Daly delighted with Hearts response

Posted Monday, January 21, 2019 by PA

Hearts first-team coach Jon Daly was delighted to see players respond in the perfect manner to half-time criticism when Sean Clare netted his first goal for the club to seal a William Hill Scottish Cup win over Livingston.

Clare curled home first time from 16 yards after a deft lay-off from debutant striker David Vanecek in the 48th minute.

The only goal of the game secured Hearts a fifth-round home tie against Auchinleck Talbot.

Daly said: “It was a fantastic move. I spoke to David at half-time about getting hold of the ball and giving us a platform to build from, I thought he was loose in the first half.

“Sean in the first half was slack and Foxy (coach Liam Fox) had a little pop at him. It’s great that you get a reaction from them.

“It was good from Naisy (Steven Naismith), who is key to everything we do. He played a good pass into David, who laid it off, and Sean’s finish was excellent.”

Former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Clare has taken some time to get going after joining Hearts in late September but the 22-year-old has now played his part in three consecutive wins.

“To be fair to Sean, when he signed he wasn’t 100 per cent fully fit, he had an issue with his foot,” Daly said.

“He has probably played a lot more than we would have liked just now and he has been thrown into situations that we probably wouldn’t have asked if we had a fully-fit squad. He has started to look stronger and better.

“It was clear that he didn’t start the game particularly well but he definitely came out second half with the bit between his teeth and ultimately got us through to the next round.

“We know the qualities he has. He is a young player, still learning the game. At times he needs to do a bit more but he is still getting used to Scottish football and the club so it’s important we stick by him and give him opportunities which he can repay.”

Livingston manager Gary Holt felt his team were short of luck.

Holt said: “I thought we competed well, we just didn’t have that wee bit of quality in the final third, taking care of the final pass, taking care of the shooting, getting a lucky break when things were going in the box.

“I can’t fault them. Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve in football and I think it was a wee bit unfair on the boys to come away with nothing because I don’t think there was much in the game.”