Neil Critchley was proud of how his players navigated a tricky Scottish Cup tie as the Jambos progressed to the quarter finals following an epic encounter in Paisley.
Hearts defeated St. Mirren 4-2 on penalties after the game sat at 1-1 from extra time; with Craig Gordon thwarting two of the Buddies’ spot-kicks before James Penrice hit the winner.
Calem Nieuwenhof, making his first appearance in 11 months following a recurring hamstring injury, notched the equaliser at the SMiSA Stadium with Neil full of praise for the Aussie midfielder.
“Where to start? It was a bit of a war of attrition,” he told Hearts TV.
“First balls, second balls, long play, lots of set pieces to defend and long throw-ins. I didn't think we played brilliantly well in first half, if I'm honest. We weren't competitive enough without the ball, but you've got to compete with the ball as well.
“We didn't do that either, really. When we made the change, I thought that helped us to get a foothold in the game and more momentum. We grew into the game and were delighted for Calem to come on and score the equaliser.
“That's why we put him on, because he's got that ability to do that. Then, extra time, not a lot happened, really. We threatened without creating clear opportunities, but all the subs have come on and all contributed.
“Delighted for Michael to come on and play like he played and Sander as well. It's about getting through. It's just about getting in the hat and we've done it.”
Victory in Paisley has set up a mouthwatering quarter final clash with fellow Premiership side Dundee at Tynecastle in March.
One more victory in the competition will see the Jambos make a welcome return to Hampden, but the boss insists focus must now be on Sunday’s league meeting with Rangers in Gorgie.
“We’re very much looking forward to it because we've not been at home for a while,” he said.
“It's nice to get a home tie. That's obviously in a few weeks. We've got a big game coming up on Sunday so we can concentrate back on the league and then look forward to a quarter-final game at home in about a month's time.”
