Heart of Midlothian

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Stephen Kingsley has urged Hearts to look at the positives after their draw at Livingston, and focus on the challenges ahead as they look to land the Premiership title.

The team travelled to Almondvale on Sunday in the hopes of another vital three points but were held to a 2-2 draw by the Premiership's bottom side.

The disappointing result left the team just one point ahead of Rangers and three ahead of Celtic, with a home match against Motherwell next weekend, their last before the split.

Kingsley acknowledged that the result was a setback but urged everyone to look at the team's position and how they now had six games to make history.

"We are top of the league, we are still there and we know that if we win on Saturday, we will go into the split top of the league," he said.

"Sometimes you just need to think if someone had told you that seven or eight months ago... It's an incredible place to be.

"We have now got to react to a few disappointing moments and make sure we're bang at it for Saturday.

"You can't say anything other than the next six games are massive for us.

"It's up to us to go and get a result against Motherwell and go into the split hopefully [at least] a point ahead.

"What an opportunity it is. We just want to be there and take this opportunity. We have to make the most of it. That's our mentality."

Kingsley insists there's no concern over all the team's remaining fixtures being against top six sides, saying their form has been strong in those games, and dismissed any talk of pressure starting to affect the team.

"I feel like people will put it down to nerves and tension, but it's not realistic thinking us, Rangers and Celtic will go the rest of the season and not drop points," he said.

"The full season has shown that teams will drop points. It's how you react - and we've done that very well this season. Whenever we've dropped points, we have always bounced back.

"Saturday is another chance to do that and, if we do that, we'll put ourselves in a great position going into the split."

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

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The headline news from the Scottish Premiership's post-split fixtures was undoubtedly that league leaders Hearts will go to Celtic Park on the final day of the league season.

Hearts supporters will be frustrated - understandably - not to have the chance to seal what would be a historic title win at Tynecastle. Instead, there will be a tiny pocket of away fans present to witness what would be one of the greatest achievements in Scottish football history.

Yes, Hearts could have won it before then, but given the incredible twists and turns we have seen throughout this campaign, it feels inevitable it will go to the wire on 16 May.

On that date 28 years ago, Hearts went to Celtic Park and won silverware, beating Rangers 2-1 in the Scottish Cup final with Hampden Park being renovated.

They have other good memories in Glasgow's east end - more recent ones too - from their 2-1 win at Parkhead earlier this season.

And the way the fixtures have landed give Derek McInnes' side the chance to seize the initiative in the run-in.

Beat Motherwell at home on Saturday and they go into the final five matches clear at the top.

They then play two of their three hardest matches on paper back-to-back - away to Edinburgh rivals Hibernian before welcoming their nearest challengers Rangers to Gorgie.

Win those and history beckons - a first title since 1960 could be won at Parkhead.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

Hearts dropping two points to bottom of the league Livingston is, frankly, the most Hearts thing imaginable.

Last week, I joked that televised games feel cursed and heading to West Lothian, it didn't feel like a joke.

Since the win against nine-man Dundee United on January 31, we've taken nothing from trips to St Mirren, Rangers and Kilmarnock. At Tynecastle, we've picked up four straight wins, but every one of them was 1–0, and none of them were comfortable.

I'm not going into full meltdown like some Jambos have been since Sunday. I'm not questioning Derek McInnes' long-term future, and I'm not blaming the half-time tea and biscuits. We need a reality check.

Six games to go, we're top by a point. The title is in our hands. No favours needed - just win more points than everyone else between now and the finish line.

Honestly, I never thought we'd see anyone outside Celtic or Rangers lift the Premiership in my lifetime. Yet here we are, right on the cusp of it.

So, this is the moment for unity. Get behind the team. Once fans start on the players - or the manager - it helps nobody, especially in a title run-in.

We can do the end-of-season judgment after match 38. If this ends the way we're dreaming, Gorgie's going to throw its best summer party in 66 years.

That said, constructive criticism is fair. And the one area that keeps coming up is McInnes' in-game management.

To be fair, he's nailed some big moments. Dundee away with 10 men? We basically went 5-4-0 and ground out the 1-0. St Mirren the week after, down to 10 again? He stayed brave with 4-2-3 shape, and we found a way.

Those are the kind of points you look back on in May and realise they were massive.

