Heart of Midlothian

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Alan Forrest admits "confidence is high" at Tynecastle heading into the first Edinburgh derby of the season after two wins and clean sheets since Neil Critchley's appointment.

The former Livingston winger scored Hearts' opener in the 2-0 Conference League triumph over Omonia Nicosia on Thursday and could be in line to start Sunday's capital crunch at Easter Road.

"It’s massive now," Forrest told BBC Scotland. "If you hadn't a positive result on Thursday night it might have been a bit flat going into Sunday and that's not what we want.

"The win means we can carry on the run off the back of a good performance at the weekend. Our confidence is high going into the weekend."

The 4-0 win over St Mirren last weekend helped Hearts off the foot of the table and leapfrog Edinburgh rivals Hibs, who now sit bottom.

"It’s early, and it’s not where we want to be," Forrest added. "If we can just keep at it I think it can turn for us. It's a good start for us but it's only a start and we need to get higher up in the league, but if we continue with performances like this it stands us in good stead."

The mood around Tynecastle has improved drastically since Critchley hit the ground running, with the victory over Omonia putting Hearts on the brink of progression to the knockout stage.

"I think it just shows you how football can change," Forrest added. "We had a poor start but I think you can see with the quality we have in our squad it wasn't good enough for us.

"But it's there for everyone to see it can turn and we just need to stick at it. It's a good start for us and takes us on to Sunday now."

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Scottish football has had to wait until late October for the first Edinburgh derby of the season and, as ever, there's a lot going on in the capital.

Hibernian replaced Hearts as the Premiership's bottom side last weekend after a lead away to Dundee United turned into a late defeat.

Meanwhile, back in Edinburgh, Hearts were recording their first league win of the season in Neil Critchley's maiden match in charge.

They followed that up with a solid midweek Conference League win over Omonia Nicosia - making it two wins out of two in that competition for the Tynecastle side.

Critchley could further endear himself to supporters and put some daylight between Hearts and their city rivals with victory at Easter Road.

In the opposing dugout, Hibs head coach David Gray is aiming to avoid a fourth straight defeat. His side have been on target in two of those games, but keeping clean sheets is becoming more and more elusive.

A fascinating contest awaits.

Read all the weekend Premiership picks

Former Hearts midfielder Ryan Stevenson says Hearts have "a clear gameplan" under new head coach Neil Critchley, whose start "couldn't have gone any better" with two wins from two as the Edinburgh derby looms on Sunday.

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We asked for your views on Hearts' 2-0 win against Omonia in the Conference League.

Here's what some of you said:

Richard: Hearts took a straightforward on-the-front-foot approach, moving the ball quickly when in possession and harrying the Omonia players when out of it. It paid dividends and didn't allow them to settle. Once two ahead, we did enough to hold them and that was that. We weren't half as good once we sat off them but I hope we can step it up again when we want.

Keith: Neil Critchley has built on the good work done by Liam Fox. Players are playing in the right position, the likes of Blair Spittal, Jorge Grant, Yan Dhanda and Alan Forrest are being given licence to attack. If Lawrence Shankland starts to score again we can become a real force.

Steve: The first half is what all Hearts fans have been dying to see. Closing the opposition down fighting for every ball. Spittal is looking brilliant and playing in his best position. Frankie Kent is outstanding and should have his contract extended now, future captain? The crowd were treated to a special evening, can't wait until Sunday.

Scott: Another superb display to follow up the thumping of St Mirren. Most of the players, Dhanda, Spittal, James Penrice etc were all good individual players, however, Steven Naismith couldn't work out how to fit them into the way he wanted to play. Critchley has been in the door two minutes and sorted it out, in Critch-ball we trust!

David: It's performances like this that we thought we would be getting after the summer, just goes to show that football is often overcomplicated by over-coaching. Pass the ball to someone in the same colour top as you, ideally going forward and occasionally put the ball in the net, and this was without Beni Baningime, our best player.

