Breaking News: Hearts manager Steven Naismith Announce His Resignation Date….
Hearts manager Steven Naismith says “nothing is wrapped up in January” as his side extended their unbeaten run to eight matches and moved 10 points clear in third place in the Scottish Premiership by beating Aberdeen.
After a lively first half in which Aberdeen created the better opportunities, Hearts had begun to take control before Jorge Grant effortlessly stroked a penalty into the top corner just before the hour mark when Nicky Devlin was punished for handball.
Lawrence Shankland, who had ceded penalty duties to Grant after missing his last three, then guided in Hearts’ second from the edge of the box with the outside of his right boot.
That killed Aberdeen’s chances of winning, and likely of finishing best of the rest again as they slip 19 points behind third-place Hearts, albeit with three games in hand.
“Nothing is wrapped up in January,” Naismith told BBC Scotland. “But we’re going well. Our form and stats record are good, but we can be better.
“The achievement so far is good, we’ll get a pat on the back and we’ve come through difficult circumstances. Pundits and people in the media wanted to talk us down – we accepted it and got on with our job.
“We’ll get the plaudits at the moment but we can have so many better stats come the end of the season so that’s the drive from now.”
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When Grant confidently finished his penalty it felt harsh on Aberdeen, who were aggressive in the first half and had the ball in the net too.
Bojan Miovksi curled a wonderful shot beyond goalkeeper Zander Clark, but referee Kevin Clancy was called to have a second look by the video assistant referee, and ruled the Aberdeen striker had tripped Beni Baningime on his way into the box.
It felt like a significant moment for the visitors, who have come under increasing scrutiny for their lowly league position, and their habit of fading in games returned as Hearts took control.
When the ball struck Devlin’s outstretched arm to give Grant the chance to break the deadlock, Naismith’s side never looked back and Alan Forrest and Kenneth Vargas could have added to the scoreline.
And despite being fairly quiet, it was almost inevitable Shankland would have a say against his former club. After getting some luck with the bounce of the ball, the Scotland striker superbly placed in his 19th goal of the season and eighth in his last eight games.
