St Mirren v Hearts: Final chance to address disappointing league form

THE impending Clydesdale Bank Premier League split might be occupying plenty of minds in Scottish football but both St Mirren and Hearts have other concerns.

Perhaps that is just as well, given they find themselves a little detached from the squabble above.

Still, next month's Scottish Communities League Cup final will hang over this contest as players jostle for places and the two sides probe for weaknesses they might exploit on March 17. That neither are in particularly fine fettle adds another layer of intrigue. Gloom has gathered over Hearts, especially. Ongoing uncertainty over their solvency coupled with increasingly disappointing results, has led to grumbling against John McGlynn. It might be a time when unity is needed most but, after the consecutive home defeats, the manager finds himself defending his competency once again.

"The club decided they were going to have to cut back and it meant we had to go with young players," went McGlynn's familiar refrain. "The experience they are gaining is massive and the long-term future is bright when you look at the age of these guys and how well they are playing. We are still very positive; we have a game in hand on a few teams and we can close that gap to four points with five games to go.

"Are we easy targets? Yes, I think so. We've brought it on ourselves, but yes, it is easy. People probably feel we have overspent and all the rest of it. Which might well be the case. How do we stop that? You start to win matches."

That is exactly what St Mirren need to do, too. The Paisley players have not yet given up hope of earning a place in the upper half of the division but the goalkeeper Craig Samson acknowledges that they must make their move now.

Danny Lennon's side reacted to a demoralising 4-1 home defeat by Ross County in January by going on a four-game unbeaten run, but a couple of defeats have left them with a nine-point gap to bridge to make it into the top six. Victory this evening, therefore, is crucial to their ambitions.

"The top six is still a live issue for us," said Samson. "Just look at Ross County; they were a point above us when we played them here but they beat us 4-1 and have not lost since and are sitting three points from second. So if we go and do the same as that – push ourselves on, get wins on the bounce, put pressure on teams – we can still get into the top six.

"I'm not saying we have not made it difficult. We have. But it is still possible. In saying that, it's now or never. The games are running out. We have to beat Hearts to have a chance to do that."

Taken from the Herald