Neil Critchley Reflects on Hearts’ 2-0 Victory Over Dundee

Following Hearts’ 2-0 win against Dundee, manager Neil Critchley shared his thoughts with BBC Scotland, stating: “It’s been a great day. Made up for Shanks to get his two goals. I always felt it was coming, I always feel he’s going to score. It was a great header and then a rebound. He nearly got his hat-trick. A clean sheet as well, Craig’s 100th.” Critchley expressed the collective relief felt after the team’s goal drought, noting, “I could [feel the relief] because of the situation, not scoring for so long. You could see what it meant to everyone in the stadium.” He further praised Shanks, adding, “I was made up for Shanks because I see what his contribution is every day. He lives for goals but he’s been a brilliant leader, he’s brought so much to the team. Goal scorers want to hit the back of the net. Delighted for him.” Regarding James Wilson’s performance, the manager commented, “There’s no pressure on [James Wilson], just go and do what he’s good at. Go and stretch the line, run in behind. He did that very well. There were a couple of moments where he was inches away from connecting. He picked up the ball for the first goal, recycling the ball.” Critchley acknowledged the morale boost from the victory but emphasized his focus on performance, stating, “It gives us a lift but I’ve just said to the players, what they’ll learn about me is I’m about performance. If we play well, and I can see we’re playing with intensity and aggression and we lose – I won’t go for the players. If we win, but I see we can do better and there’s more improvement, they might see a different side of me.” Despite the win, the Hearts boss indicated room for improvement, particularly in the second half. He remarked, “Even though we won, second half we could and should have played better. We were comfortable but it only takes one moment – a corner or free-kick – and it becomes game on. If we’d scored a few more goals second half, we could have made it easier for ourselves.”