“It was a good first game for us; it was an opportunity to establish ourselves, and I believe we did so. They can, however, play “much better” and will try to do so against his former club Dundee United this weekend.

Jim Goodwin’s side began their league campaign with a 2-2 draw at newly promoted Falkirk, followed by an impressive performance against Rapid Vienna in the Conference League qualifiers, leaving Austria with another 2-2 draw.

That was a schedule Hearts struggled with last season, and while Spittal believes there is an advantage to be gained, he also recognises that United has the resources to deal with it. “We’ve not got into Europe this year, but you want to play European football,” Spittal claimed.

“We have a big squad this year and believe we can do well in every competition, but Sunday will be a tough game. “We had that last year with United as well [playing them after Hearts were in Europe], but from our perspective, if they had a tough game on Thursday, we believe we can exploit and take advantage of it on Sunday.

“I’ve been at Dundee United as well, the facilities and everything they’ve got up there is top drawer, so we’ve got to make sure that we’re ready for the best version of Dundee United on Sunday.” Last season, the playmaker found success on the left side of midfield, collaborating well with the now-departed James Penrice.

There were signs of a similar relationship developing with Harry Milne, who has had a strong start to the campaign, albeit in a more central role for Spittal. It is not a new position for him, but in Monday’s game, he played slightly deeper than usual, as one of two No.8s either side of Cammy Devlin.

The Hearts manager likes to change formation frequently, even during games, and Spittal understands that he will need to be adaptable to stay in the team, especially given the increased competition for places.

“That’s your goal at the start a pre-season to see yourself in the starting line-up in the first game,” according to him. “I felt like everyone who started, as well as the boys who came on, contributed to the game in some way.

“We’re chopping and changing between formations, so you just have to try to be available for whatever the manager wants.

I’ve always said that, and while I’ve changed positions throughout my career, I’m always content as long as I’m playing.

“That’s the most important thing for me. I was asked to play a role on Monday night, which I felt in parts. I did well; there were obviously things I could have done better, but overall, I was very pleased with my performance.

Tony Bloom’s appearance at a Foundation of Hearts event, in which he claimed that the two Glasgow clubs’ dominance was over, heightened anticipation for the Premiership season’s start.

The Hearts investor spoke to the press on Monday and attended the game that night before meeting with McInnes on Tuesday and attending training, where he spoke with a few of the players over breakfast.

“It’s nice to get a chat with him and get to meet the man,” Spittal told me.

“We had a brief conversation with him, but I believe he was also excited by the atmosphere on Monday night. “There was a lot of build-up to it but I think it might have even took him by surprise how much everyone was up for it.”

And, like his manager, Spittal was more measured in expressing the club’s ambitions than the Hearts investor has been in recent weeks, but he emphasised that Hearts are ambitious.

“It’s what you’d expect at a club like this. We are an ambitious club, one of Scotland’s largest. So you need to have that ambition, but as players, we don’t pay much attention to it,” he explained.

“When we take our eyes off what we’re doing on the pitch and listen to outside noise, we can lose our focus. So it was critical that we put that aside on Monday, and I thought we did an excellent job.

“We’ve got another tough game on Sunday coming up, so we need to make sure we’re ready for that.” “We’ll deal with issues on the pitch; that’s all we can control.

With the momentum we’ve built, it’s nice to hear the fans’ cheers and see everyone get excited; we want that, but we also have a job to do.” “You expected that before the first game, but it’s important to back it up now.

We made it to the semi-finals last year and feel like it was a missed opportunity, but we want to go one better this year.

“We’ve had a good start to the season, but we’re not going to get carried away. “It’s what you’ve always wanted as a player, you want to be competing for the top honours, so it’s up to us to live up to that expectation that’s on us this year from the club, but I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”

“When you’re young, you don’t really know where your career is going. However, at my current age, I am not getting any younger, so opportunities are limited. I’m looking forward to the season, and hopefully we’ll do well.”

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