Robbie Neilson revealed the pre-match plan he had for Jamie Walker against Dunfermline worked to perfection.
The Hearts number seven came off the bench to net a late winner with nine minutes remaining, leaving him one short of the 50 goal mark in maroon.
Eyebrows were raised after he was named amongst the subs following an impressive display in the midweek rout of Raith Rovers.
But Neilson explained he had an outcome in mind when he opted to start Naismith instead.
He said: “I thought he did really well on Tuesday night for us.
“It’s just his ground were a bit tight coming off after it so we decided we’d bring Naismith in and give Jamie 15 or 20 minutes at the end to try and win us the game when it opened up a bit.
“So I’m pleased for him because he’s been great the last couple of weeks.
Neilson isn't satisfied with being 12 points clear at the top of the table, and wants his players to press home their advantage and move even further ahead.
Hearts’ next three opponents are Ayr United, Queen of the South and Greenock Morton, and Neilson is eyeing maximum points to increase the gap at the top.
He told Hearts TV: “It’s important that we try and extend that.
“We know that we’re in a good position at the moment but we’ve got a couple of tough games coming.
‘We go to Ayr United away which is always a difficult venue to go and play at, then we’ve got Queen of the South away on the astro.
“We need to make sure we’re ready for it.”
