Hearts pair Jorge Grant and Stephen Kingsley have been ramping up the Rangers pressure ahead of a potential end of season title decider.
The Gers are currently locked in a battle at the top of the Scottish Premiership against bitter rivals Celtic with three points separating the Old Firm and only 15 to play for.
As the Scottish Premiership’s post-split fixtures kick off this weekend, there are five games to go and Hearts could yet play a key role in where the title ends up this season.
Scotland’s third force have twice beaten Celtic on league duties this campaign and travel to Parkhead on the 4th of May, whilst Rangers travel to Tynecastle on the final day of the Premiership season.
Hearts’ record against Rangers is not quite so strong – you have to go back to January 2020 for the last time the Jambos beat the Gers in the Premiership – with 11 league games between the two passing since then.
Rangers have won 9 of those games and Hearts pair Jorge Grant and Stephen Kingsley are determined to change things when the pair meet on the final day.
‘Hearts can compete with Rangers’
Speaking after the 2-0 Scottish Cup defeat to Rangers, Grant reckons Hearts have to stop conceding early goals against the Gers with the Edinburgh club believing they have what it takes to overcome Philippe Clement’s side this season.
“There is a belief every time we go out on the pitch,” Grant told STV News. “I think we are a good team, so we always have belief going into games and that was no different.
“We wanted to start fast and we didn’t do that. Unfortunately we have given them a goal again like we did the last time. It probably put us on the back foot a little bit.
“I thought we responded well but the second half got a bit end to end, especially towards the end.
“I thought we did well at times, played our stuff, but it was disappointing with the goals.”
Later, the former Nottingham Forest midfielder added: “We have got to start better, number one. That’s probably what has killed us again, and it killed us when we played them the last time away from home as well. So, starting better will help us.
“I think we showed our quality at times as well so we know we can compete with them, it’s just those little moments that we need to tighten up on.
“We wanted to put them under pressure, especially coming out second half, and we did that. But it was just that final bit – that final pass, that final shot – that we didn’t quite get right.
“We work a lot on it in training so it’s something we know we can do and we know we can bring it into games. That just wasn’t the day that we did that.”
Hearts will learn from Rangers Scottish Cup experience
Jorge Grant isn’t the only Hearts star who has been lamenting his side’s form against this Rangers team.
Stephen Kingsley – who was once linked to a transfer to Rangers – has also been out in the press reacting to Hearts’ Scottish Cup defeat against the Ibrox side.
Once again, the defender has criticised his team’s poor start against the Gers and has urged his fellow Hearts players to learn from the experience.
“When we’ve played Rangers, we have been guilty of not starting right,” said Kingsley, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“And at the start of a game – especially on a big occasion like this one – you need to be strong, you need to be resolute. You cannot give them any confidence whatsoever. They had come off the back of two poor results for their standards, so we need to start strong.
“We need to be resolute defensively, not give them an inch, not give them a chance, take away that momentum their crowd will give them and build from that. But we haven’t done that. In every game we’ve played them when we’ve been beaten, I feel that’s been the issue.
“We have not started the way we should have and when you go 1-0 or 2-0 down, you are giving yourself a mountain to climb. I don’t think it is the occasion. We have played on the big occasions before and have won on big occasions before.
“It’s disappointment, really. We were well in the game. It was a disappointing first five minutes with the goal we conceded.
“We’ve talked about that before, about starting strong, so we’re extremely disappointed to have lost that goal in the manner we did. But we reacted to it really well and we were in the game for the rest of it.
Kingsley added: “We’re devastated obviously, everyone is, as you can imagine. We have talked about it and, yes, we are completely disappointed. You are in there, in the dressing room, and the atmosphere is not nice.
“It’s not where you want to be when you are coming to the big occasion and you feel like you are good enough to get a result. It is very disappointing. But we’ll use it. It is going to be sore for the next wee while but we’ll learn from it.”
Rangers are set to visit Hearts on the final day of the league season on Sunday the 21st of May, with Celtic hosting St Mirren at Parkhead the same day.
