‘Hearts can’t stop’ after Cercle Brugge defeat – Critchley

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley has urged his players to bounce back from their disappointing Conference League defeat at Cercle Brugge when they host Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on Thursday.

The Dons are second in the league but have picked up just one point from their last two games – a 2-1 defeat at St Mirren and a dramatic 3-3 draw at Hibs.

Critchley’s side had their chances in Belgium, but Lawrence Shankland’s missed penalty proved costly as they were eventually defeated 2-0.

“These are all important games, all big games,” Critchley said. “We’ve had a lot of tough games and Aberdeen are playing a tough game at home.

“I told the players that we can’t focus on the game or the loss.

“You need to dust yourself off and move on mentally and physically because we need to prepare for a tough game on Sunday.”