Source: Team_Talk
Competition keeps Kyle and co sharp
Kevin Kyle believes Hearts have goals in their team now whoever manager Jim Jefferies chooses to play up front.[LNB] Kyle was one of two strikers signed by Jefferies this summer, alongside Stephen Elliott of Preston, to bolster the Edinburgh club's attacking options after they struggled in front of goal last term.[LNB]Previously with Kilmarnock, Kyle scored his first Hearts goal from the penalty spot as Hamilton were outplayed in a comprehensive 4-0 New Douglas Park victory.[LNB]The real Hearts hero, though, was Calum Elliot, a homegrown forward who failed to score a single goal last season, but who claimed two against Hamilton to add to his opening-day strike against St Johnstone.[LNB]Kyle said: "It's something Hearts haven't had for a while - competition up front for places. The players coming in are scoring goals and if everyone else in the team knows we can score goals it takes a lot of pressure off the back four.[LNB]"With a couple of big signings with me and Stephen Elliott, Calum might have been thinking 'am I going to get a game?', but with the two of us being unfit, he has got the nod.[LNB]"Fair play to him, I respect him 100% for what he has done so far this season. I didn't realise he hadn't scored any last season, so it's good for his confidence that he has got three already this time. I'm really pleased for him because he deserves it.[LNB]"His all-round game and eagerness to do well was great. I've tried to give him little bits of advice and I've said to him, 'isn't it better that you've got players like me and Stephen pushing you?' and he agreed it was far better.[LNB]"Right now he's sticking to the task and none of us could argue if he stays in the team. I'm going to phone Stephen now and tell him not to bother coming to training next week because he isn't going to get a game!"[LNB]Elliot won the penalty which Kyle converted, Hamilton's Martin Canning tripping him to become the second player in the game to be red-carded following Ruben Palazuelos' dismissal.[LNB]Rather than take the penalty himself, though, Elliot persuaded Kyle to step up.[LNB]Kyle added: "I was pleased to get off the mark. When you go to a new club as a striker the pressure is on to get goals so that penalty got the wee monkey off my back.[LNB]"Calum chucked me the ball for the penalty. Wee Craig Thomson wanted it, but Calum said, 'nah, give it to the big man'. That was good of him."[LNB]Jefferies saw his side two ahead by half-time via brilliant strikes from Elliot and David Templeton and was pleased to see the job completed by his suddenly prolific striking options after the break.[LNB]He said: "Calum has benefited from us bringing in more competition. We've got Stephen Elliott, Kevin Kyle, plus we already had David Obua and Gary Glen as well."[LNB]For Hamilton manager Billy Reid it has been a wretched start to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League season with successive 4-0 reverses to Aberdeen on the opening day and now Hearts.[LNB]He said: "It was a very difficult day for us. Calum Elliot seemed to get through us with one movement right through the middle of us. As far as we're concerned it was far too simple a goal to concede.[LNB]"It was a sore one for us and set us back, the second goal we didn't shut David Templeton down and allowed them a free shot. We were all over the place at times."
