Hearts Archives - Page 6 of 10

Hearts 1 – 1 Dundee United: Stephenson header earns point for United at Tynecastle

Hearts 1 – 1 Dundee United Kucherenko (25′ OG) Stephenson (45′) Hearts’ unbeaten start to the Scottish Premiership continued after a frantic draw against Dundee United. It was a breathless start in front of a sellout Tynecastle crowd, but the first opening didn’t occur until the 7th minute. Ivan Dolcek slid Zac Sapsford through on Alexander Schwolow’s goal; the attacker cleverly dinked the Austrian goalkeeper to score, but play was brought back for offside. Tomas Bent Magnusson responded for Hearts in the 13th minute. A right-sided corner dropped kindly to the Norwegian on the edge of the box, and his sliced strike forced Yevhen Kucherenko into an important save. Pierre Landry Kabore, fresh off a brace against Dundee eight days ago, was next to test his luck. His left-footed strike had power, but drifted wide of the goal frame. Dario Naamo unleashed Amar Fatah behind the Hearts defence after 17 minutes. The Swede skewed his right-footed shot wide, but the play was brought back again for offside. Oisin McEntee ventured down the United left, and Kabore connected with his fizzed cross to head over, bringing an exhausting opening 20 minutes to a close. A Kucherenko own goal gave Hearts the lead after 25 minutes. Braga found Kyziridis on the edge of the box, and after shifting the ball onto his right foot, he curled a low strike which deflected in off the goalkeeper’s body. Dundee United carried a threat on occasion and grew into the first period. A looping backpost cross found Fatah, who cushioned his header past Schwolow’s goal in the 32nd minute. The visitors almost equalised on the stroke of halftime. Schwolow raced off his line to clear a loose ball, which cannoned off on the onrushing Dolcek. Luckily for Derek McInnes’s side, the deflection fizzed wide. The goal eventually arrived in the 45th minute. Fatah’s backpost corner kick delivery was headed back across the goal by Liverpool loanee Luca Stephenson to spark mayhem in the away end. McInnes opted for a double change at halftime, as they aimed to cement a 10th league victory of the season by bringing on Stephen Kingsley and Michael Steinwender. The changes helped pen the visitors back, and Kucherenko gathered Steinwender’s looping header after 52 minutes as they searched for a second goal. United responded on the hour mark, Fatah drove at the Hearts’ backline, but his blazing strike went high into the Roseburn Stand. Premiership top goalscorer Lawrence Shankland volleyed over a Kyziridis’ cutback as the Tynecastle faithful spurred on their team. The tension was palpable as they aimed to maintain their nine-point league lead. United had the ball in the net in the 71st minute. Sapsford megged Stuart Findlay before drilling the ball across the goal for Fatah to tap home. Once more, play was brought back for an offside. Neither team were able to force the winning goal, and a point felt like a fair result. The Jambos move onto 30 points at the top of the Scottish Premiership, but their lead could be reduced to four if Celtic beat Kilmarnock at Celtic Park. Dundee United remain in the bottom six, but looked far better than their abject showing against Motherwell eleven days ago. They face Falkirk at Tannadice after the international break, with Hearts visiting Aberdeen the day after. Heart of Midlothian: Schwolow 6 McEntee 6 Halkett 7 Findlay 7 Milne 6 Magnusson 6 Devlin 7 Braga 6 Kyziridis 7 Kabore 5 Shankland 6 Substitutes: Steinwender 6 Kingsley 6 Ageu 5 Kerjota 5 Dundee United: Kucherenko 7 Iovu 7 Esselink 7 Keresztes 7 Naamo 6 Dolcek 7 Stephenson 7 Sevelj 6 Camara 7 Fatah 6 Sapsford 7 Substitutes: N/A

