Heart of Midlothian go in search of their first win of the season this afternoon when they travel to face St Mirren in Paisley.

It will be the ninth attempt following a wretched start to the campaign. There have been a couple of good or decent performances during that spell. The best arrived on the opening day of the season against Rangers. It finished 0-0 but Hearts were the better side and should have won.

In the 1-0 loss to Viktoria Plzen in Czechia and the recent 2-0 defeat to Celtic, there were positives from a defensive and competitive point of view. But that is about it.

The performance at Dundee was poor. The way the team capitulated toward the end of the first half was worse. There was a decent spell at Motherwell. Only, the team were already 2-0 down and ended up losing 3-1. Hearts started the game well enough against Dundee United at Tynecastle Park but never looked like scoring with the 1-0 win to the visitors increasingly inevitable.

Losing 1-0 to Plzen at Tynecastle Park in the second leg of the Europa League play-off wasn't embarrassing. On the other hand, the manner in which they did so could be described as that. Then there was a defeat to Falkirk in the League Cup. Combine the team's wayward finishing to the defending and the end result was not surprising.

There is a lot of pressure on Steven Naismith and the team which they are well aware of. After all, Hearts are bottom of the league and have put together the worst eight-game spell to start the season in the club's history. There should be pressure.

There will also be an awareness that defeat to St Mirren on Saturday presents the distinct possibility that the atmosphere at Tynecastle Park for the Ross County very difficult. It's been witnessed before.

Naismith, speaking to the press on Friday, said: "Ultimately we need to get results."

The winless run cannot continue.

Defeating St Mirren ensures the pressure doesn't increase further. More than that, it needs to be the start of something more. Both in terms of results but also an upturn in the style and standard of performances. The Hearts head coach made reference to a lack of clear identity with the team's attacking play.

After last season's success where Hearts recorded an impressive points total as well the club's best performance away from home in the league in 30 years, there was hope that the team would evolve further this campaign under Naismith. To build on the positives of last season where the team were solid defensively and had a good structure, to become a team who were most exciting to watch, who were more competent, more effective at breaking down deep defences.

That has not been the case. In all honesty, it has gone the opposite way. Hearts look less likely to score goals.

For Hearts fans, it is hard to be optimistic. Understandable. No fanbase that has witnessed an eight-game winless spell to start the season could find reason to be optimistic. If there is a possible positive, the fixture list over the next six weeks is far from onerous. There is a great opportunity to put a run together, build momentum, march up the table and perform well in Europe. Such a run, coupled with positive attacking football, is the only way to change the mood music.

But, ultimately, it firstly requires that elusive win.

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The starting XI...

With that in mind, what team will Steven Naismith select for the St Mirren challenge?

Twelve months ago, Hearts travelled to Paisley and played a somewhat lop-sided formation with a four-man defensive backline. It was a game that followed a very familiar pattern. Hearts had a lot of the ball but struggled offensively and gave up an incredibly cheap goal in a 1-0 loss.

In the two games in Paisley since, Naismith has opted for a back three.

As as been discussed previously, it is a formation that provides plenty of defensive solidity but can hinder the team's attacking advances. It was viewed at Celtic Park last Saturday. There was more attacking impetus after a change to a back four.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see a back three, especially with Frankie Kent a doubt. That would mean a back three of Stephen Kingsley, Craig Halkett (or Kent) and Kye Rowles. A midfield three of Beni Baningime, Malachi Boateng and Jorge Grant, flanked by James Penrice and Gerald Taylor, with a front two of Kenneth Vargas and Lawrence Shankland.

That would mean the same XI in back-to-back games but Naismith could sense an opportunity to try and make a statement with a win and more attacking performance.

(Image: BeFunky)

A centre-back partnership of Halkett and  Kingsley - solid but not the quickest - could be protected by Boateng and Baningime. That quartet attacking as a defensive platform to allow the others to break St Mirren down.

Penrice has been one of the team's most consistent performers. The same can't be said for Taylor but against both sides of the Old Firm he has shown plenty of promise and quality. Both can provide attacking width and thrust.

It would allow a front four of Blair Spittal, Yan Dhanda, Vargas and Shankland to scheme, create and try to score.

Spittal had a positive introduction from the bench in an inside left position and then Vargas or Dhanda can play narrow on the right with Vargas stretching centrally or out wide and the hope of opening up space for Shankland against the Buddies' three-man back line.