We will learn Hearts' true credentials as Celtic showdown comes into view

Not since late April have the Jam Tarts needed to bounce back from losing a Premiership match. Sunday’s 1-0 reversal at Aberdeen ended a run of 16 league encounters across two seasons without defeat and inflicted a first loss in regulation time for head coach Derek McInnes.

Previously, the only blot on Hearts’ copybook under their new boss was a penalty shoot-out Premier Sports Cup exit against St Mirren. The team responded with a 3-3 draw with Motherwell at Tynecastle - recovering from three goals down. It was a show of their character after a brittle 2024/25 campaign.

Motherwell again lie in wait on Saturday as Hearts travel to Fir Park. It will be another stern examination of their credentials. The Steelmen sit fourth in the standings and have already slayed one half of the capital this week after emphatically sweeping aside Hibs on Tuesday evening.

That it has taken Hearts until late November to lose a league match is a testament to how good they have been this season. McInnes stressed many times during their unbeaten run that a “belt in the mouth” would inevitably come. And even after that Pittodrie whack, they remain four points clear of second-placed Celtic, albeit having played a game more.

When Hearts defeated Celtic 3-1 at the end of October, moving eight points clear at the summit in the process, it had many people within Scotland talking up a veritable title challenge to the Old Firm and onlookers outside of these shores frantically taking an interest in the new kid on the block. No team outside of Glasgow has won the Scottish top flight in 40 years.

Do Hearts have bounce-back-ability?

Hearts kept a lid on such chatter. Whilst everyone else was getting excited, McInnes and his squad played it cool. New investor Tony Bloom heightened expectations in August with his proclamations of a league title within ten years and potentially splitting the Old Firm this season, but the manager knows the landscape better than most.

We will learn a lot about Hearts in North Lanarkshire and their bounce-back-ability. The best teams are able to swiftly put aside a defeat and get back on the horse. For all their free-flowing, free-scoring football, this Tynecastle side’s reply to adversity is unknown.

McInnes should be able to call upon his captain Lawrence Shankland after he missed the trip to the north-east with a calf niggle. After suspension, Craig Halkett will be reunited with Stuart Findlay at the heart of the defence. Midfielder Beni Baningime and record signing Ageu remain sidelined but having key components back at each end of the pitch is a major boost.

That is because this Motherwell team, under Jens Berthel Askou, is a force to be reckoned with. They play aggressive, high-risk, attack-minded football. In Zimbabwean Tawanda Maswanhise, they have the only player in the top flight to have scored more goals than Shankland, a livewire presence whose speed and explosiveness has caused many teams problems. They have the tools to hurt any team in the division.

Hearts will be looking to ensure that they go into next weekend’s clash with Celtic in Glasgow with at least a four-point cushion. After Motherwell, McInnes’ side host an out-of-sorts Kilmarnock at Tynecastle on Wednesday before heading along the M8 a week on Sunday. Celtic face Hibs this weekend before Dundee visit them during the week.

McInnes knows the drill. “We just spoke about us with a wee bit of feedback video from the weekend and then a wee reminder that we're still top of the league and we're well into November,” the manager said. “We would have taken this at the start of the season and we've got to make sure the motivation remains high, the enthusiasm, the fires are all lit to keep doing what we're doing.

“When you look at the league table, it's still a nice look to see us where we are. But we recognise that, for us to stay there, we're going to have to fight fiercely for it. Hopefully the next two games, ahead of the Celtic game, we can go and try and get a couple of wins.”

Bloom may not get his title wish this season. So much football remains to be played. But in the quest to split the Old Firm, there is more hope. Rangers are nine points adrift right now and a pale imitation of their previous selves, even if head coach Danny Rohl has elicited some improvement from his players. For Hearts to reinforce their credentials, the right reaction is required at Motherwell.