Derek McInnes addresses painful Hearts collapse as Celtic snatch title by two points

Hearts manager Derek McInnes has spoken publicly for the first time since his side narrowly missed out on the Scottish Premiership title, insisting the pain of falling short will be used as motivation heading into next season.

The Tynecastle boss watched his team come agonisingly close to a historic league triumph before suffering a dramatic 3-1 defeat to Celtic at Parkhead on the final day, a result that allowed Martin O’Neill’s side to edge the title race by just two points. Despite the heartbreak, McInnes has vowed to turn disappointment into determination as Hearts prepare to build on what has been one of the club’s most memorable campaigns in recent years.

Saturday’s dramatic finale was overshadowed by chaotic scenes after Celtic’s late third goal sparked a pitch invasion, forcing Hearts players and staff to leave the field immediately. Reports of alleged confrontations involving supporters added to the disorder, with McInnes and his squad leaving the stadium in full kit and returning directly to Edinburgh under police advice.

However, rather than dwell on the painful ending, McInnes has chosen to focus on the wider achievements of a season that exceeded expectations and reignited belief around the club. Speaking after collecting the Scottish Football Writers Association Manager of the Year award — his third individual honour of the campaign — the Hearts boss reflected positively on how far the team had come.

McInnes acknowledged that, while emotions were still raw following the disappointment of missing out on the title, perspective would eventually highlight the huge progress Hearts made over the course of the season. He admitted the campaign began with ambition and optimism but believes the club surpassed what many expected, particularly given where they started.

The Hearts manager made clear that the next step is to regroup, recover during the off-season, and return ready for the challenges ahead. He expressed confidence that the club possesses the hunger and ambition to continue improving, while also stressing a desire to make title races and trophy challenges a more regular occurrence rather than a one-off achievement.

McInnes pointed to several major positives from the season, including Hearts reaching the 80-point mark, securing qualification for the Champions League qualifiers in July, and setting a new club benchmark. He believes those accomplishments should provide encouragement moving forward, even if disappointment remains over how close they came to lifting the title.

At the same time, the manager admitted the frustration of falling short will not simply disappear. Instead, he hopes the hurt and sense of injustice from missing out can become fuel to drive Hearts toward even greater success in the future.

For a moment on Saturday, it appeared Hearts were on course to pull off one of the biggest shocks in Scottish football history when captain Lawrence Shankland fired the visitors into the lead at Celtic Park, putting the title within touching distance.

But Celtic mounted a comeback through goals from Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda, and late substitute Callum Osmand, ultimately securing a fifth successive Scottish Premiership crown in dramatic circumstances and leaving Hearts to reflect on what might have been.