Neil Critchley: Hearts' European exit is 'hugely frustrating'

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley admitted his frustration after seeing his side let a strong position slide to be dumped out of the Conference League.

The Tynecastle club had gone into their final League Phase game against winless Petrocub knowing that a home victory would seal passage to the knockout stages of European competition for the first time since 1989.

Hearts have endured a miserable season in domestic competition but hoped that their European adventure could continue and spark a turnaround in form. Instead, they fell behind to the Moldovan minnows and, after working hard to level and then lead, conceded an 83rd minute penalty.

Petrocub equalised from the spot and when there was no further scoring, Hearts finished 25th in the table when the top 24 progressed to the knockout stages.

Critchley, who has struggled to turn results around since succeeding Steven Naismith, saw a familiar scenario unfold.

“It’s hugely frustrating to say the least,” he said. “This game followed a pretty much a similar pattern to a lot of our games since I’ve been here anyway.

“Where we start the game well, we create some chances and build momentum. We don’t take them, they score with virtually their first breakaway. We’re left chasing the game. We respond well, and get our noses in front.

“And at that point we’re in control of the game. We don’t defend one cross and again, that’s moments at both ends of the pitch.

“I think we had over 50 crosses tonight, 15 corners. We haven’t worked their goalkeeper enough, so if don’t do well enough at both ends of the pitch then you pay the price for that.

“And that’s what we’ve done tonight.”

Reflecting on the failure to progress after the team had a strong start to the competition, he said: “Hugely disappointing night, obviously, for the football club, for everyone involved.

“We didn’t do enough. Over the six games, we haven’t got the points tally, that we needed.

“That’s on us as a group, we haven’t done enough. Ultimately, we’ve paid a big price for that.

“We’re all aware of what this competition and what a win tonight would have meant for the football club.

“It was a big opportunity. It’s not just on tonight’s game. You have six games to collect the points and we haven’t done that.

“You’ll go through numerous moments and incidents during the six games – could have, would have, should have – and you have to live with that. There were plenty of them tonight.”

Critchley will now have to lift his players to focus on their Premiership plight ahead of a busy spell, with the team bottom of the league after 17 games.