Hearts fans call for Naismith to go after slumping to St Mirren defeat

The Hearts head coach was under duress following the team’s 2-1 loss in Paisley.

Hearts’ terrible start to the season continued with an eighth straight loss in all competitions on the road against St Mirren, prompting supporters to demand the firing of Steven Naismith.

The crucial goal for the Buddies was scored by Toyosi Olusanya in the 34th minute, sending the struggling Jambos to a 2-1 defeat in Paisley and dropping them to the bottom of the William Hill Premiership.

Early in the month of last month, Naismith received a contract extension for his efforts in leading the Edinburgh team to third place the previous year.

Hearts’ board must now decide whether to stick with their manager or not after a sizable portion of the 1500-person travelling support made their opinions known by chanting.

curses and mocking his replacements long before this most recent sad performance ended.

Killian Phillips came in for Roland Idowu as St. Mirren, who had lost their previous seven games, made one change to the lineup from the beginning of their 2-2 draw with Kilmarnock.

In addition, Naismith, who hasn’t won a game since May 11th, made one change to the lineup from the starting lineup in the 2-0 loss to Celtic: Blair Spittal replaced Kye Rowles.

Kenneth Vargas opened the game with a bang, breaking free down the right immediately after kickoff. His ball across goal found Spittal, whose 15-yard attempt was stopped by Saints defender Marcus Fraser. Vargas then headed over from close range.

However, Hearts’ impressive start was undone in the eighth minute when a combination of Saints defender Richard Taylor and Jambos full-back Gerald Taylor knocked Mark O’Hara’s corner to the edge of the six-yard box into the net, putting Hearts behind.

In the eighteenth minute, Craig Halkett went to the front post and glanced home a header from Spittal’s ball to tie the score for the Edinburgh team.

However, in the 34th minute, Saints took the lead again through a set-piece when Olusanya slipped in behind the Hearts defence and fired home an impressive finish from the angle of the six-yard box after Alex Gogic’s free kick was flicked on by Phillips.

Ellery Balcombe, the custodian for the Buddies, had to step in in the 43rd minute to deny a strong 20-yard effort from James Penrice. Moments before the half, Halkett made a crucial stop on Olusanya at the other end.

At the beginning of the second half, Naismith substituted Daniel Oyegoke for Taylor. Despite the visitors’ desperate need for a response, St Mirren appeared to have the better chance of scoring again, as Olusanya, Gogic, Kevin van Veen, and Idowu all missed excellent opportunities to add gloss to their first league victory since the season’s first weekend.

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