Did Hearts win over Spartans show need for striker signing?

The team progressed into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup. Job done. 

Now, usually, we would delve deep into the game. Look at where it was won or lost. Pick out tactical ploys or patterns of play. In reality, there is not much in the way of fascinating detail. Hearts had a lot of the ball and made plenty of passes, too many in the view of Steven Naismith, but didn't regularly trouble Carswell until the League Two side leveled. The Spartans scored with a wonder goal which, by all accounts, appeared offside while Hearts netted the winner via a corner.

So, following on from Saturday's instant analysis, let's see what we did learn...

READ MORE: Scott Fraser: Hearts closing in on second signing of January transfer window

Auchinleck, not Brora (thankfully)

Watching the game unfold at Ainslie Park, it was difficult to be excited. In fact, the majority of the match provoked frustration. The number of passes, the lack of incision, the final pass or decision often let the team down, namely when trying to thread a pass in behind for a runner only for it to roll out of play. 

Naismith and Kent both praised the team for continuing to do the "same stuff", not panicking or thumping it long. That desperation can offer the underdogs more encouragement. Hearts made sure their opponents never looked like building on that equaliser but the team required to play with much more urgency and intensity much sooner.

There may well be rustiness at play after time off following an intense period across November, December and January. Look around the fourth round of the Scottish Cup and Hearts weren't the only top-flight team to find it far from straightforward. St Johnstone and Ross County lost to lower-league opposition, albeit from the Championship, while St Mirren and Hibs also edged through courtesy of one-goal wins, against third and fourth-tier opposition respectively.

Hearts fans know well the struggles against lowly opposition. Both good and bad. A narrow win over Auchinleck started a run to the 2012 Scottish Cup. Then there was Brora. Let's move on.

Lembikisa urgency

If Dexter Lembikisa can replicate his cameo appearance across his loan spell he will become a huge hit with Hearts fans. 

"That urgency and intensity I spoke about, he gave us it," Naismith said. "First time he gets the ball, he takes his man on, beats him and puts it in the box."

Supporters in Scotland, especially those of a maroon and white persuasion, like direct players. Lembikisa showed that mentality. His first thought was to go forward. There was an old-winger quality to him as well with the way he would face his opponent up, knock it down the wing, use his pace and then cross it.

His injection of pace is a huge positive to the team and could become well-liked by the support if he brings that willingness to fly up and down the right-hand side to Tynecastle Park.

READ MORE: Frankie Kent relieved as Hearts shake off Spartans equaliser to seal late win

Another striker?

Saturday provided a snapshot of what life would look like for Hearts without Lawrence Shankland. It was an opportunity for Kyosuke Tagawa. One he didn't take. Unfortunately for the Japanese forward it wasn't one where he could consider him unlucky with a couple of chances or if certain decisions didn't come off. He simply didn't show enough during his time on the pitch. It was a microcosm of his Hearts career so far. Not helped by injury, he has struggled to adapt to Scottish football.

"I didn't think we had enough goal threat at times" was Naismith's verdict.

Everyone knows the stats around Shankland's goals and those of the rest of the team. Take a look at the below graph for shots in Premiership games. Shankland leads on 74. Liam Boyce is next on 24 then Alex Lowry on 19 as well as Alan Forrest. Boyce and Lowry have both started fewer than half of the league games.

Encouragingly, Kenneth Vargas looks primed to step up in the second half of the season and become a more central figure. He's now out in front of own goal as the club's second-top scorer. He's getting into good areas, becoming much more involved in possession and could well be the partner the club have wanted for Shankland since Josh Ginnelly's departure.

But with the team in a good position to finish third and with the second half of last season still in the mind of many at the club, another option would be welcomed by supporters with Kevin van Veen's name on the lips of many. The club may well point to Vargas' continued progress and a returning Liam Boyce as the firepower required to support Shankland.

James Wilson's Hearts value

Hearts have high hopes for James Wilson. That much is clear. The club did ever so well to keep him at Tynecastle despite extensive interest from some of the biggest names in English football. Steven Naismith has been keen to involve him in the first-team environment. The 16-year-old was part of the team's pre-season and has been on the bench for three Premiership games since Naismith took interim charge towards the end of last season.

The Hearts head coach said the forward's reward for his hard work was being around the first team. His debut in the second half at Ainslie Park was because he was trusted to help improve the team's attack. It has been a big few weeks for the teenager. He has stepped into Makenzie Kirk's goal-scoring boots for the B team, netting a hat-trick earlier this month.

Wilson looks like a teenager and still appears some way away from being a first-team regular. His physique will grow and become more robust to handle playing at such a level but his debut says a lot about how highly Hearts value him.

READ MORE: How Steven Naismith wants Hearts to get better at producing academy talent

Positional switches

There were a couple of interesting positional tweaks or patterns that did stand out during the game. Firstly, Alan Forrest continued to display his flexibility. He has played on the right and left-wing, he's played as a wing-back and a striker. Now, he can add attacking midfielder to his repertoire. He and Jorge Grant were tasked with helping Hearts probe their opponents centrally. Forrest, who recently signed a new deal, started brightly and would often move left and provide more attacking width or link with Stephen Kingsley and Grant. It was his run that created the space for Grant to cut in and deliver a tantalising cross which Vargas finished.

Then there was Kingsley. He was playing left centre-back. But when Hearts advanced he would turn into a left wing-back. This allowed Alex Cochrane to move centrally and add another passing option in the middle. In turn, if offered Grant and Forrest more licence to push forward and his role would have helped guard against any counter-attacks. The Englishman playing a centre midfield position could become even more familiar as the season progresses.