Robbie Neilson hails 'big day' for Hearts as they open up gap ahead of Celtic clash
Goals from Liam Boyce (2), Steven Naismith, Jamie Walker, Elliot Frear and Josh Ginnelly put the Doonhamers to the sword and the result, coupled with Dunfermline’s surprise 2-1 loss at home to Morton, gives the Jambos some breathing space at the league’s summit.
It was also the ideal preparation ahead of the Scottish Cup final a week on Sunday, when Hearts face Celtic at Hampden.
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Hide Ad“I don’t think you ever get a perfect win," Neilson told the Evening News. “There were periods of the game that we played really well and there were periods when we got a wee bit slack because we had so much of the ball. We could’ve been a bit more aggressive on it. All in all, to score six goals and go four clear at the top of the league was a big day for us.
"I think getting different goalscorers, getting a good performance and moving it quickly was important. I was disappointed to lose the goal. I wanted a clean sheet, but we dropped too early at a free-kick and one of their players was able to steal inside. We try and pride ourselves on things like that. There are always areas that we can work on. But we are under no illusions, we are going to be playing against Celtic at Hampden and it’s going to be different to playing Queen of the South at home, with the greatest respect. So we have to make sure we prepare properly for that.
Neilson was pleased with the impact of subs Frear and Ginnelly, who both scored in the second half. “We felt that they weren’t quite ready to come and start the game,” he added, “but you see when the two of them come on, they give us that width. Ginnelly getting his goal, Frear putting crosses in and scoring goals, getting opportunities, so for me it’s about trying to manage the squad and to make sure they are all as fit as they can be and as available as they can be going into the cup final at the weekend.”