But in the games where we've dropped points, it's fair to ask if we've helped cause our own problems. At Ibrox, shifting Claudio Braga from up top to out wide at half time after he'd given their centre-backs a torrid first half was a proper head-scratcher.

Same story with the minutes. Rogers Mato and Sabah Kerjota barely get a look-in, even while Alexandros Kyziridis' form has dipped and teams seem to have worked out how to handle him.

And then there's the sight of Craig Halkett being thrown on as an emergency forward late in games while Elton Kabangu - one of our top scorers last season - sits in footballing Siberia.

McInnes has said Jamestown Analytics is behind the tendency to make subs late. Fine, but the 89th-minute double change of bringing on Blair Spittal and Beni Baningime isn't a plan, it's a hope. You're lucky if they even touch the ball.

He proved he can trust his instincts when he overruled the data to sign Stuart Findlay, and it's been a success. I want to see that same 'manager' energy with substitutions: earlier, braver, based on what's happening in front of him.

Now Motherwell on Saturday and I'll be honest, I'm not confidently banking three points.

I'll get stick for that, but decades of watching Hearts has taught me one thing: we love giving a confidence boost to a team that badly needs one. Motherwell are winless in four, so I'm fully expecting them to turn up playing like 2010 Spain.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be at Tynecastle at 15:00, getting behind the team and willing us to put them to the sword. But Motherwell have been our bogey side this season, and we'll need to be right at it to get the win.

I still believe we can win this league. Celtic and Rangers will drop points somewhere in their last six, so we can't let Saturday turn into an 'all or nothing' panic test in our heads.

I've no idea exactly how McInnes sets us up but I do know this - 19,000 Jambos will make Tynecastle bounce from the first kick. Start fast, make the changes when the game tells you to, and get us over the line.

Key Hearts centre-back Stuart Findlay is likely to return on Saturday following six weeks out with a calf injury. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full

Lawrence Shankland has to be Scotland's starting striker at the World Cup this summer, says former Hearts midfielder Andy Halliday.

The Hearts captain started his first match since January for the Scottish Premiership leaders against Livingston on Sunday, scoring and assisting in the 2-2 draw.

The 30-year-old has now netted 16 times in all competitions this season and has provided another five assists for Derek McInnes' men.

Despite scoring in the astonishing 4-2 win over Denmark in November, which booked Scotland's place at this summer's finals, Shankland has struggled to nail down a starting spot in Steve Clarke's side.

Just four of his 18 caps have been starts, but he has scored on four occasions, and Halliday feels his former team-mate has demonstrated why he deserves to be Clarke's first-choice centre-forward.

"I think he's the best striker at our disposal," Motherwell midfielder Halliday said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "I think he's the best finisher out of the group of strikers we've got.

"Going into three World Cup games where I don't expect us to have loads of chances every single game - the past two friendlies probably proved that - I think if a chance is going to fall to anyone, you're hoping it's Lawrence Shankland.

"He comes on in the game against Denmark, makes an immediate impact. That type of goal, as simple as it is, it's a two-yard tap-in.

"That's what Lawrence Shankland is: he's someone who thrives off playing in between the posts. For me, it's not fortune when you see strikers that land on these types of chances all the time.

"I thought he should have been the starting striker going into the Euros in 2024. I'm hoping we've almost learned a lesson from that not being the case."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

GK: Raphael Sallinger (Hibernian)

Almost seems to get in by default at the moment because of another weekend lacking any outstanding goalkeeping performances. A couple of saves and a clean sheets means the Austrian gets the gloves again.

RB: Dujon Sterling (Rangers)

A solid performer at Ibrox and nabbed a goal in the vital 4-2 win over Dundee United.

CB: Luke Graham (Dundee)

A colossus at the back for the Dark Blues all afternoon. Unfortunate to be on the losing side.

CB: Alex Gogic (St Mirren)

Seldom a weekend goes by when this team of the week favourite doesn't find his way into the starting XI. His brilliant headed goal against Aberdeen and a clean sheet earns him another call-up.

LB: Jordan Obita (Hibernian)

Set up the goal for Felix Passlack after Owen Elding's pass unlocked the Kilmarnock defence. An effective presence down the Hibs left.

CM: Felix Passlack (Hibernian)

Another big goal for the former Borussia Dortmund man. The German has a knack for arriving in the box at just the right time.