Jim: It's obvious that Naismith had the team bamboozled by his tactics, the team seems very comfortable with the instructions they've been given for the last two games, the stats speak for themselves but not only that, the team are playing with purpose and they must be looking forward to the derby, I certainly am.

Norrie: So many players look to have been set free from the shackles curtailing them at the start of the season. During the last two games my attention has been on the park and not the dugout. We have a decent team and I'm definitely looking forward.

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Blair Spittal says new head coach Neil Critchley is getting the players to "buy in" to Hearts' new tactical style after continuing their perfect start to the Conference League.

The Jambos are in a run of five games in 15 days but Thursday night's victory over Omonia made it two wins from two under Critchley, with a derby trip to Easter Road up next on Sunday.

"This is one of those times that a lot of stuff we work on is in the analysis room, little tweaks and what not," Spittal told BBC Scotland.

"The boys are listening to what [Critchley] says. Results bring that on, that buy in from the players, and the boys couldn't be happier."

Spittal is arguably Hearts' most in-form player and scored his third goal in three games to round off the 2-0 home win over Omonia.

"It was a great feeling scoring my first European goal," he added. "It's something to look back on when I'm not playing any more as a proud moment.

"It was a good performance from the team, especially in the first half. We took the game away from them, started really well.

"In the second half, we could've been better. The manager said that after the game. All in all, 2-0 win, clean sheet, you can't ask for much better."

"This is our pitch, this is our rules, you play our game and we're coming after you" was Hearts' approach in their 2-0 Conference League win over Omonia Nicosia, says head coach Neil Critchley. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Scorer Blair Spittal praises Critchley's "simple" approach after wins in his first two games in charge. (Football Scotland), external

Alan Forrest targets an Edinburgh derby victory against Hibernian on Sunday after netting on his 100th Hearts appearance against Omonia Nicosia. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

Hearts produced their best performance of the season to make it two wins from two in the Conference League as they dispatched Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia.

Spirits are now high in Gorgie and the run of form comes at the perfect time with the first Edinburgh derby of the season on Sunday.

What did you think of that one, Hearts fans? Who impressed you most?

And what has Neil Critchley changed to turn fortunes around at Tynecastle?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

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Hearts head coach Neil Critchley told BBC Scotland: "It was an amazing night, I loved it. Our start to the game got the crowd involved, that was our plan. It was a very intimidating atmosphere and they found it difficult, with how aggressive we were.

"When we won the ball back, which was numerous times, we were good with it and I thought we were fully deserving of our two goals.

"We want to be a team that nobody wants to play against. We knew they were good with the ball, as they showed in the second half, but with good organisation and a willingness to work with each other, we were really difficult to play against.

"It was a collective effort. The team were brilliant, worked so hard. I'd have liked to have kept the ball better, tiredness and fatigue sets in. Generally, we protected Craig [Gordon] really well.

"I've absolutely loved every second of being here. This is a brilliant football club with top people, and I'm not just saying that. I envisage myself being here in the future and I'm desperate to do well. I need to get results and if I do that, the supporters will come with us and come with me."

"From day one, it's drummed into you. The staff, who've been here for years, make it quite clear what this game means to the supporters. Hopefully we send them home happy because it would top off a great week for us. I wish it was tomorrow."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Neil Critchley has not even been in the post for two weeks, but already seems to have obliterated any malaise in his squad and found a style that suits Hearts.

His high-press, fast-tempo, simplified style has gotten the best out of players who had previously struggled to replicate the form of last season.

Spittal was superb, Boateng brilliant, and Forrest fantastic in the first-half. They all looked full of belief and clear in mind of what the plan was.

That was the main criticism thrown at Steven Naismith before his exit. There was no clear identity to his side, in complete contrast to Critchley's XI.

In this game, each player was assured in their tactical roles. Spittal hovered behind Shankland up front and Forrest on the left, with Vargas drifting further to the right when he was supporting the main striker.

At the back too, players seemed more confident.

Kye Rowles and Kent have built a solid partnership, while 19-year-old Adam Forrester was excellent in only his third professional start.

The real test will be on Sunday. It's been a good start for the new head coach. A win - any win - over rivals Hibs would make it perfect.

