Hearts update on Michael Smith's injury as Steven Naismith makes a frank admission after Hibs loss

Kevin Nisbet’s goal following a corner settled the match at Easter Road as Hearts struggled to properly trouble their hosts during the 90 minutes. “I didn't think there was too much in the game and I didn't think it was a great game. It lacked a bit of quality and we didn't carry enough of a threat,” said Naismith afterwards.

“One set-play moment cost us. I thought overall we defended their direct play, long balls and individual threats very well. We changed a bit in terms of how we defend and it showed in terms of how well the players have taken that in. One moment cost us three points.“I'm not sure exactly what it was but moments in the game and how quickly we got the ball into the final third wasn't quick enough. That's been something that's been at this team for a while.

“We move the ball well in terms of getting set up and when we did it well today we managed to get into the final third quite quickly and then it fizzled out. In the moments when we have that wee bit of hesitation, we play a sideways pass or a backwards pass which allowed them to creep up the pitch and slows the tempo.

“That for me was the biggest thing from what has been happening and what happened today. I wouldn't say that it's down to confidence, the way we are trying to do things is different to what has been getting done.

“Inevitably, given the small period of time, the players revert back to what has been the norm. In the good moments it was really good, we managed to get through them when we play and how we gained control at that start I was happy with. It's the small details which play a big part in the game.”

Hearts are now five points behind Aberdeen but Naismith insisted that is not an insurmountable gap. “After the game there's frustration that we've just lost a derby. We were all here expecting and wanting to win the game,” he said. “There's experienced players all around the group, injured or not injured, who understand football and have been in these situations before. All is not lost. We've lost a game. We've got time and we've got games on our side to go and perform well and get the results we need.

“What I'm pleased about is from how much [information] we've given them. I saw a good amount of detail that they've picked up that I'm hoping in another week's time, we'll be able to hold more of an attacking threat next week and create better chances because I thought at best today we had average chances.

“I'm confident these players can turn it round and start winning games. The club have got an expectation of being in Europe and finishing as high as they can every year, and that shouldn't change. Since I've come in, and since being around the players, there's no chat of third place. We need to give ourselves a chance of that by winning games. It's really just about winning games.”

Hearts lost defender Michael Smith to a suspected hamstring injury in the opening minutes, and Naismith admitted it doesn’t look good for the Northern Irishman at the moment. “To come off so early in the game, it's obviously going to be a bad one,” he admitted. “We won't know for about 48 hours but I would imagine it's not just a tight hammy.”