Stephen Kingsley says he’s enjoying being back in the side and has praised the strength in depth of the current squad.
The defender in his sixth season with the Jambos and believes they have added extra quality to their ranks this summer.
The 31-year-old has started the last two matches, in which Hearts have kept two consecutive clean sheets and admits it’s now up to him to keep his place in the starting 11.
Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s Edinburgh Derby, Kingsley said:
“Obviously, it was nice to get in the team against Rangers and to get a good result there. We followed up with a good one at the weekend there, so it's nice to get a couple of starts under my belt as well.
“Every season has been like that. If you're the one on the pitch, you need to make sure you keep it. It's up to yourself, and that's always been the case. No different this year, it's just obviously a lot more bodies in the squad, but if you train hard and make sure, you're right and get that chance, then it's up to you to prove that you deserve to stay in there.
“I think the strength and depth is probably the biggest change, the biggest difference from now to previous seasons. We've always had a good squad, or a good team.
“I think this year, we've padded it out with quality. I feel like I've said it before in previous games that I always feel like we've got options from any point, any situation in games that we can look to the bench if it's not working on the pitch.
“I think you've seen that from the impact the subs have made when they have come on this season, and they've done really well. So, if there is a couple of boys that maybe need to be changed around or if there's an injury somewhere, I don't think there's maybe the issue that we maybe had in previous seasons, because you've got such strength and depth.
“Which is great. It's great for the manager, I can imagine it's good for him having that and for us as well, knowing that we've got boys that can make an impact at any time.”
Despite a number of new arrivals this summer, Kingsley admits the bonds built on the training ground are strong as the men in maroon look to keep up their good form.
“It's been good. It's been a high standard, high quality. It's obviously a good environment to play in. It always is when you get a couple of wins and it's a great place to be. The atmosphere is good because we've made it that way and it's up to us to keep it.
“Confidence comes when everything's done right on the training pitch, and you take that into a game day. So, the moment we stop doing that, I think that's when things will start to change on a Saturday. So, it's up to us to keep it going.”
There will be a number of derby debutants this Saturday and Kingsley admits there are enough derby veterans in the ranks to pass on valuable experience on what to expect.
“We can obviously pass on our experience and give them a little insight into what it's going to be like. But they need to prepare themselves mentally for the challenges ahead. It is different from any other game.
“But the focus needs to be on what we are looking to do and just be focusing on ourselves and not really bother too much about them and not get caught up in the occasion. But naturally, it's hard to do when you come into these situations. The noise of the crowd, the atmosphere and everything.
“We can have a little conversation here and there, but it's up to us all just to be as prepared as we can and be ready to execute the game plan.”
You can watch Stephen’s press conference in full on Hearts TV.
