Hearts' big warning to Celtic and Rangers after another win - we are going to get stronger

The Tynecaste side are inching nearer and are now seven games from their ultimate goal of becoming Scottish league champions for the first time since 1960.

They will gladly take seven more 1-0 wins, their speciality scoreline. Oisin McEentee’s header with 13 minutes left was enough to secure another three points although Hearts survived some nervy final moments with just ten men after centre-half Frankie Kent picked up a second yellow card for a trip on Charlie Reilly.

McInnes also lost another centre half before kick-off after stand-in skipper Craig Halkett succumbed to a back spasm. Michael Steinwender was hurriedly added to the team. The manager later eased fears about Halkett’s condition. He reported that not only will he be back in contention for Hearts’ next game away to Livingston in two weekends' time, but he will be in training on Monday morning.

The two-week gap until the next game due to internationals means Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin will have plenty of time to keep working on their fitness. Both made welcome returns against Dundee, Devlin from the start.

Shankland, meanwhile, was given a huge ovation when he came on after 53 minutes after two months out with a hamstring injury. McInnes rhymed off a list of players who are returning from short or extended spells on the sidelines at just the right time. Harry Milne missed the win over Dundee with calf tightness but his absence is only short-term. McInnes will have to find a replacement for the suspended Kent against Livingston but he revealed Stuart Findlay is due to make a return from a hamstring injury sustained against Falkirk.

The Hearts players who will return

“I actually think my belief in the team is stronger than ever because I know what’s coming back,” said McInnes. “We’ve got players returning - (Tomas) Magnusson, Milne, Halkett, (Stuart) Findlay, (Stephen) Kingsley. We’ve got our captain back, Cammy Devlin, Beni (Baningime)—so we will get stronger, and we’re going to need it.

“We’ve been tested lately, but we haven’t lost much ground on Rangers and Celtic despite missing key players. I need to double-check the numbers, but that’s what I’ve been told.

“Despite everything, we’re going to be top of the league in April. We’re huge underdogs against the teams we’re up against (Rangers and Celtic) - it’s a fact. But to still be where we are, churning out victories. There’s a lot to be said for 1–0 wins. We’d like it to be easier - I’d love to win 2–0 and enjoy it more - but the enjoyment comes from winning. It’s not always easy, but it’s our job to keep the players on an even keel, and they’ve dealt with that brilliantly.”

He praised his side for their latest 1-0 victory against a determined Dundee side. “We’ve lost one goal in four games,” said McInnes. “That’s not easy to do in this league, to keep as many clean sheets—you’ve got to do so much right.”

The home fans were lifted when Shankland replaced Landry Kabore eight minutes after half time. "I think the place lifts, in terms of optimism and belief, when Shankland comes on," said McInnes. "The quality is there - the ball sticks, it gets you up the pitch, there’s more certainty. He has a few shots and you just feel something’s going to happen. That’s a brilliant thing to have. His influence hasn’t been there on the pitch, but it’s been there throughout the club. He’s an unbelievable person, a brilliant captain, and he’s been quietly getting on with his work. To get him back on the pitch - it can’t be underplayed how important that is.”

Dundee manager Steven Pressley was “disappointed” to lose game with so few goalscoring opportunities for either side. After results elsewhere, the Dens Park side are just five points above the relegation zone. He stressed that he did not have to “reiterate” the fact Dundee are in a battle for survival because he hasn’t stopped reminding the players of this, even after a recent period of good form and results.

“Generally it's 38 points that guarantees you safety, that one point per game,” he said. “That might not be enough this year, you never know. History would suggest it would be.

“We've not achieved that as yet, we're still a number of points away from that. There's still a lot of hard work ahead and these things happen. We won three games back-to-back over the festive period and other teams can do it and that's why we can never become complacent.”