Hearts hit rock bottom after home surrender to St Mirren

MARK BONTHRONE
HEARTS assistant coach Stephen Frail admitted today there wasn't a single positive to take from the club's 1-0 defeat to St Mirren – and warned his players they could find themselves propping up the SPL unless performances improve.
The Jambos lost at Tynecastle yesterday to make it six successive SPL matches without a victory and now sit only ten points ahead of rock-bottom Gretna, who have a game in hand.

Second-bottom St Mirren, who deservedly picked up all three points in Gorgie, are now just a point adrift of the Jambos but could leapfrog Frail's men as they have also played a game fewer. Yesterday's defeat will be hard for Hearts supporters to stomach but, more worryingly for them, there are few signs, if any, that the alarming slump will abate.

Hearts' play was characterised by basic mistakes throughout the 90 minutes, while they rarely threatened St Mirren who will have had few more comfortable away matches during their time in the SPL.

The Gorgie club were booed for most of the match by their own fans as too many players appeared to lack the appetite for the fight despite all the talk of standing up and being counted in the build up to the clash. While Gretna's inability to put together a string of results could ultimately be Hearts' saving grace this term, Frail insisted his side can't rely on that in case the Borde
rers turn around their season.

"Everyone has said that Gretna shouldn't be in the SPL and look at what they've done since they came up but it's now down to ten points and that won't be long closing if they start winning games and we continue to do what we have been doing," said Frail.

"For a club this size to be sitting tenth in the SPL is not acceptable. It's 100 per cent a relegation battle for us now and if we think we are too good to go down then we are in big trouble.

"But who's to say the players are going to turn up on Saturday against Falkirk and realise they are in a relegation battle. I could be standing here saying the same things after Saturday.

"There were no positives whatsoever (from the St Mirren game). We were completely lacking in ideas and the biggest thing is that we looked as though we lacked commitment.

"There was no togetherness and no team spirit."

Taken from the Scotsman