Derek McInnes excited at the state of his Hearts squad ahead of the title run-in

Derek McInnes is adamant Hearts are only going to get stronger down the home straight after they reasserted themselves at the top of the William Hill Premiership with a tense 1-0 victory at home to Dundee.

Oisin McEntee headed the only goal in the 77th minute from a Marc Leonard free-kick as the Jambos bounced back from last weekend’s defeat at Kilmarnock to remain clear of both Rangers and Celtic, who visit Dundee United on Sunday.

McInnes was further buoyed by the fact key duo Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin returned to action after two months out injured, while he is relishing others being back for their next match away to bottom-of-the-table Livingston in a fortnight.

“I actually think the belief that I’ve got in the team is even more than it’s ever been, because I know what’s coming behind it,” said the Hearts boss. “I know what’s coming back for Livingston.

“I’ve got (Tomas) Magnusson, (Harry) Milne and (Craig) Halkett back, and I should have (Stuart) Findlay and Stephen) Kingsley back.

“I’ve got my captain (Shankland) back now for another couple of weeks training, I’ve got Cammy Devlin back, I’ve got Beni Baningime back. We will get stronger, and we’re going to need that strength.

“We’ve been tested of late but despite all that, we’re going to be top of the league in April. We’re huge underdogs, but for us still to be where we are, churning out victories, as we did again, there’s a lot to be said for 1-0 victories.

“We’d like it to be easier, because I feel the same anxiety (as the fans). I want to win a game 2-0 and enjoy the game a wee bit more, but I’m not going to make any apologies for it – I enjoy winning.

“We’ve lost one goal in four games, that’s not easy to do in this league. To keep as many clean sheets, you’ve got to do so much right. I think we had one shot on target against us and it came at the free kick at the end of the first half. We’ve done a lot right.”

Dundee boss Steven Pressley was frustrated that his side were unlocked from a set-piece.

“I’m really disappointed because it was a game where there was very few opportunities,” he said.

“I don’t think there was a great deal in the game. It was an aggressive game, a lot of tackling, a lot of commitment from both sets of players.

“We didn’t control the game in the manner that I would have liked.

“Both teams were aggressive against the ball and when you come here and you play in that manner, of course, to lose a goal from a moment like that is disappointing.

“I think we just failed in our final moments. We had some really good counter-attack moments where I felt the final pass, the final bit of quality, we could have created a number of really good opportunities, but that was the frustration.”