McInnes discussed his comments, what he liked about the performance, and Harry Milne’s performance. Read or listen to everything the Hearts head coach has said:

Good for you to begin with the win?

Yes, I am very pleased. I believe that the game delivered on many of our expectations. I thought we continued on from our League Cup activities. The team got off to a good start.

Both sets of players faced difficult conditions, including a swirling wind. You’d expect that in Scottish football, but not in August. We’ve been waiting for this game for a long time. So, unfortunately, the conditions were always going to be a factor.

But I thought we started the game strong and deserved to be in front. Probably should have gone in at halftime, perhaps with another one, for a significant advantage.

I thought we were worthy of that, to be honest. It’s a real blow with Lawrence’s goal getting chopped off, because honestly, it was such a sweet moment, a moment of real quality.

Stadium were up for it and there was obviously that psychological blow getting the lads in at half-time about having to go again, because how we would have felt from that and the lift Aberdeen would have got.

For all I thought we were the stronger team in the first half, it was only a one-goal difference. And in these conditions and the quality Aberdeen have got, you’re never really set. Second half, I thought we were just okay, to be honest. I didn’t think we were great second half.

We waited to see Aberdeen’s kind of changes, and we made our change. We always had the intention to go to a back four at the right time. We wanted to try and win the game or to see the game out. And we made the four changes. I thought we were better from then, to be honest, in the game. And I thought that once we got the second goal, I thought we managed the game brilliantly.

We got a lot of what I was hoping for. Can we play better? Aye, at times. Can we show a bit more calmness and a bit more quality at times? Because I thought we got into so many good crossing positions and especially start of the second half, the first three or four crosses, nowhere near it. We needed to be better and try and make hay when we’re on top, but we’d have taken 2-0 before the game against a team of Aberdeen’s quality.

It’s a good start for us. It’s only a start, but an encouraging start nonetheless.

With a long build-up and a lot of expectation, is that a relief to get the three points?

I believe that every manager does their job, preparing their team, making signings, and attempting to build a squad capable of dealing with all of the challenges that lie ahead. We probably still have work to do before the window closes.

But in terms of simply getting a win, I just want to get the first one as soon as possible. I know we’ve had League Cup stuff, and there’s been a lot of support. I told the players that whatever we lacked in terms of quality and calmness on the ball, we made up for [in attitude]. We had a team screaming to win the football game. Absolutely busting.

Even when Morris breaks near the end, there are four of our boys hunting him down. The togetherness that’s been shown.

I feel as though I’ve been here longer, to be honest, when I’m working with them. I feel as though the players deserve so much credit to try and harness that kind of family feel. But for sheer commitment, guts, effort, I thought we were 10 out of 10. And it was just all about getting a result.

There’ll be other games where we’ve got a chance to control games and ask the question more and play with wingers and we can hopefully get Kabore in this week. Kerjota will be in for the weekend. But I think we’ve got good flexibility within the squad and it’s important that we try and come up with the answers more often than not, but it’s only a start. It’s a win and we’re encouraged by that.

How important are these opening weeks of a campaign in setting a tone and laying foundations for what’s to come?

Well, I believe we need to try to feed off the crowd. I think the way Tynecastle was tonight for long stretches was exactly what I wanted. That’s how I imagined it.

I believe the fans are feeding off the team because it can cover a variety of sins. You may not always be on point or polished in your performance, but you cannot doubt a team’s willingness to work and complete the task tonight. This is a good start for us.

Hopefully, we will see Tynecastle like that a lot more this season. I see no reason why we can’t. But now we must find a way to win at Dundee United. on Sunday and back in tomorrow, all focus on that one.

How key has been the fact of fast starts, that’s in every game now, the first goal within like 17 minutes. Has that been an important message to the players?

Yeah, especially at Tynecastle. I believe we should try to be who we want to be. When scouts come to watch the game, I want them to understand what they are getting.

Fans play an important role in this. I believe the fans were looking forward to the game. I felt a sense of anticipation for the game, which was very pleasant.

But we know how quickly things can change. We just need to put our shoulder to the wheel, do our work Monday through Friday, and hopefully get our reward on the weekend because we’re going to ask a lot of the players.

We’ll put that demand on them, but the rewards are clear if you can consistently win at Hearts. It has so much to offer us all.

That anticipation for the game, as you mentioned, appears to be aided by Tony Bloom’s comments about potentially winning titles in the future. Is it encouraging to have an investor like that?

Absolutely. I knew what Tony was going to say before you heard it. And I have no issues with it at all. There are many people, including Tony, who are ambitious and want Hearts to succeed at the club. He clearly came in with a fresh perspective and stated exactly what he wanted.

He is no different than what we all want at the club. But we have work to do. And we need to do our jobs well in order to achieve our goals. We’re coming from a long way back, finishing in the bottom six last season, and we’re hoping to make progress.

And I believe we can make progress. I believe we are still operating on the same budget as we have in previous seasons here at Hearts.

But I believe Tony, others, and myself believe that the confidence they have in the recruitment process allows us to bridge the gap and possibly get ahead of others.

We believe we can work smarter and better on that front, which will hopefully bring us closer to teams with significantly more money and keep us away from teams with similar budgets. But that doesn’t mean it’s certain. We have work to do to accomplish that.

Just because we have it does not imply certainty. So we are all aware of this. I am aware of it. I just enjoy working with the players on a daily basis. As I previously stated, we are still a long way from where we want to be, but we have work to do, and we intend to do it well here.

How nice was it to get a victory with Tony in the stand?

Aye. He would have loved to hear his name sung as well, so he received a name check. So, yes, we knew Tony was coming for a while. I haven’t spoken with him yet; we’re meeting tomorrow.

We’d had a couple of text conversations, and I believe he would have been encouraged to see Tynecastle as it was. The conditions tonight made it feel like a Scottish Premier League game. It was somewhat reminiscent of a proper game.

I believe he would have enjoyed it. He would have enjoyed the outcome because, as he stated last night, he simply wants to see a winning Hearts team more often than not, which is what we all want.

How happy have you been with Harry Milne’s development, stepping into James Penrice’s position again today?

We always thought Harry was the answer in the building because we were aware of AEK Athens’ bids for James; we also thought James was a flight risk, to be honest. We’d mentioned that we had Stephen Kingsley and Harry in the building.

Harry needed the opportunity, and up until now, he’s taken it and shown us what he’s capable of. And hopefully, with a little more encouragement, he will be able to deliver a little more, because, you know, I thought he did well tonight. I still believe he has more potential.

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