CM: Stevie May (Livingston)

Once upon a time had the flowing locks and the killer touch of a goal machine number nine in his glorious St Johnstone era. These days he has refashioned himself into one of Livingston's most versatile players.

Age and injuries take their toll on all players but his precision finish and general clever play were fundamental for Livingston in their draw with Hearts.

FW: Owen Elding (Hibernian)

What a prospect he looks for Hibs. The 20-year-old who arrived from Sligo Rovers opened the scoring after 13 seconds against Kilmarnock and his pass to unlock the Killie defence for the Passlack goal was a measured thing of beauty.

FW: Lawrence Shankland (Hearts)

Powered in his headed goal and looked the part all afternoon against Livingston. Full of invention, poise and confidence. But, crucially, it's his killer instinct in the box that counts most.

With the national team struggling for goals, will he be Scotland's go-to man for the World Cup opener against Haiti?

FW: Claudio Braga (Hearts)

Player of the season? A joy to watch, every part of his game looks great right now. Never a doubt the goal would be scored when the chance came his way.

Could the partnership with Shankland be the key ingredient that gets the Hearts title tilt over the line? Earns extra points for me for his desire to stay on his feet in the box rather than look for a penalty.

FW: Calvin Miller (Falkirk)

A contender for the Scotland squad? The national team could do with a creative winger with pace and Calvin Miller has been providing that all season in the Premiership for Falkirk.

The stats add up as well, seven goals and 10 assists in all competitions.

We asked for your views on Hearts' potentially damaging Scottish Premiership draw at bottom side Livingston on Sunday.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Marc: We're still top of the league with six games to go. Every single Hearts fan would be happy with that position at the start of the season. Let's not look back but forward and ensure we win our home games. Silly goals to concede at Livi but we move on with a point and stay positive.

Peter: We saw the benefit of having Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin back in the quality of our attacking performance, but we shot ourselves in the foot twice and this is happening too often recently. Felt that Craig Halkett looked slow and untypically unsure of himself, while the defence did not gel properly at any point in the game.

Andy: Definitely feels like two points dropped and not one gained. We lost two soft goals against Livi and will need to be much more clinical defensively for the run-in. Still top of the league, though!

Patrick: No intensity and most attacks ending with the ball being passed backwards shows the players are not confident in winning games, let alone a league. We are set up to win by one goal and when that doesn't work we fall apart. We might not win another game this season.

Alison: McInnes will tell you how we are overachieving and still one point clear and other teams have more money, blah, blah, blah - we chucked it and the ball was in his hands when it was fumbled. Too many games with poor management decisions and horrible tactics will see us finish third.

Larry: The team's chucked it. Poor game management. Poor individual performances. Too many excuses. Not good enough. Monumental bottle job from McInnes, his tactics and line-ups have taken a thriving team into a shell of who they were.

Watch Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts drop two precious points in a thrilling draw at bottom side Livingston.

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Hearts inched back to the top of the Scottish Premiership but could only muster a disappointing draw against the league's bottom dwellers Livingston.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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Hearts head coach Derek McInnes: "I'm more disappointed with anybody. We'd done so much to get ourselves in front, and we needed to enjoy being in front a bit more.

"We felt the goal was coming. When we were good, we were very good, we were polished, connected well, looked after it well. At times, we looked like a team at the top of the league.

"But there were too many moments where we were sloppy, anxious in our defending, the gaps were too big between us.

"Livingston set up in a counter attacking shape, they're all about transitions. The second goal is a ridiculous goal to lose and we're disappointed with that.

"We can't keep pulling ourselves off the canvas. With half an hour to go, I wanted us to carry a but more of a threat. We've got to remember we're up against a team who are bottom of the league with something to hang on to.

"We needed to hammer home that authority and we missed the opportunity to stay in charge of the game. Psychologically, in terms of giving away a goal, was we gave them a boost.

"Both goals were so poor to lose, not the type we ordinarily lose. Our combination play was good, we had plenty possession and shots, but behind all that, there was too many wee moments where we guilty of giving up good opportunities.

"Individually, we were a wee bit off it with some of our defensive work. That's not just the back lost. In the first goal, the press wasn't right from the front.

"We go a point clear with six games to go. People need to remember that, I'm trying to keep myself in check with that. It's a missed opportunity today.

