Steven Naismith hailed Hearts’ “professional” performance against Partick Thistle in the Viaplay Cup.
The Jambos advanced to the quarter finals of the competition this afternoon, putting the Championship Jags to the sword at Tynecastle with goals from Odel Offiah, Lawrence Shankland, Kyosuke Tagawa, and a Brian Graham own goal – sending Hearts on their way.
After a mammoth fortnight that’s seen the JTs fight on both domestic and European fronts, the Technical Director was full of praise for the team as Hearts maintained the high standards that’s seen them claim three wins out of the first five.
"It was a very good performance," he told Hearts TV. "When you take everything into consideration, it's been an intense period. We knew it was going to be tough to try and recreate the highs of Thursday. I thought we put on a very professional performance - scored goals in good times of the game.
"The most pleasing thing for me was the reaction in the transition moments. We won the ball in good areas and found the space to play forward. When we lost it, our reactions to get it back were pretty good. We told the boys not to go out and expect an easy game; and it certainly wasn't.
"We've got a good squad. We believe in the players that are here and we believe that they can all contribute. When we move the ball quickly, and we all understand what to do, that's when we create chances and score goals.
"The next two weeks are going to be demanding and we need four big performances from now until that international break. There's a lot to come in those weeks, and the more we play, the more the boys will understand each other. It's been a good start but getting more competitive minutes will do us the world of good.”
