Hearts boss Neil Critchley has said losing the Edinburgh derby to Hibs ‘hurts’ and admits he didn’t recognise his team for large periods of the game.
Hibs secured a rare 2-1 Tynecastle win over the Jambos to move them five points clear of their bitter rivals in the Premiership.
Kye Rowles and Rocky Bushiri both netted own goals as the two sides went into the break level at 1-1, but it has to be said Hibs were the stronger outfit.
Hearts improved slightly in the second-half but Hibs produced a moment of quality through Dwight Gayle’s excellent finish to separate the sides at full-time in Gorgie.
Critchley spoke to Sky Sports after the game and said the repeated concession of poor goals is a problem that needs to be solved.
Hearts ‘unrecognisable’ at times against Hibs
“I don’t think we played well enough. We start the game okay but concede a really poor goal which left us chasing the game. I think that knocked us and we were fortunate it was only 1-0.
“But then we grew into the game in the last minutes of the half and produced a good move for the goal, albeit we had a bit of fortune.
“At 1-1, we would have taken that given how we played. Second-half I thought we had control of the game but then we concede a really poor goal again and that’s been the story of our season so far.
Asked if it’s a concern Hearts continue to concede sloppy goals, Critchley answered: “Yeah, absolutely. If it’s a trend, it’s a problem.”
So how can it be stopped, Critchley was asked. He replied: “Looking for solutions within our squad and the work we can do, which is very little between games at this moment in time – you don’t get any time. It’s a problem we have to solve.”
Critchley on Hearts need for January reinforcements
The January transfer window opens in less than a week and it is expected Hearts will be active. Critchley said today’s derby defeat told him a lot about what his squad needs going forward.
He said: “You’ve got to look at how we can move the club forward. We have a strategy in place. We’ve got to look for what we need in January but also to effect the immediate and players who can make us stronger.
“I think what happened on the pitch today told me a lot. I thought the fans were brilliant today, I thought they stuck with us.
“We didn’t play well and we were not good enough today. That hurts. I didn’t recognise us for long periods of the game, only for spells which is not good enough for a game like this.
“We’re taking a step forward and then a step back, we’ve struggled to find that consistency to put wins together and move us up the table.”