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Blair Spittal. The summer signing is Hearts' form player. No longer playing as a holding midfielder, he has been unleashed further up the pitch and makes his side far more dangerous in the final third.

The move to Tynecastle is by far the biggest in his career and he's living up to all the potential he's ever shown.

A word, too, for Adam Forrester. He replaced the impressive Daniel Oyegoke from Saturday's starting XI but it did not harm the side. He was solid in defence and got up the pitch well, putting in a few dangerous crosses.

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Hearts: Gordon, Forrester, Kent, Rowles, Kingsley, Forrest, Boateng, Devlin, Spittal, Shankland, Vargas.

Substitutes: Clark, Halkett, Oyegoke, Grant, McKay, Dhanda, Wilson, Tait, Boyce, Penrice, Sandilands, Salazar.

Omonia Nicosia: Fabiano, Diounkou, Coulibaly, Helander, Khammas, Charalampous, Maric, Erakovic, Simic, Stepinski, Semedo.

Substitutes: Uzoho, Kyriakidis, Kitsos, Kakoulli, Ewandro, Masouras, Lang, Panagiotou, Kousoulos, Loizou, Neophytou, Saidou.

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Will "streetwise" Neil Critchley mark his first European game as a head coach by continuing to win over the doubters?

Having begun his tenure with a 4-0 Premiership thumping of St Mirren last weekend, Critchley leads Hearts at home to Omonia on Thursday as the Tynecastle men aim to make it two Conference League wins from two.

Critchley's appointment was met with reservations from some of the Hearts fanbase, but the Englishman's experience could be just what Hearts need to put their prior struggles behind them.

That's according to Mark Atkinson, sports editor of The Scotsman. He told the BBC's Scottish football podcast: "There was a negative feeling around his appointment but the only way you can change that is by winning football matches and playing good football.

"He seems quite a grounded individual. He's different to what Hearts have had in the past.

"They want a coach who in the first instance can improve what is already there. He likes to press high, he likes attacking football.

"The negativity comes from his past two jobs. He's been sacked by Blackpool and QPR, clubs that think Hearts fans will look at and go 'they are no bigger than us'.

"He's a little bit more streetwise and low-key and maybe Hearts fans expected more. But sometimes that's sort of coach you need, especially when you're bottom of the league and struggling for wins.

"He's got experience and that should hopefully get him over the line in terms of negativity."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Omonia's Lithuanian head coach Valdas Dambrauskas says it is "really special" to lead a team at Tynecastle.

Dambrauskas has previously coached a number of former Hearts players, including late skipper Marius Zaliukas and Deividas Cesnauskis, and is well aware of the club's previous Lithuanian representation.

Several players from the country turned out for Hearts after Russian-Lithuanian Vladimir Romanov took control of the club in 2005.

"It's a really special moment to come here. I'm representing a great team from Cyprus but I'm also Lithuanian," Dambrauskas said.

"You know how much connections we Lithuanians have with Hearts. To be here is a really special moment coaching this game. I'm looking forward to playing against this great club.

"Whenever you say you are playing Hearts the interest is there in Lithuania. Everybody says 'legendary Hearts'.

"I was living in England at that time and you follow Premier League and Old Firm. But go to Lithuania and it was crazy about Hearts. Four or five players used to start, you had a Lithuanian coach, you waited until the weekend to watch Hearts play. The interest is there and people remember those times very fondly."

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Frankie Kent has called on Hearts to boost their chances of making it to the Conference League knockout phase by maintaining their perfect start in Thursday's home match against Omonia Nicosia.

The Edinburgh side kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 late victory away to Dinamo Minsk three weeks ago and they can make it six points from two games by beating their Cypriot visitors.

In what will be head coach Neil Critchley's second game, Kent senses an opportunity for Hearts to progress in the competition.

"We're not here to make up the numbers," the centre-back said. "We want to progress, we want to keep pushing forward, we want to challenge ourselves.

"I think there's no better way to do that than playing in Europe and getting through to hopefully what could be a knockout stage.

