Hearts manager Daniel Stendel insists victory over Hamilton in Saturday’s Premiership basement scrap would go a long way to repairing his squad’s shattered confidence.
The Tynecastle side will attempt to pick themselves from Wednesday’s 5-0 thrashing at Celtic in time for the visit of Accies.
Hearts go into the game one point adrift of Brian Rice’s side and Stendel admits taking all the spoils would give his team a much needed morale-boost in their battle to beat the drop.
He said: “It’s a big match, it’s a chance to pass Hamilton in the table but after there are also a lot of matches.
“It would be good for all in the club, for the players in the head if we win this game.
“This is pressure, yes, but this is our business.
“We want to try and play in front, to play our game but that didn’t happen against Celtic and we need more confidence to do that.
“This is our situation and we need to understand that. We need our support on Saturday, I know it’s difficult but we need the support and we need a much better performance on Saturday to win against Hamilton.
“I take the responsibility, yes, but we only have a chance together.”
Stendel admits Sean Clare and Michael Smith are both facing a race against time to be fit for the Hamilton match after being forced off injured at Celtic Park.
He added: “Both players have problems in the last few games, we tried every week to get them fit for the game but we hope they’re ready for Saturday. But I cannot say yes or no at the moment.”
