Head coach Neil Critchley admits it’s been a tough few days, but full focus is now on the five games and 15 points left to play for.
The Jambos prepare to welcome Dundee to Gorgie on Saturday as they look to begin their post-split campaign with three points.
Speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference, Critchley said:
“It was obviously a tough few days after the game last Saturday. I think you'd expect that. I think you need time to process that type of game and how it ended, but then you have to gradually, as the week progresses, you have to move forward and you have to turn that sort of disappointment into motivation, and that motivation has to become your energy, which I've seen within the group. As I say, you have to draw a line in the sand and move forward, and that's what we've done.
“It's on us now to show the right level of commitment, the right level of fight, to make sure that we apply ourselves properly, like we did last week in the semi-final. That level of commitment needs to be there now, between now and the end of the season, because disappointment is part and parcel of football.
“Unless you're very fortunate, there will be plenty more downs than there are ups, and resilience is a key characteristic of any player or head coach, and you have to overcome disappointment. That process has started this week, it will continue tomorrow, and we have five games and 15 points to play for, and we want to try and win as many games as we can.
“We're just thinking about winning the next game, which is Dundee at home, and we know that everyone's going to be fighting for their lives, Dundee will be no different, and we need to make sure that we're there ready to play the game that we can play.”
You can watch Neil’s press conference in full on Hearts TV.
