Hearts head coach Steven Naismith says his Hearts squad are in a good place as players continue to return from injury ahead of Saturday’s visit of Kilmarnock.
The international breaks saw numerous Jambos on duty for their respective countries, however Naismith confirmed that everyone has returned fit and is raring to go, as the season enters its most ‘important’ part.
Speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference, Naismith said:
“Everybody has come back from the international break fine. Bar a wee bit of travelling, everybody has come back feeling good, feeling fit and they all trained today.
“Frankie and Calem have come back in and trained this week. It is good to have them back as they have been two really consistent performers for us this week. The bigger picture is that it enhances the competition for places, the squad is looking quite healthy at the minute.
“It was good to have a wee break and get that last international break out the way to now focus on what is inevitably the most important part of every season.
“Now we go into the period where we look at what each game can do for us. We also have a semi-final in this run of games to look forward to, which is really important for us.
“It’s an enjoyable time, the weather starts to turn and all the reward for a hard, successful season is there for you to enjoy, if you do it properly.”
It’s third versus fourth at Tynecastle and while Killie have enjoyed a positive season themselves, Naismith admits the men in maroon will continue to focus on themselves as they prepare to face the two sides directly below them in the cinch Premiership.
“They’ve done really well this season,” said Naismith on the visitors. “They have a way of playing. They have wide players that are dangerous and a threat up front.
“For me, these are the best games. When you play against the team that are around you as they give you a defined picture of where you’re at and what you still need to do. The next two games arguably do that as they’re against the two teams that are directly below us.
“They’re tough games, but we’ve not got to third place by fearing teams. We’ve went into every game with a real belief that we can win these games and that’s what has brought the consistency.
“It will be no different tomorrow. It’s our official Big Hearts Day, so us going out there and getting a good win would sign off the day very well.”
You can watch Steven’s press conference in full on Hearts TV
