The defender has explained his issue after being forced off at half-time
Stephen Kingsley understood the significance as he watched his free-kick soar over the Celtic wall and past a flailing dive by Joe Hart. Half an hour had passed when Hearts took a 2-0 lead at Parkhead thanks to a flick of his gifted left boot. They could have lost the game, and they were not going to let it happen this time.
The Tynecastle team won their first league game in Glasgow’s east end since 2007 with a brave and disciplined effort. They have not won a premier league match away at Celtic since Kestitus Ivaskevicius, Andy Driver, and Michal Pospisil. This was enormous, historic, significant, and motivating.
Indeed, the home squad played appallingly and duly suffered their first home defeat by a domestic rival since January 2021. That shouldn’t take away from Hearts’ poise or their tactical play. Steven Naismith, the head coach who has been under fire lately, should be commended for developing a strategy and giving his players enough confidence to execute it flawlessly.
The highlights were Lawrence Shankland’s header in the fifteenth minute and Kingsley’s powerful 25-yard strike. In addition to several other clearances, tackles, interceptions, and saves, Kingsley’s block stopped Luis Palma of Celtic from scoring at 2-0. During the second half, hearts were broken during the counterattack as the home fans surrounding them became unruly. Nathaniel Atkinson and Alex Cochrane were two exceptional players.
Overall, it was a perfect reaction to Hearts’ acquiescent loss to Aberdeen the previous Saturday. “I’m pleased with the boys’ defense. We were unwavering,” Kingsley remarked. “You know they’re going to shoot and cut you open sometimes, but overall, I thought our defense played quite well. In many aspects we were second best versus Aberdeen, but we made significant progress.
This season, our defense has been excellent. After a couple of losses [against Rangers and Aberdeen], it’s good to get back to keeping a lot of clean sheets. On Saturday, we knew we had a chance. A small amount of good fortune must be on your side. When we arrived at Ibrox, we had a 1-0 lead going into the ninetieth minute. In these crucial games, we’ve performed admirably and felt like we were getting close to a win. The boys deserve all the praise.
That goal against Hibs at Hampden Park in April 2022 was Kingsley’s first of the season and, in fact, his first since then. He used to regularly lash them in back then, and the drought was starting to bother him. It came to an amazing end.
“To be really honest, I think I have a chance with free-kicks all the time. With my current technique, I feel at ease. I had a number of close calls with them early in the season, but sometimes you just need a little bit of luck to see them through. I’ve done it so much that I have the technique and am always upbeat and confident. I’m relieved to be free of the monkey on my back because this is the first one in a long time.
“I felt relieved. Not so much the actual free-kick. Being a lefty, I couldn’t have positioned it more accurately when I walked up to it. However, I believe you can see the relief if you watch the celebration again. My previous objective was quite some time ago, and I would like to assist others achieve their ambitions. Although I am aware of my primary responsibility as a defender, I believe that I haven’t done enough to assist in the future. I was glad to assist the team.
He stayed inside the away dressing room to watch the second half. Kingsley had to be replaced at halftime due to a groin injury, but Toby Sibbick was a calm performance as well. That calmed Kingsley down a bit. “I was within. I was receiving some physiotherapy beforehand because I feel really anxious when I watch games, so I was just listening in.
“Although I was anxious, hearing that made me feel like we were powerful. Although you’re never comfortable at Celtic Park, I thought we were in a strong position. I had a peaceful confidence that we would definitely be able to work things out. There were around thirty seconds left when I left for the celebrations.”
Hearts will now look for a conclusive diagnosis for the injury and hope that one of their key players gets well soon. “I thought I would be able to handle it, but things really deteriorated at halftime, and I couldn’t have been falling behind. We needed everyone to be on the defense,” Kingsley remarked.
“Toby played beautifully in the second half, and I was devastated not to be able to watch. It’s in my adductor region of my groin. To tell the truth, I have no idea what it is. However, I don’t think it’s terrible. Making the sensible decision to leave at halftime.”
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