Derby result needs to be a catalyst for Hearts

Going into last Sunday’s fixture, Hearts were on a terrible run of form with only one win in their last six games. This trend looked set to continue on the weekend after they found themselves 3-1 down going into the last 15 minutes. However, an immense comeback saw the side pull the result out of the bag with a 95^th-minute goal sealing all three points.

It was a magical moment for Hearts who, despite some recent good performances, hadn’t had much luck on the pitch. Defeats to Hibs, Rangers, as well as a draw against Montrose, had really knocked out the momentum the side had built up earlier in the campaign. However, after Sunday’s dramatic antics, Burt insists that Hearts must use this game to turn their season around.

“We asked questions about their character after the bad result against Montrose and they showed that in abundance,” he told the Edinburgh Evening News. “2-0 down, we brought it back to 2-1 and it could have been 2-2 at half-time. At half-time, we asked them to show a bit more character and then we went 3-1 down immediately. It would have been very easy for them to just lay down, and say ‘football isn’t fair and this is the way it is’ but they rolled up their sleeves and produced a couple of moments of magic.

“It was absolutely fantastic and it is a credit to themselves. Now we need to follow this up and this needs to be the changing point of this season. It can’t be stop-start, we now want to turn this around and go on a right run of form.”

Despite the recent poor run, Hearts’ standing in the table is still intact with the side sitting fourth in the SWPL1. However, after their record-breaking campaign last season, the Jam Tarts now hoped to close the gap on the top three with Champions League football becoming the ultimate aim in the next few years.

Hearts currently sit nine points off Glasgow City in third and 12 off the European spots. While the Edinburgh side stood little chance of breaking into the top three this season, reducing last campaign’s 29 points gap between third and fourth will certainly help them push on with their project. With Motherwell the next challenge for Hearts on Sunday, Burt is aiming for another good result before the international break.

“It was a great result today but now we want to follow it up with what will be another tough test against Motherwell next week,” he added. “We can’t get carried away, we made life difficult for ourselves today because of big key defensive moments we haven’t defended well and ultimately, that’s a worry. We can enjoy tonight but tomorrow, back to work.”