Neil Critchley said he had enjoyed a “fantastic night” as Hearts defeated Omonia Nicosia 2-0 on a thrilling Conference League night at Tynecastle.
Well-taken goals from Alan Forrest and Blair Spittal ensured all three points for Hearts, adding to the three they picked up in an opening day win over Dinamo Minsk.
For Critchley, it meant a dream start to his time as head coach, following on from a 4-0 win against St Mirren in his first Premiership match in charge last weekend.
“It was a great evening,” he said. “I loved it.
“A fantastic night from start to finish, I thought we were fantastic in the first half.
“We started with real intent and our aggression without the ball was excellent. I thought we played some fantastic football as well, causing a lot of problems and deservedly won the game.
“Second half, without the ball, we looked relatively comfortable for most of it. I would have liked to have seen us keep the ball again better. But again, clean sheet, two fantastic goals and a really good all-round team performance.”
After taking six points from six so far, Hearts welcome Heidenheim to Tynecastle in two weeks’ time before travelling to face Cercle Brugge and Copenhagen and concluding the League Phase with a home match against Petrocub.
Critchley believes Thursday’s result has them well-placed to be thinking about qualifying for the knockout stage.
“It puts us in a really strong position,” he said. “Six points from six, four games to go, we couldn’t have asked for any more.”
The new head coach also had words of praise for Spittal, whose stunning strike was his third goal in three games.
“I thought he was fantastic, honestly,” he said. “I’ve been really impressed with Blair.
“Really focused, good technically, can score goals as he’s done tonight. I’ve seen him score, hitting the back of the net on a regular basis, which helps.”
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