November 9, 2025

In-Form Hearts Travel to St Mirren Eyeing Ninth Straight Victory

St Mirren host Hearts this evening at the SMiSA Stadium in Paisley in what promises to be a pivotal encounter for both sides. Hearts arrive on the back of an excellent win against Celtic, while St Mirren will be looking to halt a difficult run and reignite their campaign on home soil. Hearts currently sit top of the Scottish Premiership table, having played nine games, registered eight wins and one draw and remain unbeaten in the league so far. They have scored 22 goals and conceded just 7, giving them a goal-difference of +15. Their strong form reflects the confidence within the squad and the impact of manager Derek McInnes since the campaign begun. By contrast, St Mirren have found life more challenging this season. They are currently ninth in the table after nine games, picking up two wins, three draws and four defeats to amass 9 points, with a goal-difference of -4 (6 goals scored, 10 conceded). Although the season is just getting started, the Paisley side will feel the pressure to deliver a positive result at home to a visiting Hearts side. This evening’s fixture pits Hearts’ relentless momentum against St Mirren’s determination to reignite their season. The visitors will aim to extend their unbeaten run and tighten their hold on first place, while the Buddies will be desperate to turn recent frustrations into fuel and remind the league of their quality on home turf. St Mirren will be without Alex Gogic tonight through suspension and their manager will watch on from the stands after being shown red against Aberdeen last weekend. Hearts have no major injury reports within the current and consistent starting lineup.

October 29, 2025

Robinson Focused on “Turning Performances into Results” ahead of Hearts Clash

St Mirren have endured three straight Scottish Premiership defeats, but manager Stephen Robinson is confident that “the results will follow” as his side hosts high-flying Hearts on Wednesday evening. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Robinson said,” People only see the result and the end product, and of course, that’s ultimately what matters. But in the last two games, we’ve actually played better than the games that we’ve won this season” “I’m very confident in that we know what we need to do better. We had 35 crosses, we had 13 corners, and we had, I believe, 24 shots, but only three on target,” “which tells you that is where the problem lies. That’s as a team. It’s not as just centre forwards alone or forward players. It’s from set plays, we have to score more.” The Buddies return to the SMISA Stadium, a ground where Robinson believes his side can “compete with every team.” “There’s never a game where we feel we are massively under the cosh. We’ve dominated large parts of possession.” “But we know what we’ve got in the building. We know what we’re working to achieve, and had we won on Saturday, we’d be third. So all this needs to be put into perspective.” “We’ve lost three in a row. I didn’t think we were the best team in the world when we lost one in 18. Certainly, I don’t think we’re the worst team in the world. We’re playing well. It’s now turning that performance into results” Robinson’s side face a Hearts team currently top of the Scottish Premiership, the manager expressed praise for Derek McInnes, but aims to “put an end to that run”, which has seen them move eight points clear. “I love the fact that a UK manager, Scottish manager, has proven that he’s as good as everybody else, which was never any doubt.” “Delighted that Derek has done well, but obviously not tomorrow night. We aim to hopefully put an end to that run. We have to be right at the top of our game; they’ll bring brilliant support. They’ve got a very good squad of players. Their bench is strong. We know that, but so are we.” “We’ve beaten Hearts already this season, went all the way to penalties, so it’ll be a close game, and since then, they’ve had a really good run of form. So it’s a tough game.” St Mirren v Heart of Midlothian The SMISA Stadium 7:45pm Wed 29 Oct 2025

