Neil Critchley admits Hearts debut was 'almost too good to be true' as he ends slump with St Mirren demolition

Neil Critchley admitted a winning start and a four goal demolition of St Mirren on his Hearts managerial debut was what dreams are made of.

The Englishman insists his Tynecastle bow was almost as perfect as he imagined when he went to bed on Friday night ahead of first game in the home dugout. Kenneth Vargas, Daniel Oyegoke James Wilson and Blair Spittal strikes pulled the Tynecastle side off the foot of the table with a first Premiership win of the season.

The romp allowed Critchley to enjoy a stunning first game in charge after being appointed earlier this week and he revealed the result can be a launchpad for the rest of the season. He said: “Could I have dreamt of a better start? Probably not, no. When you go to bed last night, go to sleep, you dream of a start like this, scoring a few goals and keeping a clean sheet.

"I’m delighted for the players, they’ve been fantastic this week, so receptive to the work that we’ve done. I think there were signs of that on the pitch and to keep a clean sheet, I think that’s really important as well. I loved it. I was fantastic but I understand that I’m going to have to prove myself to the supporters here. I totally get that, but I’m confident I will. And they’ll learn over time, hopefully, that they believe in who I am as a person and what I can bring to this football club.

The Gorgie side were a team transformed after pulling in only two points from a possible 24 under previous boss Steven Naismith and Critchley is adamant his new group of players must take the greater share of the credit. He said: “The way that the players have, in a short period of time, taken our ideas onto the pitch.

“I thought we started the game really well, with good energy, kept the ball well, passed the