Hearts attacker Steven Naismith, has told the Edinburgh Evening News that he’ll be trying to wind up the Rangers fans with his performance this weekend.
The 33-year-old forward has recently returned from injury and is a key player for the Jambos, as they look to lift themselves away from the foot of the Scottish Premiership.
Following a 3-0 defeat at Rugby Park last time out, where Killie scored all three goals in the first 16 minutes, they travel to Ibrox on Sunday afternoon, looking to cause an upset.
One certainty heading into the clash is that ex-Gers man Naismith won’t get a good reception from the home fans.
“You just get used to it and it doesn’t bother me,” Naismith told the Edinburgh Evening News. “If anything, you kind of thrive on it a bit.”
“You enjoy knowing that, the better you do in the game, the more wound up other people are going to get. That probably drives me to an extent in games.”
Verdict
Naismith remains unpopular in Govan due to the manner of his departure from the club back in 2012.
Ever since he returned to Scottish football with Hearts, he’s had boos directed at him by Gers fans and there’s no reason to believe it’ll be any different come Sunday.
It’s a big claim to say that the treatment inspires him, especially considering he has just two goals and no assists in eight career appearances against the Gers [Transfermarkt].
There’s no doubt that he’s the opposition’s biggest threat heading into this one, though.
Hearts were toothless in the League Cup semi-final at the beginning of the month, but Naismith was only fit enough to play as a sub in that game, while target man Uche Ikpeazu was inexplicably left out of the starting XI.
The Jambos will surely offer more this time around, but if Steven Gerrard’s side reach anywhere close to top gear, this should still be a straightforward fixture.
