Frankie Kent sets Hearts cup aim and speaks on consistency

The English centre-back spoke to the press about his consistent game time, Hearts success, Craig Halkett and targeting a return to Hampden Park.

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It must be a pleasant place to be right now?

Yeah, it's nice. We are on a good run and hopefully, we can just maintain it. We know we can't be inconsistent with our play and our approach in games. We want to try and stay up there.

With such a commanding lead, how do you ensure there is no drop-off?

I suppose it is difficult because everyone says, 'I'm not looking at the league’. Obviously, you know the gap, we've seen the gap, but as a professional group – which I think you saw in the cup the other day - we just want to keep our foot down and keep going to win as many games as we can.

The manager wouldn't allow a drop-off anyway?

No, he wouldn't allow that to happen. We have a good group and hopefully, we can maintain it.

Is this more than you expected from your first season in Scotland in terms of where Hearts are at this point of the season?

No, not really. I felt this was probably what the aim was. It’s good that we are starting to progress as a team. At the start of the season, it was tough in terms of getting everyone used to it and how we wanted to play. We weren't getting the results we felt we deserved, although in saying that some of the performances weren't great. We have leveled that out now. There's no point thinking, ‘that's us done now, we’re all good’. We need to maintain it and stay on the front foot.

How much of an incentive is the prospect of European group-stage football next season?

Of course, yeah. It was obviously a big thing for coming here to have a chance to play in Europe. We got knocked out in the play-off rounds. We just want to finish as high as we can and see where that takes us. Third place is the one everyone wants to go for. Obviously, we would like to be a bit higher but that's what everyone is focusing on.

This must be an exciting time to be a Hearts player?

Of course, it is, yeah. You just want to maintain it, keep pushing and keep going every day in training. You look forward to the big games and big occasions. I've really enjoyed it.

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What have you improved on as a player here?

In fairness, I think I've been pretty similar the whole way through, especially the last couple of years. I'm that bit older and a bit more experienced. Maybe I'm trying to help a few of the younger boys but my confidence is quite high at the minute with how the games have been going and performances help with that. Hopefully, it can continue.

The Airdrie game was the first time this season you haven’t started. Is this the most consistent run of games you’ve had as a player?

In terms of runs of games, I have been quite fortunate – touch wood - to stay fit for the last four or five years. And I have been lucky enough to play quite a few games in that time as well. In terms of performances and the team doing well this is up there with the best seasons so far.

How hard is it to see Craig Halkett struggling again after such a long time out? You must have felt a difference when he was back in the team and playing alongside you.

It’s good to have everyone back and fit and available for selection. We have a good squad in the sense that one drops out and someone has to come in there has been no big difference. But Craig is a great player to play alongside so his was a welcome return. We had [Kye] Rowles away and he came back in straight away and fitted right in. So it’s good to have people coming back in and disappointing to have injuries but that’s part of it, it’s a squad game.

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Outsiders might think Craig’s injury gives you a better chance of playing but you want guys like him around the team?

Exactly. The more competition, the better. It drives training and it drives standards and brings healthy competition. So long may it continue.

Did you expect your start at Hearts to go this well on a personal level? You’ve played almost every minute and fans are singing about your magic hat. Did you expect to already be so ingrained in the club?

It’s nice to have the fan interaction and for them to take to me so well. But in terms of myself, I expected this to happen in a lot of ways. I have confidence in myself to know I could come here and do quite well. But obviously, as a team, it has been helped by how results have been going, really. The performances over the last two, three months, that’s what we were waiting for. It took us a while to get going. In terms of myself I was expecting to do this, I’d have been disappointed if I didn’t. I’m taking it game by game.

Hearts’ last trip to Hampden didn’t go according to plan, is that motivation to get back there and go one better by reaching a final?

Of course. That’s the aim, you want to win things and go as far as you can in cup competitions. The League Cup didn’t go to plan, we didn’t play too well that day. This is another opportunity. We need to get past Morton first, which will be a tough game. We saw that last week with them beating Motherwell. Every game is a tough game, if you don’t go in with the right mentality. We take it game by game. We have the game tomorrow and we’ll take it from there.