Critchley’s fine start continues with a victory over Omonoia in the Conference League

So far, so good for Neil Critchley’s fledgling tenure at Hearts, as the Jambos followed up Saturday’s 4-0 Premiership win over St Mirren with an equally comfortable 2-0 victory against Omonoia at Tynecastle in the Europa Conference League.

Those who doubted the appointment of the 46-year-old former Blackpool and QPR boss have gone silent. Head coach Critchley is already bringing the best out of a previously underperforming squad, with Hearts playing with far more vibrancy and attacking threat. They were never in any danger against an Omonoia side that simply could not match the hosts’ energy and intensity.

Hearts were 2-0 up within 23 minutes, thanks to goals from Alan Forrest and the impressive Blair Spittal, who netted his third goal in as many games. Deployed in a roaming role across the front line, the summer signing delivered the kind of performance that earned him the move from Motherwell.

“Bring on the Hibees” and “Are you watching, David Gray?” echoed around Tynecastle. Hearts head across the city to face Hibs on Sunday in the first Edinburgh derby of the season, with the Jambos sitting above their bottom-placed rivals only on goal difference. The message to the Hibs boss was clear: Gorgie confidence is growing.

Hearts’ aspirations in the Conference League now look very promising. This victory builds on the solid foundations of an excellent 2-1 triumph in Azerbaijan against Dinamo Minsk on matchday one. Hearts now have six points and need to finish no lower than 24th out of the 36 teams to guarantee a play-off spot. German side Heidenheim will visit Tynecastle in two weeks, followed by trips to Copenhagen and Cercle Brugge. The group stage concludes with a home tie against Moldovan minnows Petrocub. Hearts can realistically target European football after Christmas.

They will likely face far tougher opposition than Omonoia. The Cypriot side are struggling in their domestic league, and their manager Valdas Dambrauskas is under pressure. His team’s lacklustre display did little to help his cause. Over 1,000 passionate travelling fans made the long journey to Edinburgh but were given little to cheer about.

It’s early days for Critchley, but already Hearts look like a much more attack-minded side than earlier in the season. Forrest, Spittal, Kenneth Vargas, and Lawrence Shankland frequently formed a front four, while full-backs Adam Forrester and Stephen Kingsley pushed forward at every opportunity. Malachi Boateng and Cammy Devlin were snappy and competitive in midfield. The only concern was the space Hearts occasionally left behind them. Critchley is sticking to his mantra of “attack with and without the ball.”

Forrest was one of four changes from the weekend win, and the winger seized his opportunity. He was already a lively presence on the left flank before smashing the ball high past Omonoia goalkeeper Fabiano in the 17th minute after Spittal’s shot deflected into his path via a Senou Coulibaly block.

Hearts went in search of a second goal, and Shankland came close to scoring, with Fabiano producing a superb one-handed save to deny the Jambos’ captain. However, by the 22nd minute, the lead was extended. Shankland’s backheel was toe-poked into Spittal’s path by Vargas, and the Scotsman fired the ball high into the net.

Omonoia’s best first-half chances came from set-pieces, with former Rangers defender Filip Helander heading wide twice from promising positions. At the other end, both Helander and Coulibaly appeared far from secure, with the latter needing to clear Shankland’s effort off the line just before the interval.

Omonoia improved marginally after the break, with Willy Semedo firing over from inside the box in the 56th minute, and their attacks carried more urgency. By the 70th minute, the Jambos seemed content to sit back and play on the counter. Substitute Alioum Saidou skewed a shot over the bar after some neat interplay, summing up the Cypriots’ frustrating night. They were unable to land a significant blow.

Jorge Grant had a goal ruled out for offside late on, but it mattered little. Hearts fans left Tynecastle smiling. A similar performance on Sunday will further silence Critchley’s doubters.