Hearts need to use League Cup opportunity as launchpad

Steven Naismith was in the middle of being asked about the club's poor League Cup record when he interjected with a matter-of-fact point. He is bang on the money.

Heart of Midlothian have underperformed in relation to their standing within Scottish football. No competition highlights this more than the League Cup. The last time the club won the country's secondary cup trophy was in 1962. Come December's final, more than 61 years will have passed, just 22,331 days, since a 1-0 win over Kilmarnock at Hampden Park. As baffling, during those 61 years Hearts have managed to make just two finals, the last in 2013 when they lost to St Mirren.

It is a situation which provokes greater agitation each passing year. Last season it was this evening's opponents who put the side out. It wasn't a disaster due to the team's involvement in European group stage football. This time around, progression is the demand. Nothing else.

READ MORE: The key areas where St Mirren v Hearts was won and lost

With Celtic already out, at the hands of Killie, and Rangers looking vulnerable there is a "real opportunity" as Naismith put it.

"In my time as a player I was in two semifinals, two finals, two penalty kicks away from winning the Scottish Cup," he said. "They are small margins. But it is a great opportunity to get to that next stage which is the semi-final. In those moments you get a sense you aren't far away. We have got to know that, understand that and a lot of the players in the changing room have been there and experienced that. We have got to use that to give us that mentality to go and win the game."

They will have to beat a Kilmarnock side who have won just twice against top-flight opposition this season so far, Celtic and Rangers, but showed their capacity to make life very difficult for Hearts earlier in the campaign at Tynecastle. Naismith sought to point out their shrewd recruitment but, interestingly, also raised the issue of the pitch, while noting, "we will need to change some things that we try to do to make sure we can carry a threat and we don't get caught with the way the pitch is."

This game offers not one but two opportunities for Hearts and Naismith. Firstly, the team are just one win away from a Hampden Park semi-final and two from potential cup glory. Additionally, the possibility to alleviate some of the external noise which has been building around the team, around the head coach. An exit in Ayrshire will see the dial turned up further amongst an increasingly disgruntled fan base.

Naismith did not look or sound like a man feeling the pressure or strain. It is no surprise considering he has been at Rangers as a player. He was there when the club were liquidated, moving on to Everton, going on to play more than 100 times in the Premier League. He surpassed the 50 mark for Scotland and has been part of the football club in Gorgie since 2018. 

"I'm not aware of any individually but I'm pretty sure there will be because I've experienced and seen it at the club over the last six years," he said. "If there isn't a win at the weekend then the fans aren't happy."

READ MORE: Hearts predicted line-up v Kilmarnock: Atkinson replacement, back 3?

Speaking to and listening to Naismith, it is clear he is convinced that what the team are doing on the training pitch, the style they are aiming to implement is the right course of action that will provide long-term success over short-term gain. It appears that he has taken this action having observed the team as a player and then as a coach, wanting to do things differently than what has gone before. 

"I believe in what we are doing," he said. "Getting that instant success overnight ain't going to happen, it is never going to happen when there is any change. I think if we can get through this period the long-term foundations are much better for a longer term success.

"I've been around the club long enough to know that yes, you can make a few changes here or there and you can get a reaction and there might be a period of looking good. If you really want to move the club forward to that next level then you need to make sure every aspect of it is in sync and in line. Quick fixes for me don't work."

Cammy Devlin was one player who made it patently clear on more than one occasion that the team have "so much faith and belief" in what Naismith and the management team are doing. 

READ MORE: Hearts fans short changed with team lacking identity

For the fans, they can only make their judgement on what they have been presented with on the field. Nine wins from the last 29, one away league win all year and seven points from six games which, on paper, was a very favourable start to the season. Their impatience is understandable. 

Victory at Rugby Park could act as a staging post in the season, a possible launch pad. Naismith spoke of the confidence which can come on the "back of" getting into a cup semi-final, how players feel afterwards.

"Having this game so quickly after the disappointing game at the weekend gives us that opportunity to bounce back," he said. "Having the two away games this week helps because we've highlighted the fact away from home we're not playing like we do when we are at home. Again it gives us an opportunity to show that we are making change on that front. The main aim is to go there and compete first of all and then get through in the tie and into a semi-final."

Naismith will know more than anyone that one victory won't suddenly make everything positive. But it can change the mood music. It can mark a point in the sand where the team move forward from and build momentum. It could be the moment the players, the club, the fans look back on and pinpoint as the start of something.