Stuart Findlay hoping leaders Hearts continue to be picked for TV fixtures

Stuart Findlay hopes Hearts can continue to be involved in box-office fixtures for as long as possible as he urged his team-mates to embrace the challenge of trying to remain top of the William Hill Premiership.

After ending Rangers’ mini-resurgence with a 2-1 victory on Sunday that kept their six-point lead over Celtic intact, the Jambos’ next test is a mouthwatering Edinburgh derby away to Hibernian on Saturday.

The heightened scrutiny on Hearts – amid their stunning surge to the top of the table – was highlighted on Monday afternoon when it emerged that all four of their league matches between January 31 and February 15 had been selected for live television coverage.

Former Kilmarnock defender Findlay said: “I’d rather have the challenge of these big games when we’re up at the top end of the league rather than where the club was last year (in the bottom six) and where I was with Kilmarnock last year – when you’ve got a different sort of pressure on you, pressures to try and stay in the league, pressures to save people’s livelihoods.

“It’s an honour to be involved in these games at the top end of the table. We don’t take it for granted. We know how quickly it can go away.

“We’ve seen how quickly we dropped a few points in a little run we had there (in November), but also how quickly we can come back with three unbelievably-massive wins (against Celtic, Falkirk and Rangers), so we know what’s right around the corner.

“But while we’re up there and while we’re playing in these big games, we need to relish them and make the most of them.”

Findlay believes the fact Hearts have won all four matches against Celtic and Rangers this season is proof that Derek McInnes has developed a squad with the strength of character to live up to the club’s lofty expectations.

“We thrive in big games, we’ve shown that in all the big games so far,” he said.

“To beat Celtic home and away, to beat Rangers home and away, it’s not easy to do no matter what Celtic and Rangers show up. It’s a testament to the boys that we’re able to do that and to the manager for getting us up for these sort of games.

“We believe in ourselves, I think that’s the big thing. You come into these games with the pure belief you can get the victory and that’s what we’ve been doing.

“I’ve played at Tynecastle many times over the years. I’ve seen it good, bad and indifferent. I’ve been very lucky for 95 per cent of this season, it’s been very, very good.

“The atmosphere when you come out at a stadium like this in a big game, I don’t think you’re going to get many better places to play your football.

“I was saying that to my wife before the Rangers game, I couldn’t wait to come and play in the game. It’s the sort of game I came to the club for.”