Derek McInnes hopes Tony Bloom enjoyed Hearts’ win over Aberdeen

Derek McInnes was delighted Hearts were able to kick off their William Hill Premiership campaign with a 2-0 victory over Aberdeen in front of ambitious new shareholder Tony Bloom.

The Brighton owner was at Tynecastle for the first time after recently completing a deal to invest in the Edinburgh club, and he had his name sung by supporters lapping up his bold pre-match declarations that Hearts can win the Scottish title and break into the Champions League.

After an early own goal from Dons skipper Graeme Shinnie and a 73rd-minute header from Stuart Findlay sent Hearts top of the fledgling league table, manager McInnes said of Bloom’s attendance at the match: “He’ll have loved getting his name sung. I haven’t spoken to him yet, I’m meeting him tomorrow.

“We’ve had a couple of text conversations. I think he would have been encouraged as well, seeing Tynecastle the way it was. I think he would have enjoyed it. He certainly would have enjoyed the result because, as he’s said, he just wants to see a winning Hearts team more often than not. That’s what we’re all wanting.”

McInnes smiled wryly when asked about Bloom’s bullish comments in the 24 hours leading up to the match, but he said: “I knew what Tony was going to say, I heard what you guys heard, absolutely no problem with it at all.

“There’s so many people, including Tony, who are ambitious and want Hearts to be successful at the club. He’s obviously come in with a fresh pair of eyes and came out and shot for exactly what he wants.

“We’re trying to make progress and I think we can make progress. Where Tony and others and myself think we can bridge the gap and maybe try and get ahead of others is the confidence they have in the recruitment.”

McInnes felt he had “a team screaming to win the game of football there, absolutely busting”. “For sheer commitment, guts, effort, I thought we were 10 out of 10,” he said.

Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin conceded the better team won.

“We had an idea of how we were going to take on the game today in the first half with the ball, and we didn’t succeed in that,” he said. “Hearts put good pressure on us, and then they win these second balls and create a momentum with the crosses. They were better in the first half.

“I think in the second half we got better with the ball and started creating some chances in their box, but we were not really clinical. We were not really there.”