Neil Critchley believes Hearts will respond after missing out on top six

Neil Critchley is confident Hearts can bounce back from the deflation of missing out on the top six when they face Aberdeen in what has become a critical Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final for the under-pressure head coach.

The Jambos slipped into the bottom half of the William Hill Premiership after drawing 0-0 at Motherwell in their final match before the split, with St Mirren leapfrogging them to claim the final spot in the top six.

It was a demoralising blow for the Edinburgh side and their frustrated supporters, but Critchley has no concerns about any lingering negativity affecting their preparations for Saturday’s Hampden showdown with the Dons.

“I think that game speaks for itself,” the head coach said of the semi-final. “When you go to a semi-final at Hampden, I don’t think motivation will be a problem.

“Naturally, we’re all disappointed at this moment in time and feeling down, but I said to the players that as a group we now have to respond and make sure when we come back in on Monday we’re preparing properly and positive, ready to go to Hampden and play a game that will be different to Motherwell.”

Hearts’ failure to secure a top-six spot after collecting just four points from the final five pre-split fixtures has increased scrutiny on Critchley, who has struggled to convince sections of the support of his ability to take the team forward in the long term since succeeding Steven Naismith in October when the Jambos were bottom of the table.

The Englishman went out on to the pitch to applaud the travelling support at full-time on Saturday as anger rained down from the stands.

“I would always acknowledge the fans, always, out of respect,” he stressed. “They’ve come here and paid money to come and follow their team in great numbers.

“They’re entitled to have their say and their opinion. I have no issue with that whatsoever. I’ll always acknowledge the supporters because they are the football club.”

Motherwell were also in the mix for a top-six spot, but ultimately the fact St Mirren won meant even a victory would not have been enough for them.

Given the tight nature of the league, manager Michael Wimmer viewed Saturday’s point as a step towards fending off the lingering threat of being involved in the relegation shake-up.

“The points are important because the table is so tight and any result can happen in this league – you saw the result last weekend with St. Johnstone (beating Celtic), so this point was very important,” said the German, who was waiting to learn the extent of a muscle injury sustained by defender Kofi Balmer.

“I felt from the spectators that they wanted us to push forward, but in the end it was 3-2 for St Mirren, so for me, it was better to take a point than to get a counter-attack and lose the game because this point is very important.

“Now we are four in front of Ross County and Kilmarnock and not three. Our goal difference is not really good, so it was a very, very important point for us.”