"We have to be honest and say a point is all we deserved, and it might be a really important point come the end of the season, so we're not going to get too hung up on it."

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Hearts striker Claudio Braga reveals Portugal FA officials have reached out to his representatives to let them know they are monitoring his form with the Tynecastle club. (Scottish Sun), external

Barrie McKay says he still doesn't know why he was frozen out at Hearts by Neil Critchley as the Livingston winger prepares to face his old club. (Daily Record), external

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Hearts boss Derek McInnes says no other side in Europe are defying expectations the way his team are.

The Tynecastle club - bidding to end four decades of Old Firm title dominance - are two points clear at the top of the Premiership with just seven games to play.

And while McInnes thinks there are other teams in the division overachieving, nobody is doing it quite like Hearts.

"Listen, there's three teams in the league who have overachieved this season - "Falkirk, Motherwell and ourselves," the 54-year-old said.

"You couldn't say that about everybody, but I think us three are probably ahead of where we thought we could have been this season.

"We've now been elevated into a position that probably nobody thought we could be at this stage of the season.

"I think when you look across Europe, across the world, for a team to have the disparity in wages and spending power as against the other two [Celtic and Rangers], it's so unusual.

"We're probably the only team that could be top of the league for so long and certainly top of the league with so few games to go.

"There's teams who have spent a lot more, with a lot more expectation on them in our league who should be at the top of the league, but they're not.

"We're there, we're enjoying it and we just need to try and keep maintaining our good work for the rest of the campaign."

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• Hearts have lost their past three away league outings; they had only lost two of their first 12 on the road in 2025-26 before this (W8 D2 L2).

• Livingston have failed to score in their past two league games, but haven't done so three times in a row in the Scottish Premiership since April 2024.

• Hearts have lost just two of their past 28 top-flight matches against Livingston (W16 D10), although both were away, in December 2018 (5-0) and September 2022 (1-0).

• Livingston have lost their past five Premiership games against Hearts, never before losing six in a row to the Tynecastle side in the top flight.

• Hearts have scored 20 league goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) this season - more than any other side. Livingston have conceded 18 from non-penalty set-plays, also a league-high figure.

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Livingston will be without the suspended Brooklyn Kabongolo and Macaulay Tait, who is unable to face his parent club. Connor McLennan (ankle) is still out, but Aidan Denholm is closing in on a return after a long-term hamstring injury.

Hearts welcome back defenders Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley after injury, while Stuart Findlay has a chance of being involved. Tomas Magnusson, who was set to return after a broken cheekbone, is now out with a thigh injury, while Harry Milne (calf), Craig Gordon (shoulder), Ageu (thigh) and Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring) are still out.

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Marc Leonard is loving his role in Hearts' title bid - but has "no idea" if he will be back at Tynecastle next season.

The 24-year-old midfielder has started all nine games for the Premiership leaders since joining on loan from Birmingham City in January.

But it remains to be seen if Leonard, who was in Hearts' academy before earning a move to Brighton in 2018, will remain with the Edinburgh club beyond the summer.

"Honestly, I have no idea," he said on Friday. "I've got two years left at Birmingham. From the last time I spoke to you guys, there's been no further conversations with that.

"I'm happy where I am. I'm really enjoying being here. I've loved every single minute of it."

Asked about the prospect of playing for Hearts in the Champions League next term, Leonard said: "Hearts is a club that I hold very close to my heart.

"I was here for years when I was young and my family all have really good ties with the club, they come to all the games. I love being here. Unfortunately, it's something I can't answer at the moment.

"Obviously, I'm tied to a contract with Birmingham and I did really enjoy it there as well. It's a huge club, so I have no idea just yet."

Having made just five Championship starts for Birmingham in the first half of the season, Leonard is revelling in playing a key part in Hearts' bid for a first title since 1960.

"It's been brilliant," he said. "When you go on loan, you want to play but I knew coming here with the team being top of the league that game-time wasn't going to be a given, so I am really grateful.

"The manager's obviously put a lot of trust and faith in me. I'm just happy that I feel like so far I have repaid him for putting me in the team every week."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Hearts head coach Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media before Sunday's trip to Livingston.

