Hearts kick-start their campaign in the bottom six of the William Hill Premiership against Dundee at Tynecastle on Saturday (15.00) and the pressure is really on.
Neil Critchley’s (pictured) side have a fine past record to look back on with seven wins against the Tayside team in their last ten meetings. Dundee have won three and during that spell, Hearts have scored 23 goals and let in 11 with four clean sheets.
The Men in Maroon have won their last three home league games against Tony Docherty’s side who conceded six without reply when Hearts visited Dens Park on February 1.
A win, by whatever margin, is what Critchley craves and he is looking for 15 points from the five games the Jambos have left to play.
Critchley admitted it has been tough since the Scottish Gas, Scottish Cup defeat to Aberdeen at Hampden but he wants to turn that disappointmenty into motivation.
He urged his men to show the right level of commitment and fight and he said: “We have five games and 15 points to play for.”
The Jambos sit in seventh spot with 40 points from 33 outings. They have scored 43 goals and let in 44. Dundee are ninth with 34 points from 33 games. They have scored 50 goals and let in 71, the worst goals against total in the division.
It’s tight at the bottom with Motherwell eighth with 39 points, Kilmarnock ninth with 35, the same total as Ross County who are tenth. St Johnstone, who prop up the table, have 29 points.
The main danger man for the Jambos is Simon Murray with 21 goals in 41 games for the struggling Tayside team.
The 33-year-old was quoted in midweek as having an ambition to play for Scotland, goals which could keep Dundee in the top league could go a long way to helping the player achieve that.
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