Latest news with #FrankieKent
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hearts duo make TOTW
Frankie Kent: Utterly assured at the back as Hearts continue their end-of-season Shankland: Four goals in his past two league games. Incredible what a change of shape, position and, perhaps, manager can make.
Scotsman
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hearts in a sticky position: Call for fans to respond again at Tynecastle
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now SPFL Premiership season is far from over in Gorgie Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Suggestions that Hearts' season is over following defeat in the Scottish Cup semi-final are dismissed with one glance at the William Hill Premiership table. Yes, they will remain in the league's bottom half and cup exploits are finished for another year, but there is a more concerning matter needing put to bed: The prospect of relegation. Hearts are seventh in the table, 11 points ahead of bottom club St Johnstone and six better off than second-bottom Dundee, who visit Tynecastle Park on Saturday. With five games remaining, a win for the hosts in that fixture would strengthen their position and all but remove chances of them being dragged into the relegation battle. The three points, therefore, are of huge significance in Gorgie. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yeah, listen, we're still in a sticky position,' admits Frankie Kent, the Hearts defender. 'These games are important and they're also important to go into next year with momentum as well. You don't want to fade out of what could be a decent end to the season and then start next season [poorly] because it's a quick turnaround. I mean, it's like three or four weeks off and then we're back in and then the first competitive game comes. We've got five important games to get through first but, yeah, it's tough.' Supporters are entitled to be disillusioned as a patience-testing campaign draws towards a close. Saturday's loss at Hampden Park came in controversial circumstances with two Hearts players sent off as the Scottish Cup semi-final went to extra-time. Criticism from fans has built over the course of the season, but the performance in Glasgow demonstrated players' commitment to the cause. 'Yeah, I get it [criticism] because of the situation and everything,' says Kent, who returned from injury to play 75 minutes against Aberdeen. 'From being in the dressing room and also being from afar, the boys do give everything and they have tried this season. It's just that, for whatever reason, it hasn't worked. Like I said last week, we appreciate the fans turning up, getting behind us the whole way, getting excited and feeling like they can be proud of us. But the most hurtful thing is that we just couldn't get it over the line. And you need them.' Hearts fans back their team all season in the Scottish league and cups The call that players need supporters underlines the importance of the next few games. Numbers in the stands has not been Hearts' issue this season, it must be said. There is, understandably, lingering disappointment at Riccarton at how the season has panned out. Saturday's events merely exacerbated those emotions. 'Yeah, gutted but proud at the same time in a lot of ways. Just because of how we played with the 10 men and then the nine men,' explains Kent. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's hard to put into words - just gutted. It's hard to get your head around what happened - the decisions and the two sending-offs. But I feel like we showed enough in terms of character - and even the performance and how we defended - to at least get penalties.' Kent was introduced after 45 minutes along with defensive colleague Craig Halkett as Hearts tried to shore up their back line following Michael Steinwender's dismissal. The plan was to hold out as long as possible. 'Yeah, 100 per cent. I think with the players that we had on the bench and the squad, I think obviously it's suited us going back to that. Try and protect the wide areas, try and protect the middle. I feel like it worked,' he says. 'I mean, Craigie's had a couple of good saves but I don't think we were getting opened up. Obviously, how we set up has restricted them to a lot of stuff. But like I said, that was the game plan. Just take the game as long as we can and hopefully try and pick something up from a set-piece or counter-attack. To be fair, I feel like we got quite close. I think Penners' [James Penrice] shot was quite close but we were just gutted. It's just so hard to get a good run.' Cammy Devlin was the other Hearts player sent off by referee John Beaton at Hampden. Both his yellow cards were hotly disputed and he apologised in the dressing room afterwards along with Steinwender. 'Cammy's always an emotional kid. He's an emotional boy and everyone loves him for it,' says Kent. They obviously said sorry but what can you do? Decisions go against you like that. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It just doesn't make sense why he's got to give the second yellow card. Just understand the state of the game. We've only got 10 minutes. And from where they do it [the cross for the winning goal], Cammy would have been there to get out to the guy crossing, or Penners could have because somebody blocked Penners on the way through. But it's gone now. There's nothing you can do.' READ MORE: Chesnokov to Hearts update as winger shows what he will bring to Tynecastle
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Reaching final can put 'positive spin' on season
Frankie Kent insists Hearts are determined to rebound from their top-six miss by reaching the Scottish Cup final to put a "positive spin" on their Critchley's men, having been consigned to the bottom half after last weekend's draw at Motherwell, face Aberdeen at Hampden in the Scottish Cup semis on says a win would ease some of the pain the supporters have endured in a disappointing league campaign."I wouldn't say it salvages it because we're expecting a lot from ourselves as a club and as individuals especially," he said."But it definitely puts a positive spin on it, in terms of something to look forward to, something for the fans to shout about and get excited about to hopefully get through to a final."Football moves quickly so you can't dwell on it too much. But everyone was gutted with how it went and how it turned out."But we've got a big game to look forward to and everyone's been up for that. And training has been really good this week. I feel like the boys have got a point to prove in terms of wanting to get the result and get through."The 29-year-old defender returned to the squad last weekend after four months out with a quad injury and hopes to feature at Hampden."I'm experienced enough to be able to deal with these sorts of games," he added."And if I was put back in, then yes, I definitely feel like I'm ready. There are times to show bottle on a stage like this."I think we've shown, especially in my time here, that we can beat anyone."It's going to be a tough game on Saturday. There's no getting away from that. But I feel like we're in a good place in terms of now addressing what's happened."
