Frankie Kent believes Hearts’ victory at Celtic Park earlier in the season acted as a turning point, which set the Jambos up for a successful second half of the season.
Lawrence Shankland and Stephen Kingsley were on target as the men in maroon left the Glasgow’s east end with all three points in December, to kickstart a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
A victory by the same scoreline followed at Tynecastle Park in March, thanks to strikes from Jorge Grant and Shankland, meaning Hearts can head along the M8 full of confidence, knowing they’re just three points away from wrapping up third spot in the cinch Premiership.
Speaking to the media, at the pre-match press conference, Kent said:
“That was a really good day [last win at Celtic Park]. Coming off the back of a few hard weeks before that. It was a good reaction from the Aberdeen away game the week before and I think that day really set us up for the rest of the season.
“Every game of football is different. We know the pressure is on them and we know the position we’ve managed to get ourselves into. So, we can go and enjoy it, but we don’t want to just waste these last few games, we want to set ourselves up for next season.”
Last week’s draw at Kilmarnock moved the Jambos one step closer to securing European group stage football next season and Kent is already looking forward to some of the experiences Hearts could have next season.
“Third place has been our aim since the start of the season and for me coming up here, the aim was to guarantee those European games for next season.
“I’ve loved it [time in Scotland]. I can’t believe how quick it’s gone. Coming up here was something completely new for me. Enjoying the different stadium and the fans, but thankfully it’s gone well for us as a team, which helps a lot.”
You can watch Frankie’s press conference in full on Hearts TV
