The key defensive statistics driving Hearts' success this season

The new year has started well for anyone in maroon. Hearts sit in third place, five points clear of their nearest competition and 11 points clear of their city rivals.

With the January transfer window now firmly underway, all Jambo fans will turn their attention to see if Lawrence Shankland makes any trips towards the west of the country. 

The 28-year-old has scored 13 goals in the Scottish Premiership already this season, 19 across all competitions, and is the leading goalscorer in the league. He has been arguably the stand-out star for the Jambos in the opening 21 games and without whom, statistics argue the Jambos could be sitting in fifth place. 

However, with all the attention given to the goalscorers, have we missed much more crucial and match-winning performances from Hearts’ defensive line-up? 

Steven Naismith’s defence has been plagued with injury concerns with Nathaniel Atkinson, Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley all spending time on the sidelines while Odel Offiah was forced to return to his home club due to medical concerns. 

This has not deterred the efforts of the likes of Frankie Kent and Kye Rowles who have stood far taller in the face of trouble than their already 6ft statures.

So how do Hearts’ defensive efforts compare to previous seasons? When taking into account goals conceded by Hearts this season; clean sheets and goals scored by defenders from this season, the Jambos’ defenders are much more in tune with the last time the side secured third place in the league back in 2021/22 compared to last year’s campaign. 

21 games have been played by Hearts so far with 18 goals conceded. At this point in the 2022/23 season, 32 goals had been conceded but the season before, the Hearts defence only let in 18. 

In terms of clean sheets this season, Zander Clark has received a phenomenal amount of praise for his efforts with the gloves and it is much deserved. Clark, along with the likes of Kent, Rowles and Kingsley kept ten clean sheets in the Premiership so far this season compared to just three at this point last year. In 2021/22, on the other hand, the Jambos managed eight - an exceptionally positive sign for what could be to come later on this year. 

Lawrence Shankland’s 13 goals this season has left few opportunities for any other scorer to get in on the action but Stephen Kingsley is the only defender to have got in on the action. Kingsley’s free-kick against Celtic in December marks the only time a Jambos defender has scored this season while last year saw three goals scored by defenders. 

A year previously, ten goals had been scored by defenders.

It feels slightly harsh to judge a defender’s efforts based on their goals scored. But taking into account the first two statistics, any maroon fans hopeful of a return to the European Conference League main draw will certainly be filled with confidence that the last time the squad’s defensive efforts were anywhere near as good, they finished third in the league. 

There are still 12 games to go until the first phase of the season ends, let alone securing a place in next year’s European competitions. However, with the prowess of Shankland up top and the constantly improving efforts of Rowles, Kingsley, Kent, Sibbick and the return of Craig Halkett, it does not feel too early to start dreaming of what could be.