Robbie Neilson has set Liam Boyce a challenge of reaching 20 goals from now until the end of the season.
The Hearts striker has found the back of the net 16 times so far this term, with 14 of those coming in the league as he tops the Scottish Championship scoring charts.
But Tynecastle boss Neilson has urged his talisman to stay on the goal trail for the remaining three games and reach the 20 goal mark.
Neilson also praised the impact of January signing Armand Gnanduillet and Euan Henderson for taking some of the pressure off the Northern Irishman at the top end of the pitch.
He told Edinburgh Evening News: “Liam Boyce has got 16 goals this season and when you go and win a league, you need somebody that’s going to get double figures and nearer the 20-mark.
“I’m still hopeful that he can get to that. He’s been a key striker for us.
“I also thought (Armand) Gnanduillet played well against Alloa. He’s sitting on five goals from 12 games, which is great, and then we’ve got Hendo (Euan Henderson) contributing too.”
Hearts sealed promotion to the Premiership at the weekend, but Neilson hopes they can end the season on a high by taking maximum points from their remaining games as he looks to carry that momentum through to next year.
He added: "We’ll just train as normal this week. We’ve got three games to go and it’s really important that we pick up nine points from them.
"We want to create as big a gap as we can.”