October 28, 2025

“There is No Pressure” – Alexandros Kyziridis

Hearts’ Alexandros Kyziridis insists him and his teammates are taking things a game at a time, as the Jambos extended their lead on Celtic to eight points yesterday. The Greek winger netted his side’s second in a 3-1 win over the defending champions, with a Dane Murray own goal and a Lawrence Shankland penalty also helping the Edinburgh side on their way. But Kyziridis was keen to play down any title talk just yet. “[I feel] amazing. Lots of feelings, but just for today. Tomorrow we need to be focused on our Wednesday game” he said post match. “I don’t want to talk about that [title bid], it was just a game. So many games are left, so we just need to be focussed on every game, game by game.” The summer recruit’s fifth goal of the season comes days after him and his wife introduced their newborn son to the world. “By far the best week of my life. It [preparation] was hard for me, but I will need to get used to it. “I sleep well, thanks to my wife! She looks for him, while I sleep, so I sleep well, thanks to her.” Impressive strikes from outside the box are becoming a calling card for 25 year-old, but he believes this group of players won’t be getting carried away with their fine start just yet. “There is no pressure. We are enjoying it and we have to continue like this. “For us, it’s important to see it game by game. We don’t want to see what happens in the future, no one knows. We just need to be humble and do our job, and this is what I will do.” Kyziridis is yet to be capped for the Greece national side, but the Hearts fan-favourite is eager to change this. “It’s one of my targets, for sure. “It’s a honour to play for your national team, I’m waiting and if they need me, I will be there, and I know that we play against Scotland!” Hearts travel to St. Mirren on Wednesday as they hope to maintain their unbeaten start to the league season, with the Paisley side the only team to defeat them domestically this campaign when they dumped them from the Premier Sports Cup in August.

October 27, 2025

Hearts Go Eight Clear After Victory Over Celtic

Hearts 3-1 Celtic Murray (O.G) (8′), McGregor (12′) Kyziridis (51′) Shankland (pen) (54′) Hearts title challenge gained some serious credibility after a statement 3-1 victory over current holders Celtic at Tynecastle. An early opener courtesy of a Dane Murray own goal was quickly cancelled out by Callum McGregor, before a second half strike from Alexandros Kyziridis and a Lawrence Shankland penalty sparked chants of ‘we shall not be moved’ around Gorgie. The result moves the maroon side of Edinburgh eight points clear of Celtic, with a chance to make it eleven on Saturday, provided both sides win midweek, due to Celtic playing in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final. The home side got off to a flyer eight minutes in when Dane Murray booted the ball into his own goal. Alexandros Kyziridis’s ball was headed back across for Claudio Braga, who forced a terrific save from Kasper Schmeichel. The rebound was followed up on by Hearts captain Shankland, going as far as young Murray, who’s botched clearance nearly burst the net. Despite it being early, there was a sense that a Hearts opener was looming. The champions responded in typical fashion however just four minutes later, with skipper Callum McGregor finding the bottom right corner from close range. The Celtic midfielder was picked out by Tunisian winger Kieran Tierney, before rolling home the equaliser. Hearts were nearly put back in front just after the half hour mark by another own goal from another Celtic academy graduate. Dane Murray done well to initially defend a Kyziridis ball in, but his clearance ricocheted off Colby Donovan and came agonisingly close to nestling into the bottom right corner. Benjamin Nygren had Celtic’s best opportunity to take the lead 38 minutes in. Reo Hatate done well to intercept a loose ball from Hearts ‘keeper Alexander Schwolow, but he more than made up for it when he denied the Swede inside the six-yard box with an incredible save at the end of a Hoops move. Tynecastle would soon be rocking just five minutes after the restart. Kyziridis picked the ball up from the left wing, and was afforded too much room as he rifled one into Schmeichel’s bottom left corner from the edge of the box to net his fifth goal of the season. And the Hearts had barely had a chance to catch their breath back before referee Steven McLean awarded the Jambos a spot kick. Dane Murray’s clumsy challenge on Claudio Braga gave Lawrence Shankland the chance to mark his 150th Hearts appearance with a goal, and the striker made no mistake in finding the bottom left corner despite Schmeichel guessing the correct way. Hearts had a massive chance to put the cherry on top with 15 minutes to go. Shankland sparked a counter-attack after beating Liam Scales and finding Claudio Braga. The Portuguese winger put Ague through, but the Brazilian put his effort straight at Schmeichel on his Tynecastle debut. Hearts remain the only side unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership, and have beaten both sides of Glasgow already. Their title challenge goes full steam ahead towards Paisley as they take on St. Mirren for the first time since the Buddies dumped them out the Premier Sports Cup on Wednesday. As for Celtic, they will be eager to get back to winning ways when they host Falkirk also for the first time since eliminating them from the League Cup before gearing up for the same competition’s semi-final with Rangers on Sunday. HEARTS: Schwolow 5, Kingsley 6 (McCart 90’ 1), Findlay 7, Halkett 6, McEntee 5 (Steinwender 70’2), Kyziridis 8 (Ague 70’ 1), Baningime 7, Devlin 6, Milne 6, Shankland 6 (Kabangu 90’ 1), Braga 6 (Magnusson 80’1) CELTIC: Schmeichel 4, Donovan 5, Murray 3, Scales 4, Tierney 5, Engels 4, McGregor 6, Hatate 4 (Forrest 59’ 2), Nygren 4 (McCowan 70’2), Kenny 3 (Yamada 59’2), Tounekti 6 (Balikwisha 59’ 2)

