Hearts manager Wouter Vranken lauded his team's enduring spirit following their hard-fought 2-1 victory over St Johnstone, a result achieved just days after a demanding 120-minute Europa Conference League tie.
"I have to say I'm still proud of the players, what they did, because you played 120 minutes and had only two days of rest," Vranken stated, acknowledging the physical and emotional toll on his squad. "It's not possible to fully recuperate or recover and a lot of people forget this, how hard it is."
Hearts secured their second Premiership win of the season after a tough encounter. Teenager James Wilson opened the scoring in the ninth minute, capitalizing on a defensive error from St Johnstone. The lead was extended before halftime by an own goal from Saints debutant Enes Alic. Ruari Paton pulled a goal back for the visitors shortly after the restart, but Hearts managed to hold on despite sustained pressure.
Vranken highlighted the team's ability to maintain cohesion, especially when facing setbacks. "When you get a setback in the game, then it makes it difficult. Then you feel the fatigue physically, but especially emotionally," he explained. "So happy to see that they kept together and that they fought together, because this is an important quality."
He also noted the importance of such matches for player development, particularly as the team navigates a schedule with two games per week. "This is also a good learning process for the next weeks or coming weeks, when you have two games a week, that you feel how such a game will go and then cope with it."
The manager confirmed that midfielder Tom Renaud will be sidelined for several months due to an ankle injury sustained in the match against Rapid Vienna.
Looking ahead, Vranken expressed anticipation for the upcoming Edinburgh derby. "I'm looking forward to the derby. It's always these special games with this extra weight, especially you want to win those for the fans," he said. "We know that we have to be spot on with full energy again on Thursday and combine the energy and the quality to get a good result there."
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari acknowledged his team's performance but stressed the need for greater clinical finishing. "We gave ourselves a mountain to climb by conceding two goals," Valakari stated. "Yes, we're disappointed with the result but I'm not disappointed with the application and desire – or the football we played."
He added, "If you create as many chances in an environment like this as we did, you need to take them. There's no other way to put it. We either play or we die, and we need to be good with that. That's how we will survive."
The win marks Hearts' second league victory of the new season.