"I know there's a long way to go, I'm not saying that we're there yet, but obviously if we get a good result tomorrow then we put ourselves in a good position."

New boss Critchley oversaw a 4-0 home win over St Mirren on Saturday and Kent explained how he has "simplified" things following a poor start to the campaign.

"I think it was well known that we needed to get better and improve on certain things," said Kent. "I think the main thing is he's just simplified so much."

"We had a good structure on Saturday and let our top players do what they're good at, so he's done that and he's just encouraging us to play our game."

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• Hearts have never previously faced Cypriot opponents, while it is also the first time Omonia have played a Scottish side.

• Omonia have played British teams four times - losing home and away to Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United but beating Linfield on aggregate.

• Both sides finished third in their domestic leagues last season, but Omonia are currently sixth in the Cyprus First Division and Hearts second bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

• Hearts ended a run of four home games this season without a win by beating St Mirren 4-0 on Saturday.

• Omonia's 1-0 home defeat by Enosis was their third loss in five outings, which include two away from home without scoring.

• Hearts started their Conference League campaign with a 2-1 win away to Dinamo Minsk, while Omonia beat Vikingur 4-0 at home.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hearts head coach Neil Critchley has been speaking to the media prior to his side's Conference League encounter with Omonia Nicosia.

Here are the key lines:

• Critchley reaffirmed his delight at his debut win over St Mirren on Saturday but said he won't get carried away with the victory.

• On how many points it will take to progress to the next stage, Critchley said he's unsure and will just "take one game at a time".

• The new Hearts boss said the prospect of playing in Europe was one of the key reasons he joined the club.

• He says Omonia Nicosia will pose a "real test" with their "exciting, attacking players".

• A hectic schedule means the squad will have to be "managed" through a busy spell.

• On his team news, Critchley says he has no fresh injury concerns.

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Like most of the opponents Hearts will face in the Conference League, Omonia are capable of making life tricky but should not strike fear into those at Tynecastle.

Currently sixth in the Cypriot First League after losing their last two games without scoring, the Nicosia side have also lost their last two away games.

Even their 4-0 win against Icelandic side Vikingur in their opener is not as impressive as it looks, with three late goals adding gloss to the scoreline after a competitive game.

Their most recognisable faces are former Manchester City, Inter Milan and Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic, who won this tournament with Olympiakos last term, and centre-back Filip Helander, who won the league with Rangers in 2021.

However, the former cannot play in Europe because he signed after the registration deadline, while Sweden defender Helander is not a nailed-on starter.

What they do have is players with international experience - particularly with Cyprus - and some European pedigree in recent years.

Back in 2022 under Neil Lennon they played Manchester United twice in the Europa League group stage and pushed Erik Ten Hag's side to the limit before losing 3-2 at home and 1-0 at Old Trafford, thanks to Scott McTominay's stoppage-time strike.

Now managed by experienced Lithuanian Valdas Dambrauskas, they usually play 4-3-3 and have some good attacking players.

Cameroonian winger Saidou Alioum is quick and scored an excellent individual goal against Vikingur, while Polish striker Marius Stepinski has six goals this season and has played in Serie A and Ligue 1, as well as earning four international caps.

At the back, Brazilian goalkeeper Fabiano made an incredible save against Vikingur and has been at Porto and Fenerbahce, while centre-back Senou Coulibaly is a threat from set-pieces, scoring in their opener to make it five for the season.

Scot and former Hearts head coach Ian Cathro has one game to save his job as Estoril manager. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

If Neil Critchley is what supercomputer recommended in terms of a new head coach, then I cannot wait to see what the algorithm generates for new players following Saturday's 4-0 home win against St Mirren.

There's no doubt there was an underwhelming feeling within the Gorgie support when Critchley was appointed, but he was always going to be well backed from all at Tynecastle and, crikey, didn’t he repay the faith shown him with a thumping victory.

In the days leading up to Saturday's fixture, the more I heard Critchley talk, the more I was warming to him. He said he wanted a team to play with his fundamentals like working hard and being selfless for the team, and we witnessed that from the first whistle against the Buddies.

