Congolese midfielder is one of several players Tynecastle management want signed up
Strength, composure and ball retention were three qualities Beni Baningime excelled at during Hearts win at Celtic Park on Saturday. It is put to him that his performance in the 2-0 win was perhaps his best since returning in August after 16 months out with a cruciate ligament injury.
“Nah, I don’t think so. I think it was more of a crucial performance in terms of the team and discipline,” he remarked in an exclusive Edinburgh News interview. “It’s probably my favourite performance. I look at being good on the ball and then defensively. I felt I did my job. I thought Alex Cochrane was man-of-the-match. Really, I thought he was ridiculous. Celtic brought on [Daizen] Maeda and he locked him up as well. We all know he isn’t easy to mark.”
The Congolese midfielder, nonetheless, is gradually improving with each game and was a central factor in Hearts’ success in Glasgow. It was the Edinburgh club’s first league win at Parkhead since 2007 and returned to third place in the cinch Premiership table. Baningime was unaware how long his team had waited to beat Celtic in the league in their own backyard.
After victories at Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Ross County and St Johnstone this season, Hearts are doing their best to address years of poor away form. Head coach Steven Naismith is determined to garner points on the road regularly, and ending the Celtic hoodoo is a major step forward.
“Wow, so that is a great achievement,” said Baningime. “We were so close at Ibrox a few weeks back and I feel that away from home, compared to previous seasons that I’ve been here, we have this resilience about us. Celtic dominated the game but we were always in control. They had chances but they never really looked like scoring. I’m really proud of the boys for the work that we put in. I love playing football so it was a different game for me. Playing for the team like that, honestly, was brilliant.”
Further inspiration came from events during the second half when Celtic fans began turning on the club’s board. Some individuals in the main stand even turned on one another. The disorder gave Hearts further strength to hold on to their 2-0 lead, secured through Lawrence Shankland’s header and Stephen Kingsley’s free-kick.
“Yeah, that’s what we spoke about before the game. We get one goal and the crowd will turn,” said Baningime. “Then Kingsley – what a free-kick. To be fair, it’s been a while for him. When I came here he was scoring free-kicks almost every week. I’m really happy for him and hopefully he is okay [with injury]. We know the quality he has and how crucial he is to the team.”
The elephant in the room during any conversation with Baningime right now is his future. His contract expires at the end of the season, Hearts have offered a new deal, but he is undecided. The former Everton player was on the wishlist of several English clubs pre-injury and is not keen to look too far ahead right now.
“I said last time I spoke to you that I would never leave here in a bad place. That is my main focus right now,” he stressed. “My main focus is football. That might sound a bit of a cliché but I don’t really want to think about the future.
“I’m happy to sign whenever my agent and everyone comes to negotiation. My family is also important to me. It’s not just for me. Whatever they say, I have to take that into consideration over what’s next. I’m really happy here and I just want to enjoy football again. I was out for 16 months so I just want to play and not think about all these different things.”
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