October 26, 2025

Derek McInnes: The Calm Mind Driving Hearts’ Charge

Hearts manager Derek McInnes joined Si Ferry on the Open Goal podcast and gave fans a real look inside the club’s flying start to the season. Sitting top of the Premiership, McInnes came across calm, grounded and focused, not getting carried away with the hype around Hearts’ form. He admitted expectations are high in Gorgie but said the squad are thriving under that pressure. For him it’s all about keeping standards high every day and sticking to the plan. He said the Jam Tarts’ position in the table is no fluke. It’s been earned through hard work and organisation. Talking recruitment, the Jambos boss explained how data and analytics help shape decisions but he’s still old-school at heart. Stats might flag up a player, but attitude and character make the final difference. He made it clear that you can’t measure personality, a reminder that he values people as much as performance. He was full of praise for Cammy Devlin, calling him a key part of the team’s spirit and intensity. McInnes also urged patience with new signings, saying some need time to adapt to the demands at the Edinburgh club. The 54-year-old said wants his side to play with edge and aggression both in training and on matchdays. He said he wants a bit of ferocity about the team, and it’s clear that mentality is spreading through the squad. Looking ahead, he knows it’s crucial to keep the momentum going as his side could making history this season.

October 23, 2025

Hearts in “Good Place” ahead of Celtic Visit – McInnes

Hearts host Celtic at Tynecastle this weekend, seeking to extend their lead at the summit of the Scottish Premiership to eight points. Talking to the media on Wednesday, McInnes said his team “are facing the toughest challenge”. “Celtic always provide the toughest challenge, certainly in recent seasons, and it’s another test for us, but it’s a test that we are looking forward to.” “I think we are going into it in a good place, I think we feel ready, I think the supporters feel ready for it, Tynecastle will be ready for it.” Saturday’s three-nil victory over Kilmarnock was Hearts’ fifth straight league victory, and they are now unbeaten in 12 of 13 games since McInnes took over. “Regardless of what we have done previously in previous games, there are good references and some good performances up until now, but it doesn’t guarantee anything, The expectation around the Tynecastle side continues to grow, but for McInnes, “the expectation is on ourselves” “The season is still only eight games in, it’s very early, whether you’re in good form or in poorer form for any team, there’s still so much of the season ahead.” “The time to just judge the team is at the end of the season, not after eight games, but I do think people can see there is plenty of encouragement being given by what the players are giving, and it’s important we just keep trying to tap into that.” McInnes and Rodgers will meet in the dugout for the 23rd time; past meetings have included Scottish and League Cup finals. The Hearts manager was full of praise for his opposite number, “I’ve played against Brendan’s teams often enough, and he is such a top manager, a top operator, and Celtic are littered with top players, They spend the money on the squad they’ve got because and the demand, and they are such a good high-level of player, so we’ve got our work cut out on Sunday to get a result.” “I’m focusing on us trying to be the toughest opponent for them, and making sure our performance gives us a chance”

