The Conference League victory on Thursday left a lasting effect on the defence.
Other than Hearts, the only clubs on Frankie Kent’s professional resume are Colchester United and Peterborough United. So until the defender reached Edinburgh, there were no European adventures. Since then, he has performed in Plzen, Czech Republic, Sumqayit, Azerbaijan, Thessaloniki, Greece, and Trondheim, Norway.
Even without any fans inside the Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium, it’s safe to declare that Thursday’s encounter versus Dinamo Minsk was the best of the lot. Hearts and interim manager Liam Fox won 2-1 thanks to a header from Yan Dhanda in the 94th minute. It also gave Kent his first taste of victory in Europe while he was away from home. He decided to relocate to Tynecastle Park in the summer of 2023 in large part because of this enthusiasm.
I haven’t, of course, participated in anything similar. It’s quite important to me,” Kent remarked. Craigie Gordon, who has obviously participated in Champions League, made the same statement. “Unreal stuff, can’t get any better,” was his reaction. We simply carried it on while we were away from home. Now is the time to expand upon it.
I’ve enjoyed it and have tried to savour the moment as I’m not sure when I’ll have it again. That’s the main explanation. Though it’s not the only reason, trying to experience that and visiting places like Baku is the main reason I came up here. I never imagined that I would be playing football here. Thus, I’m just going to enjoy it and am really pleased with how it turned out.
“It goes without saying that the season we’ve had has been difficult and testing thus far. I believe that relief is the primary factor. The more time passed without a victory, the greater the strain and everything. Although pressure is constantly present, the main feeling is relief since we really do try very hard to make it happen. You saw a few signs on Thursday, in my opinion, that perhaps things are starting to turn around for us: Granty’s own goal, a small deflection, and some excellent play from all those involved in the winning goal. But, the major element, in my opinion, is merely a pleasant sense of relief.
Players of hearts relished their time by the Caspian Sea. “I believe so. It’s difficult, I suppose, to refrain,” Kent said. “Obviously, in terms of the league stage and other stuff, it’s my first true triumph in Europe. Thus, really beneficial to me. I adored it. Tough game, hard test. Probably not our best work. We had some excellent possession and out of possession moments during the game, in my opinion. Though we’re glad to have prevailed, I believe you’ve seen what Foxy and I are trying to do.
Since UEFA mandated that this match take place in neutral Azerbaijan behind closed doors, fans were not allowed. After Belarus assisted Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, they will not permit Belarusian clubs to play home games in their own nation. According to Kent, the spooky atmosphere brought to light some difficult remarks made by the Hearts players.
“In certain aspects, it’s less complicated because, clearly, the data and everything, and you could probably hear us, were demanding a lot from one another,” he remarked. That’s what this gang does. Anyone, including me. That’s all there is to it. We can say it and we’re not afraid to disturb each other by doing it. We just mentioned it, so it probably helped to keep us motivated, enthusiastic, and eager to accomplish it. We are aware of what we had to do in order to win the game: give it everything we had.
Hearts adhered to the UK clock, which is three hours behind local time, rather than Azerbaijan time. “On Wednesday night, there was a dinner at two in the morning, but nobody showed up. I believe it was toast and everything,” Kent remarked. However, because it was evidently 11 o’clock back home, I don’t think anyone showed there. But no, everything was OK. Everything was excellent, including the weather. The city is pleasant. We had the opportunity to go on a few walks and this, that, and the other. Obviously, a victory capped everything nicely.
At full time, the player stayed on the pitch to celebrate while corporate visitors and Tynecastle directors applauded the win. Yes, I do not know why we took that action. I have no idea what transpired there,” Kent said. “I believe it was most likely because, well, the group above us was probably present and something else.
It’s crazy, and it’s evident that it simply reminded me of the COVID season. Yes, I did find it enjoyable. Having gone through the run we’ve had and the difficult period we’ve been through since the beginning of the season, I believe we need to cherish these times. We must relish it and, of course, give Sunday’s matchup with Aberdeen our whole attention.
Hearts’ first victory in 11 attempts this season came against Dinamo. Kent emphasised that there was no excessive strain on the players. “No, I don’t believe that. It’s probably just human nature, in my opinion. You simply begin to wonder, “What’s going on?” Everyone is putting in a lot of effort as you try to identify the issue. That’s the issue. That covers the entire season from the beginning to the end. We have consistently worked hard in our training and made an effort to do everything correctly. Although it’s certainly easy for me to say today, I’m hoping that things might be looking up for us.
“We wanted to capitalise on the opportunities we had last Saturday [against Ross County], since we persevered through to the very end. Although it wasn’t the ideal outcome, it was the one we were hoping for. We expanded upon that. We refused to back down, and I believe we demonstrated that once more on Thursday night. It was not the world’s greatest performance. We continued to exhibit both our strengths and areas for improvement, but we never gave up. Hopefully, things will improve for us now, and Sunday’s game will be exciting.
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