Calem Nieuwenhof explains his 'unbelievable' Hearts experience and makes a Lawrence Shankland penalty quip

Calem Nieuwenhof is gradually adapting to life at Hearts and enjoyed his best experience to date on Tuesday. A first goal in maroon helped revive his team from 2-0 down at half-time to beat Dundee 3-2. The Australian labelled it the best game he has taken part in since arriving in Scotland last summer.

"It was unbelievable. It was probably the best game I’ve been involved in since I’ve been here," he explained. "We knew the first half wasn’t good enough and we went into the dressing room at half-time with nothing to lose. I think we went out there with the right attitude.

"We wanted to attack and get in their faces. We were fortunate with a couple of the goals that went in and I was obviously stoked with my goal. The second half could not have gone any better.

"I’ve been slowly working my way up the field and getting involved in more chances. I was just really happy to get the space to have a crack and I was glad it went in. It was a good time to get the goal and it gave us plenty of time to push on again. It gave the boys a lot of confidence and we ended up getting the win from there.

"It says a lot about the character. This squad has a great mentality. Going in at half-time two goals down is a tough spot to be in, especially in front of your home crowd. But the way we reacted showed the character we have in the squad. We stayed positive and on the front foot. Full credit to everyone involved."

Scoring from 22 yards imbued Nieuwenhof with extra confidence, although not enough to take on penalty-kicks after captain Lawrence Shankland missed his third in succession against Dundee. "No. I don’t think so. It’s just the way it goes sometimes with penalties. Would I offer to take them? Nah, penalties are too close for me – I prefer long distance shots," smiled the player.

"He [Shankland] is fine. I don’t think anything will take him off spot-kicks, to be honest. He’s such a strong character. It won’t faze him at all. In the last couple of games when he missed penalties, he ended up scoring anyway. He’s a great character and leader in this team. We know what he can do for us. It’s up to us to give him good service."

Storm Jocelyn was never going to be conducive to flowing football on Tuesday and Nieuwenhof explained that the different weather from Australia sometimes catches him by surprise. He wants to continue as a regular starter under the Hearts head coach Steven Naismith. "It’s a bit new for me and it takes a bit of getting used to. It was tough out there on Tuesday," he said.

"It’s hard to play football in that wind and rain, especially against a team like Dundee, who wanted to put us under pressure and not let us play. The first half wasn’t good enough but we had no option but to put our best foot forward and we responded really well.

"Scotland is very different to Australia. It’s a very challenging environment, obviously the football is a super different style. So many players come over here and struggle. I’ve been really happy. Naisy has shown a lot of faith in me.

"It’s about more consistency now, putting in performances that can help us win games and staying in third. Coming from Australia, there are a lot of adjustments because it’s such a physical league with a lot of pace. I have slowly adapted and I want to kick on."

Hearts have amassed six wins and a draw from their last six games, momentum that has seen them stride ahead in third place in the Premiership. "The momentum is growing and it shows on the ladder [league table]," said Nieuwenhof. "We are sitting third and we are trying to put a big gap between us and the pack. These results are important for us. If we keep picking up wins it’s going to be huge for us.

"It’s massive for confidence. We are quite a few games unbeaten now and we are finding good form and gelling as a team. It will be tough on Saturday against Aberdeen but we are looking forward to it. If we can get another win, it gives us an even bigger gap."