minutes we got too emotional with the ball and made poor decisions. We made poor decisions off the ball, which cost us the game.

"We did nowhere near enough, we played in front of them and square and around too often. We needed to put the ball in the box and ask questions, we never did that.

"It was devoid of any ideas, it was an unacceptable performance. I've got so much going through my head, like I've been through a tumble dryer. We had enough attacking players on the pitch. We never played with personality, someone has to make something happen on the pitch and we didn't.

"It was like we accepted the situation and accepted we were going to lose. I've said to the players that can never happen again."

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland

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The general feeling is Hearts are too good not to start rising up the table. But how long can that sense last when results and peoples' own eyes tell them differently?

After a tough and tiring trip to Copenhagen on Thursday and with major injuries at the back, this always had the look of a tough game.

But when handed such an advantage after only six minutes, the expectations for Hearts changed, and an opportunity presented itself.

They had started brightly, too, with Musa Drammeh hitting the bar in the opening two minutes.

But rather than harnessing their early momentum and the red card they looked the more likely to concede, with Penrice's challenge on Wright for the penalty summing up their lack of composure.

In the second half, despite emptying their bench, they only forced O'Hara into two saves.

In total they flung 41 crosses into the Kilmarnock box, but mustered four attempts on target from them.

It has been a problem all season, with only Ross County scoring fewer goals. It is a tough spell for Critchley in the early days of his Hearts tenure, which was only compounded by the news centre-back Frankie Kent faces months out injured.

A huge game against Petrocub is next on Thursday as Hearts bid to go through to the next round of the Conference League, but arguably more pressing are the league matches before the January window against St Johnstone, rivals Hibernian, and County.

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Hearts head coach Neil Critchley confirms Frankie Kent has suffered "a significant injury" and is set to be out "for months".

The defender went off with an injury to his quad in Thursday's Conference League match with Copenhagen.

"He's got a similar injury to Stephen Kinglsey, though it's in his quad not his hamstring," Crithcley told BBC Scotland.

"It's a significant injury which is a big blow, obviously, and he's facing a lengthy period on sidelines.

"I would say it would be months, definitely. He still needs to go and see a specialist to decide if we'll operate.

"He's been outstanding since I came in, he's a big personality, a great guy to have around the dressing room, so we'll miss him.

"If you look at our squad and our defensive options and cover, then that is an area of the pitch we'll be looking to strengthen in January."

Defender Kye Rowles, 26, is ready to shoulder more responsibility at Hearts. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip

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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes hopes to have Matty Kennedy, Liam Donnelly and Robby McCrorie available. Long-term absentee Stuart Findlay (ankle) is the only player ruled out.

Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland is suspended and defender Frankie Kent looks almost certain to miss out after aggravating a quad injury against Copenhagen.

Beni Baningime (knee) is a doubt and both Stephen Kingsley and Calem Nieuwenhof remain out with hamstring injuries.

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Hearts boss Neil Critchley believes Kilmarnock will be "rubbing their hands" at the prospect of facing the Jambos on the back of a European away game.

Critchley's side lost 2-0 to Copenhagen on Thursday night in Denmark, and will travel to Ayrshire on Sunday as they return to league duties.

"They're all big games," Critchley told HeartsTV. "Kilmarnock away, they'll be rubbing their hands together that we have played on Thursday night and it's always a tough place to go to.

"But that's the game. We have to be ready. We can't dwell on this game, keep moving forward, and we've got an important game coming up in the league now."

Hearts lost to Kilmarnock just a few weeks ago, throwing away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 at Tynecastle.

A win for Critchley's side would see them leapfrog their hosts in the table, and they could potentially rise up to eighth in the Premiership table if results go their way.

Cammy Devlin, 26, puts his heated exchange with Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland, 29, during Thursday's Conference League defeat by Copenhagen as "just football" and insists: "We're fine." (Record), external

Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon, 41, is bemused as to how he conceded a penalty against Copenhagen rather than being awarded a free-kick for Amin Chiaka's challenge. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

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• Kilmarnock have only suffered two defeats in their last 12 Scottish Premiership meetings with Hearts (W6 D4), winning their first league match against them this season 2-1 in October.

• Hearts have kept a clean sheet in their last two league visits to Kilmarnock (W1 D1), this after conceding 2+ goals in each of their previous three at Rugby Park in the Scottish Premiership.

• No side has earned fewer points at home in the Scottish Premiership this season than Kilmarnock (6), who have won just once in their last eight league games at Rugby Park (D4 L3), beating Rangers 1-0 in October.

• Hearts have only won one of their last 11 away league outings (D3 L7), beating St Johnstone 2-1 in early November.

• Only Aston Oxborough (55) has made more saves in the Scottish Premiership this season than Kilmarnock's Robby McCrorie (42), who has made at least three saves in each of his last five league appearances.