Scottish title race: Hearts, Celtic and Rangers need to ‘light the fire’

Manager Derek McInnes dismisses talk of fear of regret as he is convinced Heart of Midlothian will have a “special end to the season”.

Hearts’ 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock last weekend raised questions about the long-time leaders’ ability to win the Scottish Premiership title despite remaining two points behind Celtic at the top.

However, McInnes remains confident and hopes the return of key duo Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland will ensure Hearts are a team that is “on fire between now and the end of the season”.

Devlin and Shankland have been out since January with ankle and hamstring injuries respectively, but both have returned to full training and are set to feature against Dundee on Saturday.

“I don’t want to talk about regret because it feels like it’s going to end in disappointment,” McInnis said.

“I absolutely believe we’re going to have a special end to the season and I’m fully committed to that. I see that, I think we can do it, I think we can be really strong across the line.”

“I want the players to play with confidence and not think about it, just go and try to make the most of the opportunity we have.”

McInnes admits he is tempted to start Devlin and Shankland against Dundee but will discuss their progress with Hearts’ medical team to avoid the possibility of losing players again to injury.

“It was a big blow when the two players left the team. With their return, the players will get a boost and I think the encouragement will get a boost,” he said.

“Lawrence, for me, was the best striker in the league until he left the team and Cammy was the best midfielder in the league, so it’s good to have both boys back at such a crucial time.

“Watching them train this week was great, it looks like they haven’t missed a beat.”

McInnes is hopeful that both Harry Milne and Penny Banningame will recover from injury in time to take part on Saturday, and confirmed that Thomas Magnusson could be available next week to play with the mask despite breaking his cheekbone against Kilmarnock.

The former Kilmarnock boss accepts there is “little room for error” from any team at the top but says Hearts are “exactly where we want to be”.

Hearts have recorded three wins and three defeats in their last six Premier League matches – a run that has cut their lead over Celtic to two points, with Rangers a further point behind.

“When you look at the teams around us, out of the last five games, we’ve won three, Celtic have won three, Motherwell have won three, Rangers have won two – so no one is really on fire,” he said.

“That shows you how hard it is. Hopefully we’ll be the team that catches fire.”

“I’m glad we’re relevant, to be honest. I couldn’t think of anything worse than being in mid-table now and sitting back and watching this battle go on and wanting it to be us.”

“We’re in the middle of it and we’re exactly where we want to be.”