A comment Steven Naismith made following Heart of Midlothian's 1-0 defeat at St Mirren a week ago raised a few eyebrows.

"In some respects I’m pleased that both games are away from home so we can rectify the things I’ve been talking about straight away," he said.

The general feeling was that the last thing the team, the club, needed were two more games on the road. They had not been playing well. Add in the fact Hearts have not travelled all that well for a number of years, to put it lightly. The last time they recorded more than seven away victories in a top-flight league campaign was back in 2010/11. Last season it was just three. 

It is therefore easy to understand the skepticism from the support, some of whom pledged that Ross County would be their final trip for the foreseeable future, that heading into a double header at Rugby Park and then Dingwall was appealing despite success at both grounds in recent years.  

However, seven days later and the complexion has altered significantly.

Firstly, the 1,600 fans in the visiting stand had a rare old time of it. No doubt aided by plenty of libation, with The Mallard stowed out prior to kick-off, the Hearts support created an almighty din throughout, never letting up, even when the team meandered either side of half time. Alan Forrest's headed goal was greeted with elation. Secondly, come full-time Naismith's men sat fourth, heading into the Edinburgh derby on Saturday. With St Mirren and Rangers, the teams directly above them in the table, playing each other on Sunday afternoon there is a great opportunity to go into third and/or close the gap to second. Additionally, a derby win would put five points between themselves and their capital rivals.

Before looking ahead, however, it is important to look back. Questions were being asked of the players, management team and board - there were brief chants of 'sack the board' in Dingwall. Everything from the summer's managerial set-up which wasn't conventional to the team's style of play. 

READ MORE: Ross County 0 Hearts 1 Instant Analysis: Robust defence, system tweak

In the past week, there have been answers on the pitch. Now, neither performance, against Ross County or Kilmarnock, was perfect. Yet, there have been more encouraging signs and that has been what's required. To give the support some idea, some hope, some evidence of what is to come, beyond oodles of possession, little in the way of attacking threat and the giving up of cheap goals.

Against Killie there was a strong, purposeful start. More aggressive, more direct, more intense. That was the first half. In the second, standing up to pressure and responding to the concession of a goal. Kilmarnock pushed forward and Hearts had to dig in. Not only did they do that but they emerged with the winning goal thanks to the quality in their ranks late on.

Fast forward to Saturday against Ross County. It was a different game to the one at Rugby Park. It was back to having more than 60 per cent possession. The Staggies dropped deep and had every man behind the ball. Often it was a case of Zander Clark being the only player in the Hearts half. Again, there was a relatively positive start before the play slowed and attacking solutions weren't apparent.

Importantly, however, at the other end the team was robust and solid. The switch to a back three displayed Naismith's willingness to be flexible and also provided an extra layer of protection. The full-backs naturally push up in a back four when Hearts have so much of the ball meaning it is easier for opposition teams to counter if they have a strong runner as an out ball. That's less of a concern with three centre-backs. That increased solidity ensured the team had a platform, didn't give up a cheap goal and meant they weren't chasing the game.

READ MORE: In full: Steven Naismith reacts to Hearts win over Ross County

"In the first half we didn't look like conceding, but in the second half more attacking players could drop deeper and give us a bit more urgency," Naismith said. "It felt as if it was building, so I think this season we will continue to understand that we don't need to win the game in the first minute."

The defence and preventing the opposition from getting something they can hold onto is vital in that. It should be noted, Hearts have the best defensive record in the division with just three goals conceded. Add in the likes of Alex Lowry off the bench and more attacking options to come back, opposition teams will begin to become wary of sitting in and trying to soak up the pressure, knowing the Tynecastle Park side have these match winners who are more than capable of turning a game in their favour.

Hibs and their attacking threat, Rangers and Celtic will pose a completely different threat in the coming weeks because they will look to attack and even dominate the ball which may well be a nice change for Hearts. But looking further ahead, this past week has provided encouraging signs that slowly but surely - I mean it is only 13 games into the campaign, but in relation to the reactionary nature of football - Naismith's ideas are being translated onto the pitch.

It hasn't been perfect but it has been positive and points to progress.