AFTER taking the Championship by storm last season, Hearts are third favourites for the Premiership this coming campaign, albeit at a modest 100/1.
They certainly have the resources and, more importantly, the managerial expertise to get into the top six, but Neil Alexander knows they can take nothing for granted.
The common belief that there is little to choose between the bottom of the top flight and the upper reaches of the second was not borne out in the play-off final, when Motherwell beat Rangers 6-1 over the two legs to hold on to their place in the Premiership. The Championship and League One play-offs were also won by the team defending their place in the upper division rather than by an aspirant from below, so Alexander knows there is a significant gulf his club will need to bridge before their hopes of a top-six finish are realised.
"I thought that would have been a lot closer," Alexander said of that match at the end of May. "It just shows that Motherwell, even finishing second bottom, are still a tough team to play against.
"Celtic, Aberdeen, Dundee United and the likes will be the big, tough games, but Hamilton, Partick Thistle, Dundee and others are going to be even harder. They're the teams who might be around you come the end of the season. You need to get points from them, and they're the games where the pressure lies.
"As a club, we set high standards for ourselves. Realistically, top six would be where we're aiming. We're not getting carried away - it will be a lot tougher than it was last year. We're confident in the ability we have as a team. Hopefully the manager can bring in the right players and that will improve the team.
"It's a big step up, physically and in terms of experience and the standard of football that's getting played. We need to match that week in, week out. Last season we played a lot of attractive football and scored a lot of goals. It will be a lot tougher this year. If can get anywhere near the standards we set last year, we can make life a lot easier for ourselves.
"It's been a good summer, I've enjoyed my summer, but it's back to work now. We've got a good challenge ahead of us and we're looking forward to it. We're under no illusions about how tough it's going to be but all the hard work was done last season to get here. The boys are looking forward to getting started."
Hearts got off to a flier last year, winning at Ibrox then claiming all three points in the Edinburgh derby. The fixture list looks less demanding this time round for Robbie Neilson's side, as they are at home to St Johnstone then travel to Dundee, and do not meet Aberdeen and Celtic until near the end of the first round of matches.
"Getting off to a good start was fantastic - it gave us a real confidence boost and gave the boys a lot of belief about what they could achieve," Alexander added. "This season will be very much the same, but it will be tougher. We have the chance to get off to quite a good start and hopefully pick up some points before we face Celtic and Aberdeen."
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