Lining up in a non-conventional 4-4-2, which allowed Blair Spittal and Yan Dhanda to drift centrally towards the action rather than be chalk-on-the boots-wingers, we looked a team well coached in what we were trying to achieve.

Our opener was a superb team move that will be up there with our best goals of the season. Lawrence Shankland was crucial with his ingenious touch to perfectly set up Kenneth Vargas, who appears to have packed a bottle of Costa Rican composure in his case to bring back to Scotland following the international break, to score with an excellent finish.

That goal calmed any nerves the new boss and support had, and although the scoreline probably flattered us, I cannot remember Craig Gordon having a save to make and there was no weak link in the team.

I'm delighted for Liam Fox being appointed permanent first-team coach, too. He’s had some unwarranted flak over the years due to his seemingly close relationship with Craig Levein, and his unsuccessful stints as manager at both Cowdenbeath and Dundee United, but there’s no doubting his abilities as a coach.

Regardless of what happens this week against Omonia Nicosia, we cannot be reactionary, and Critchley needs to exit the week with the same level of support as he had going into it.

Ordinarily, supporters would be telling Critchley to focus on the European game and go for a victory to give us a 100% win record after two Conference League games. Along with the prize money, it would give us a fantastic chance of progressing to the next round.

The reality is, supporters would want us to beat Hibs at Easter Road and put the dagger into their campaign and really cause alarm bells to sound louder.

I've chuckled as I read social media comments saying that although Hearts have had the worst ever start to a league campaign, Hibs are still below us in the table.

It's important to get through this week unbeaten - I'd ideally take a win and draw - and continue the positive atmosphere Critchley has brought back to the stands.

Greg Playfair can be found on the Oor Wee Chat podcast, external.

Omonia Nicosia head coach Valdas Dambrauskas has apologised to the club's fans following their 1-0 home defeat by Enosis left them in sixth place, seven points behind leaders Paphos in the Cypriot top flight, and in need of improvement against Hearts in the Conference League on Thursday. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Valdas Dambrauskas, who faces Hearts as Omonia Nicosia head coach on Thursday in the Conference League, once held discussions about a role at Tynecastle under then owner Vladimir Romanov. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Daniel Oyegoke has played for England at various youth levels and arrived at Hearts from Brentford. But that information is all fairly dull in contrast to the thing of beauty that was his goal against St Mirren – cutting inside onto his left foot to curl a wonderous strike past his former Brentford teammate Ellery Balcombe.

After a disappointing start to his Hearts career after his mercurial heroics last season for Motherwell, we finally saw the real Blair Spittal at Tynecastle on Saturday. The midfielder rounded off a superb day for new head coach Neil Critchley with the final goal in a scintillating 4-0 rout.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Rangers centre-half Filip Helander returned to the Omonia Nicosia starting line-up but could not prevent his new side suffering a second straight defeat before visiting Hearts in the Conference League on Thursday.

Head coach Valdas Dambrauskas was without Cyprus forward Andronikos Kakoullis against Enosis and made three other changes from the side that lost 2-0 away to Aris Limassol.

But Guinea striker Thierno Barry's 29th-minute goal was enough to lift the visitors into 11th place and leave Omonia sixth in the Cypriot top flight, seven points behind leaders Pafos.

The 31-year-old Helander has made six appearances, four of them starts, for Omonia since joining this summer from Odense, the Sweden international having spent a season in Denmark's top flight after leaving Ibrox.

Dambrauskas admitted it was a "terrible result".

"We let ourselves down and let the fans down," he said. "From the other side, I really can't blame anyone, only myself. I think the players gave absolutely everything. In my opinion, they played a dominant and good game at a good pace.

"We created chances, had set-pieces, we opened an opponent who did a very good job and had a plan to protect their goal. Unfortunately for us, they succeeded.2

Dambrauskas explained that the winning goal was a carbon copy of one scored by Enosis against Pafos and concluded that he had not got his message across to the players how to defend such a move.