Derek McInnes admitted that games against clubs in other divisions can catch teams like Hearts out, but, once again the Tynecastle team’s approach was good and the squad came through the Premier Sports Cup clash with Stirling Albion from Scottish League Two with a 4-0 win.
Three of the goals came inside the first 38 minutes, and the club’s head coach told Hearts TV that coming away from home in a cup competition can be difficult.
Stirling Albion, he admitted, surprised the Tynecastle coaching team, coming in with a back four, something with McInnes said they have never done. Albion, he argued, are normally a back five, but the tactical move, he admitted, helped the visitors.
He said: “It was a bit more straight forward in terms of two wingers, two strikers. We got a lot right in the first half, especially in the early periods. They made a wee change before half time and came out second half, bolstered the middle of the pitch, with a 5-3-1-1, and it meant us going round the houses a bit more. We needed to be a little sharper. We wanted to show that penetration.
“We won 4-0, that’s 12 goals and one conceded (in the Premier Sports Cup), goalkeeper Zander Clark has not made a save and we would have taken that before the game but, equally, I still think there is more to come.”
McInnes said: “We got one goal second half but we should really be showing a lot more authority in terms of creating chances. Not completely happy but happy with the approach of the team.”
There were, he said, good combinations, some involving Alan Forrest, Harry Milne and Alexandros Kyziridis, and some good striking movements between Lawrence Shankland and Claudio Braga. They were well supported.
Demanding McInnes said: “You need to be aggressive in the first contact and look after the first pass, so there was a lot of that, but I was still looking for a bit more even within that first half in terms of the types of crosses we put in, when to cross and decision making at times.
“I am also conscious that pre-season, these games are to sharpen up your work but, because the focus is on you to win games competitively, it is not always straight forward. We got the job done and we are back in training on Sunday.
“Get some training into the lads, see them assessed in terms of injuries.”
Beni Baningime was a noteable absentee at Forthbank because of a strain from training on Friday. He was not expected to train on Sunday but, hopefully, he will be ready to play some part in the game against Dumbarton at Tynecastle on Wednesday (kick-off 19.45) in the same competition.
The ex-Aberdeen and Kilmarnock boss added that good habits, winning games, clean sheets are what his is looking for but he stressed: “Listen, we are a wee bit short of what I am looking for.”
McInnes also praised 2,000 fans for coming to Stirling in big numbers in the heavy rain and he said: “I am finding out about the team, they want to find out about the team, and any time you make the effort to travel it is important to see the team win and get a wee flavour of what we could be.
“Bigger challenges ahead, of course, but we dealt with the challenge that was here today.”
TALK-IN: Training chat between Derek McInnes (right) and Blair Spittal. Picture Nigel Duncan
