Hearts have suffered a double injury blow with two of their starting back four forced off against Aberdeen.
The Jambos came into today’s clash in desperate need of a pick-me-up and also some points on the board to try and move off the bottom of the Premiership.
It is not going their way though and Stephen Kingsley was the first to pull up injured after going down with no-one near him. Craig Halkett was his replacement with Kye Rowles replacing him.
If that wasn’t bad enough, centre half Frankie Kent had to be replaced around five minutes later and it was Adam Forrester who came on for him.
Daniel Oyegoke moved into partner Halkett in the middle as Hearts now line up with a very different back four to the one that started.
Things went from bad to worse when Leighton Clarkson fired Aberdeen into the lead.
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Injuries to cause Hearts problems
Much has been made of Hearts‘ attacking woes but they haven’t been defending well either.
They may have further problems now. Firstly, they’ll have to get through today’s game with a patchwork back four.
Halkett hasn’t played much football and has looked rusty when he has while Oyegoke has mostly played at full-back for them. Rowles is out of position and left-back and on the other side is a 19-year-old in Forrester.
And then they will obviously have to wait and see how long Kingsley and key man Kent are out for.
Kinglsey was already a stand in for James Penrice, who has been a standout but was suspended for today’s game after clocking up too many yellow cards.
Where is Hearts left-back Andres Salazar?
Kingsley pulling up with Penrice already out may have led to some Hearts fans thinking ‘now is Andres Salazar’s chance’.
At least until they remembered he wasn’t on the bench today.
The Colombian left-back joined on loan from Atletico Nacional in his homeland early this season and has only made one appearance since, a start in a defeat at Motherwell.
That he couldn’t even make it among the substitutes’ bench with Penrice out is pretty telling and it would be far from a surprise to see Salazar sent back to his parent club in January.