Neil Critchley saw his Hearts side slump to their first defeat under him midweek but then bounce back with a win over St Johnstone yesterday.
The Jambos threw away a lead against Kilmarnock to lose 2-1 as the former Blackpool and QPR boss’ bright start threatened to be derailed.
With games against Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen to come in their next three in the Premiership, the McDiarmid Park clash was a big one and Critchley’s side came through it with all three points.
They took the lead with the aid of a Nicky Clark own goal before seeing the same player equalise from the spot after a VAR delay which seemed to mystify everyone.
But the response was there as Kenneth Vargas tucked home a winner after some brilliant work from Beni Baningime.
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Critchley on most pleasing aspect of Hearts display
Hearts were bottom of the table before this one and are a side that have been low in confidence in most of their games this season.
They crumbled against Killie days earlier and it would perhaps have been easy to play within themselves again after conceding in Perth.
But they showed character and resilience to bounce back and make sure all three points were going back to the capital.
Asked if that was the most pleasing thing, Critchley said: “It probably was, actually, yeah. It’s almost like their goal gave us a lift. It was quite bizarre, really.
“I thought we started the game very well. I thought we showed a good response from losing on Wednesday night. I thought we were aggressive on the front foot, we had some good moves, lots of corners, and we scored from one.
“We lost some energy in the second half and St Johnstone got on top of us. I thought St Johnstone played very well in the second half.
“The way they play causes problems and after their equaliser, you can fear the worst and start to feel sorry for yourselves. But I have to say, the players’ character was fantastic.
“The second goal was a great goal, and then we’ve had to really grind it out. Put bodies on the line, head, tackle, chase, block, and that shows that we’re capable of winning ugly games, which is a big step forward for us.”
Critchley on VAR and St Johnstone penalty
As someone who has worked in the English lower leagues, Critchley doesn’t have much experience of VAR other than in cup games.
After just a handful of games in Scotland, he is not a fan.
He’ll be even less of of one now after the decision to award St Johnstone a penalty after Cammy Devlin and Kyle Cameron.
Saints players didn’t appeal for anything but after a lengthy VAR check referee Chris Graham pointed to the spot and Clark tucked it away.
Asked if the officials had explained anything to him, Critchley said: “No. It’s probably my first experience of VAR. I’m not a fan of it. I’ve always said I’m not a fan of it. I’ve had some experiences at Blackpool and in cup games, etc. I’ve never been a fan of it.
“I just don’t think it should be part of the game. It causes issues and problems like that. So, for me, it wasn’t a penalty.
“There was a coming together, and if you look at it, for me, the boy pulls Cam down first, and as Cam’s falling over, he then pulls him down. They both end up in a heap.
“It then looks like Cam’s pulled the player down, but you can’t quite see it from the angle, from where we’re looking at it.
“But you can see that Cam is brought to the floor, and I thought it was… if you’re going to give penalties for those decisions, we’d have ten a game, I think.”