Derek McInnes left Tynecastle with his men on 19 points from seven games and five points clear at the summit of the William Hill Premiership and he said: “We got out reward for perseverance.”
Craig Halkett’s volley at the back post after 91 bruising minutes separated the teams in the Edinburgh derby.
It was frantic and wind affected and the goal added another late winner to the Gorgie men’s record so far this term.
Tynecastle erupted at the game-winner and McInnes praised 24-year-old Albanian winger, Sabah Kerjota, for what he described as a “lovely weighted cross”.
Defender Halkett (pictured by Nigel Duncan) was, said the head coach, so good at judging the flight of the ball and he added: “It was a real strikers finish.
“He (Halkett) was obviously a striker by trade as a youngster and it is a lovely finish. Great to get the points and great to see Tynecastle the way it was. The noise level was magnificent.”
McInnes argued that the game in front of over 18,000 fans was frantic and never really settled. The wind added to the chaos.
He revealed that the coaching staff had set up two different systems and we the players were made aware of the threat of Martin Boyle of the shoulder.
The former Aberdeen and Kilmarnock boss said: “In the main we had to deal with long throw-ins into the box and we had to stand up to that. From that point of view we did well and we had to deal with quite a lot of traffic going into the box.
“We spoke at half-time and we were playing well enough to get a point, but at we’re a home team, trying to win a game and we needed to be a bit more productive going into the final third.
“We needed to put the ball in the box more when we had a chance.”
However, McInnes added: “It was a really positive day for us. We have a mentality in the dressing-room and that determination that something is going to be there for us. Long may that continue.”
His counterpart, David Gray, rued missed chances in the game and told BBC Sport Scotland: “It probably sums up our season, not taking our chances when they come.”
