Kilmarnock catapulted themselves into the top six of the Scottish Premiership with their 1-0 win over of Hearts on Saturday which is, says Stuart Findlay, exactly where his team belong.
The central defender was an integral member of the side which defeated Hearts at Tynecastle and saw them keep their seventh clean sheet of the season. The 24-year-old was delighted to see his side claim victory and he admits that their recent form means that as soon as they take the lead in any given match, they are confident they can secure all three points.
“It was a fantastic three points for us,” he said of the Hearts victory.
“It’s something I think we deserved and as soon as we went 1-0 up, we were confident we could keep a clean sheet.
“You get used to keeping clean sheets and you take pride in it. We’ve got a solid foundation and we obviously want to add more goals, but if you begin with that defensive base then it’s a good way to start.”
Findlay has been in excellent form of late and has been rewarded with a call-up to this week’s Scotland squad by his former manager, Steve Clarke.
It is not the first time the defender has been invited to join a Scotland squad but he has yet to gain his first cap. While he is, understandably, champing at the bit to become a full internationalist, he is, he says, happy to defer to Clarke’s judgement when it comes to selection.
“Obviously it’s an honour [to be called into the squad],” he said.
"I wasn’t in the squad originally but I got the phone call just a couple of days later and it's something I have to take advantage of.
“Of all the managers I’ve worked with, the one whose judgement I trust the most is Steve Clark after what he did with us. All I can do is go away and train and I’m sure he’ll make the correct squad decision.”
Kilmarnock may be flying high at the moment but the same cannot be said for Hearts. The final whistle at Tynecastle was met with a cacophony of boos by the home fans, with much of the abuse directed at manager Craig Levein.
The Hearts manager admitted in the aftermath of the match just how angry he was at his players’ performance and despite the Edinburgh side currently being beset by injury problems, Levein was adamant his side should be performing better than they did on Saturday.
There are some who lay blame at Levein’s door but Steven MacLean agrees with his manager that the players must take the bulk of the responsibility for their poor season, which sees them just two points clear of the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.
“The way we started the game was not acceptable,” the striker, who came on at half-time said.
“The crowd is not going to get behind us if we do that. If we play like we did against Aberdeen they will be with us. That’s what the fans wants to see - that’s what we need to give them.
“Individuals need to step up to the plate. It’s alright to have a game plan but you have to go out and show willingness and desire. That’s down to the players to do that.”
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