Frankie Kent believes it is good to test yourself against top teams early on in the season and Aberdeen are the visitors to Tynecastle on Monday night (kick-off 8pm) as Hearts open their campaign in the William Hill Premiership.
The big defender believes the Scottish Cup holders are, in his words, “a good team” and the opening clash in the William Hill Premiership, live on Sky Sports, with a full-house inside Tynecastle, is, according to Kent, a barometer of where the Jambos are since new head coach, Derek McInnes, took over.
The former Arsenal Academy player said: “It’s a fresh start, a fresh season, and we are trying to build off the pre-season we have had, the positivity around the place, and are looking to putting that into the first game.
“Monday should be good, I’m excited and all the boys are as well. We aim to get off to a positive start.”
Kent said there had been a massive change in the squad which is now a big group, but the players have spent a lot of time together, including a week of warm-weather training in Spain which helped the players bond.
The 29-year-old added: “We have good characters and good attitudes in the group and they have mixed with what we already had here, which was a quality group. Everybody has gelled quite well.”
The squad is the biggest he has been involved with and that breeds competition for places. He added: “Training, since we got back, has been very high intensity, everybody trying to impress and prove themselves and be in the squad and be a valued member of the squad.
“It is exciting to see and you need that re-fresh at times. It is nice as players to have that motivation.”
Kent had more of what he called a “back seat” last season because of injury, but he added that the squad felt they were capable of making the top six but did not meet the standards required.
He stressed: “We want to put that right and we are excited to do that.”