October 22, 2025

Hearts icon believes consistency is key as title talk grows for McInnes’ men

Ex-Hearts midfielder calls for focus and consistency as title talk grows amongst the Jam Tart faithful. Former Jambo star Ryan Stevenson has applauded the progress being made at Tynecastle but believes the team must stay grounded as excitement builds around Derek McInnes’ side. Writing in his column with the Daily Record, Stevenson said that while supporters are already looking ahead to the upcoming clash with Celtic, Hearts can’t afford to overlook the challenges that come before it: “Most fans have an eye on the Celtic game which is looming on Sunday week,” he explained. “But I can’t state enough how important it is to make sure the work is done successfully at Rugby Park beforehand.” The former midfielder suggested that the real test of character often comes in the less glamorous fixtures: He continued: “Games against Celtic or Rangers take care of themselves. “With the greatest of respect, you’re not exactly bouncing out of bed for a trip to play on the artificial pitch at Killie. But that’s where you find out what kind of team you are.” The 41-year-old also addressed talk of a potential title challenge, urging fans to keep expectations in check until Hearts prove their consistency: “I thought Hearts’ title talk could wait but win the next two and it’s complete and utter lift-off.” The former St Johnstone man’s comments show both optimism and caution, acknowledging the positive impact being made under McInnes while reminding everyone that success won’t come overnight. Stevenson believes the foundations are strong but insists the Gorgie boys must continue to show the same intensity and focus every week if they want to turn early promise into something lasting.

October 17, 2025

Hearts Scoop September Accolades after Impressive Showings

Derek McInnes has been named Manager of the Month for September as his positive tenure continues at Tynecastle. Victories over Rangers and Falkirk consolidated The Jambos’ position at the top of the league, remaining unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership. They recently edged the first Edinburgh Derby of the season to move onto 19 points, two ahead of nearest challengers Celtic. McInnes said, “I love it here, it been a long time for me coming here, I always thought this was a job that I wanted to be at, I’m working with some good people, Graeme Jones and the board, but the players have been first class, in terms of their efforts day in day out, and I think for us we feel that we can be successful here,”. Lawrence Shankland and Alexandros Kyziridis picked up personal accolades, as Hearts swept all of the September awards. Shankland won the player of the month, scoring three goals in two games, including a crucial brace against Rangers. The captain scored in each half, firing Hearts to their first victory over Rangers in 19 attempts, and their first Ibrox triumph since 2014. He also drilled a low strike under Scott Bain two weeks later, as part of a comfortable 3-0 home victory over Falkirk. Kyziridis is turning into a fan favourite in Gorgie and has started Hearts’ last three league matches since his injury-time winner over Livingston. He scooped up the September goal of the month award for a stunning strike against Falkirk. The Greek winger cut in off the left, beating several Falkirk bodies before unleashing an arrowing right-footed strike into the top corner. It was a strike worthy of winning goal of the season, and opened the scoring for McInnes’ men. The Jambos return to league action on Saturday evening, travelling to East Ayrshire to face Kilmarnock. Eight days later, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic visit Tynecastle in a potential top-of-the-table clash.

October 14, 2025

Pierre Landry Kabore: Hearts’ newest international star?

Pierre Landry Kabore certainly made Burkina Faso’s qualifying round one people will never forget. The Hearts striker was brought on in the 62nd minute against Ethiopia on Tuesday and made an immediate impact scoring after just 3 minutes and ended the game with a hat trick. Kabore has only played one Premiership game this season for the Jambos playing for 45 minutes against Motherwell in their 3-3 draw back in August. The Burkina Faso international signed on a 3-year deal at Tynecastle and many Jam Tart fans have been eager to see what the future holds for him in the capital. The 24-year-old’s performance for his country demonstrates confidence, composure, and finishing instinct. Qualities that could translate well into the Scottish Premiership. Hearts have been hunting for a forward who brings newness and reliability in attack. Kabore’s international display suggests he has both. Of course, the step up to play for Derek McInnes’ men still presents its challenges of increased physicality, quicker tactical demands, and adapting to a new league. But scoring a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifier shows that he already has some of the mental and technical tools needed. If he can carry over that form and mindset from the international stage to his club performances, he has the potential to not just fit in at Hearts but to become a key piece in their push forward — someone who gives the team fresh attacking options and delivers when it counts most. Do you think he deserves a place in the Hearts squad this year?

October 13, 2025

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