91Èȱ¬

Hearts manager John McGlynn admits the club's current financial predicament is having an effect on the pitch.

McGlynn's men sustained a third straight defeat in the 3-2 loss to Inverness at Tynecastle.

The club have lost Andrew Driver and Ryan McGowan in recent months and injuries have forced the manager to field younger teams.

"Technically [the squad] is good but it's having to learn a lot," McGlynn told 91Èȱ¬ Radio Scotland.

"We've got technically very, very good young players. We're having to learn that we're playing in a very, very competitive league.

"We talk about having to learn lessons all the time with such a young side. We need to start to learn very, very quickly.

"The financial situation has obviously had an effect on the park because we've had to sell players and had a bad injury situation."

Hearts twice fought back from a goal down against the Highlanders but could not recover from the loss of a third Inverness effort.

"We can't lose goals like that," explained McGlynn. "We've lost very, very cheap goals from three set pieces.

"We weren't outplayed at all at any time in the game. We've contributed a massive amount of effort and played some really great football.

"Inverness had one attempt at goal probably in the first half and they scored with it. One free kick and we didn't defend it, which is criminal.

"We've had to work so hard to get that goal back and then relinquish another goal very, very cheaply.

"Again, we work our socks off and we get back in the game and then we throw it away with the third goal so it's very, very disappointing.

"We showed character to fight back on two of the occasions, we just couldn't get the equaliser [on the third occasion]."

"The lads have put so much effort into the game, we deserved to take something, it's not that we played badly."

With Hearts six points behind ninth-placed Dundee United and 16 ahead of bottom club Dundee, McGlynn is not concerned about a potential relegation fight.

"We're well enough clear at the minute I would think," he added.