Stephen Kingsley admits one issue is gnawing away at Hearts - but some satisfaction can be drawn

In a competitive division where every team cuts up every other, Hearts can derive a modicum of satisfaction at holding the Premiership's fourth spot. Form has been inconsistent and the Riccarton players know they would be sitting at least third had they managed to build any kind of momentum since August.

They can climb one place by beating Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday. For defender Stephen Kingsley, there is a gnawing irritation that his club are not already sitting third. "It's frustrating, aye, absolutely - not getting the results you want against the teams you feel that you should be beating," he said.

"You don't look too much into it because it's a long season - a marathon, not a sprint. It's important for us, as players, when we are going through a spell like that, not to get too down. Vice-versa when you are winning. You need to keep that level of mental space and composure.

"We went through a tough spell with some tough results. We've had three good [league] results now but we don't want to get too high. We know we are coming into a tough spell in terms of number of games and the teams we are playing. It's going to be a vital few weeks for us. We will start on Saturday and make sure we get the win there."

After beating Livingston, Motherwell and St Johnstone in their last three Premiership fixtures, Hearts head to Rugby Park with confidence. "Results-wise, it hasn't been a great start to the season. We've picked up three really positive results now. I know everyone has been talking about how long since we had three consecutive [league] wins. That's a big positive.

"Defensively, we have done well. Everyone feels that we can be scoring more goals and making games more comfortable for ourselves, but hopefully that will come. Going on a good wee run will hopefully build confidence going into this busy period.

"I've said from the beginning of the season that it will be a really tight table. I don't think anyone has shown consistency, and that includes us. We want to get there. The three results we have had, we want to continue that on and show the consistency and quality we've got.

"St Mirren went through a spell of showing really good consistency. Naturally, they will have a dip. They have had a couple of poor results in the last few weeks. I just feel it will be a tight league this season. Especially this month with all the games coming up, anyone who can show that bit of consistency for the rest of the season, they will be the ones who come out on top."

Hearts stumbled through to the end of last season and won only two of their final 11 league matches. They consequently slipped from third and finished fourth in the league. "We got ourselves into a great position last season with a few games to go. The level of consistency at the end of the season wasn't good enough at all," acknowledged Kingsley.

"It's the same as the beginning of this season. We had results that were very poor but, within that, there was total dominance against Aberdeen in a great performance for 90 minutes. Rosenborg at Tynecastle, against a very good team, was a great performance. There have been spells. Other teams will be saying exactly the same as me about how good they have been at times. The key word is consistency. That will be the one that shows where you will finish."