Here are the main points:

• Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley are ready after injury and Stuart Findlay could also make a comeback. But Tomas Magnusson misses out with a thigh strain and Harry Milne is also absent.

• Beni Baningime has had a full week of training and McInnes is "grateful to get him back". The head coach is also hopeful Craig Gordon could return before the end of the season.

• With two games to go until the split, McInnes is hoping his side head into it "in good form with the best points tallies we possibly can get" but knows to do that they'll "have to deal with a couple of really tough games, starting on Sunday at Livingston".

• The Hearts boss doesn't feel there is any psychological advantage to playing either before or after fellow title contenders: "I've never really gone into any game thinking we can psychologically damage another team."

• He doesn't have a points total in mind that would win the league and is only looking to have the "best points tally they can". He adds: "I think the split will sort it out and whoever's top of the league after the split deserves to be there."

• Despite not having won since August, McInnes says bottom club Livingston have a "real competitive element" to their play.

• He says everyone at Hearts is "pretty calm" with their place at the top of the table: "We've been here a long time now, we're comfortable with it."

• McInnes says three Premiership teams - "Falkirk, Motherwell and ourselves" - have overachieved this season: "You couldn't say that about everybody but I think us three are probably ahead of where we thought we could have been."

• He adds: "There's teams who have spent a lot more, a lot more expectation on them, in our league, who should be at the top of the league, but they're not. We're there, we're enjoying it, and we just need to try and keep maintaining our good work for the rest of the campaign."

• Third-place Celtic are five points off the top but McInnes says it would be "foolish" to rule them out of the title race because "you wouldn't discount a Martin O'Neill Celtic team at any juncture".

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Livingston defender Danny Wilson has backed his former club Hearts to win the Premiership title.

The centre-back has been surprised by his side's poor return to the top flight and suggested their late 2-1 defeat to Hearts at the start of the season set the tone for their campaign.

Hearts are two points in front of Rangers at the top while Livi sit rock bottom, 12 points behind Kilmarnock and St Mirren, with seven games to play.

"Given the consistency they've shown, I don't see why they can't go on to win the league," Wilson said of Hearts.

"They've been the most consistent team and they find themselves deservedly at the top of the league.

"They have all the ingredients to be a successful team. They are very solid and they have players that can win them games. I've been really impressed with them."

The sides meet in West Lothian on Sunday, a fixture Livi haven't won since 2022. Marvin Bartley's men are without a victory in any competition since the start of August.

And Wilson suggested Hearts' 2-1 win at Almondvale at the start of the season, where Livi conceded an injury-time goal to lose, set the tone for an underwhelming campaign.

"They've won a lot of games by the odd goal," the 34-year-old added.

"When we played them here earlier in the season I thought that sort of set the tone for our season.

"We were very unlucky not to have taken one or three points but we took none.

"We know how tough it will be, but hopefully we can make it three points this weekend to give ourselves a better feeling."

The captain said Livi's poor run is "something I didn't expect coming into this season" and added: "We need to start putting points on the board.

"We're really at that stage now where if we don't, then it's looking like the inevitable is going to happen."

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Hearts have increased the price of season tickets for the 2026-27 season by 7%, citing rising costs, matchday events and "significant investment" in the stadium.

The increase works out as an additional £20 for the cheapest adult ticket and £40 for the most expensive option.

The Tynecastle club are currently top of the Scottish Premiership and on course for their first top flight title since the 1950-60 season. They would be the first non-Old Firm team to lift the trophy since Aberdeen 41 years ago.

Explaining the price rise, Hearts said: "Significant investment in the stadium has been made in recent times, along with special matchday events.

"These outlays, along with the ever-rising costs associated with staging football matches, means that a slight increase in season ticket prices for 2026-27 is necessary.

"Rest assured, this increase will not only allow us to continue to put on memorable matchdays, but, crucially, income from season tickets means continued investment in the playing squad, and strengthening the first team gives everyone the best chance of making even more unforgettable memories in Gorgie."

The club added that since next term will be only the second time in seven years season-ticket prices have risen above pre-Covid levels, they hope it is "viewed as a fair rate of increase".

Season-ticket holders have from 2 April until 22 May to renew.

And while season-ticket holders will be given priority access to buy European and cup tickets, Hearts say they "cannot guarantee the availability of your specific seat due to the potential for changes to both stadium configuration and away fan allocation".