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Hearts are targeting silverware this season and head coach Derek Mc Innes insists there's "nothing wrong" in saying so. The Tynecastle side go to St Mirren on Saturday for the second round of the Scottish League Cup, having started the Mc Innes era with six straight wins across that competition and the league. They are top of the fledgling Scottish Premiership table and new investor Tony Bloom boldly claimed they can finish "at least second" this season. Optimism is rife in Gorgie and Mc Innes says sights should be set high at a club of Hearts' stature. "There's nothing wrong with setting lofty ambitions and seeing the endgame, " he said. "We've got to try to imagine that day at Hampden. "Obviously, we've got to try to beat St Mirren, who over a period of time have shown they are a good side. "But if we can get through this one, we're 90 minutes away from a semi-final. We go into the game with high expectations of ourselves. " Hearts have revamped their squad this summer following Bloom's investment and Mc Innes' appointment, but the new faces have been told in no uncertain terms what expectations are. "I've said this to them a few times. There's not one player should have signed for Hearts without having that aspiration to win a trophy here, " Mc Innes said. "Players sign for clubs for loads of reasons - financially, seeing it as a stepping stone to something bigger - but a fundamental part of signing for a club like Hearts should be that you want to be successful and lift silverware. " Hearts last won a major honour in 2012 and haven't lifted the League Cup since 1963. Mc Innes is determined to end that drought. "That's what we all want - I want that for me and my staff, " he said. "If we don't win the cup, it doesn't mean we were wrong to say it. I don't think you're setting yourself up for a fall. "We do believe we're good enough to go the full way and there's no point believing otherwise. " Hearts' last major honour was in 2012 when they won the Scottish Cup Mc Innes was asked whether he has been surprised by Hearts' fast start to the season, following four wins in the League Cup group stages and then successive Premiership victories over Aberdeen and Dundee United. He says they are simply matching expectations and cannot afford to get ahead of themselves. "We've not done anything I wouldn't have expected of us, " he said. "It's not as if we're ripping up trees and doing things we weren't expecting of ourselves. "I expected us to beat Aberdeen and I expected us to win the group stages of the cup and I expected a tough game at Dundee United, but I always expected we could win that game. "We need to set about the task quietly, don't bump our gums, work hard and see where it takes us. " Hearts win again - is Bloom's vision taking shape? 'Excited' Naismith back as Scotland assistant Will Man City replace Ederson with Donnarumma? Wildcards, breakouts and new faces - 21 Premier League players to watch Test cricket could 'bankrupt' nations - Aussie CEO A stylish spy thriller starring Tom Hughes and Brian Cox Greg Foot chips away at the science behind nail polish Inside Scotland's most shocking murder investigations Remembering the 1991 Santa Cruz Massacre in East Timor 'Aberdeen savour the most perfect game ever played' How Mc Tominay became a Napoli icon after Man Utd exit Scotland men's internationals to be shown live on BBC Commonwealth Games: Why is it so special to be part of Team Scotland? From titles to tinpottery - rank Scotland's top 10 clubs Will Man City replace Ederson with Donnarumma? Wildcards, breakouts and new faces - 21 Premier League players to watch Mohamed Salah - Egyptian king What is multi-club ownership in football? Video What is multi-club ownership in football? 'Shoddy, shabby & not good enough' - but Rangers do what they need to Spurs start new era under 'glass half-full' Frank Watch: Mic'd up Livingstone captains team in real time. Video Watch: Mic'd up Livingstone captains team in real time Fresh or fatigued - how rested is your Premier League team's squad? Lewandowski, Man Utd and the transfer that got away. Video Lewandowski, Man Utd and the transfer that got away These eight players will help you win FPL How do Newcastle resolve Isak saga & rescue 'nightmare' window? Why have Ferrari been unable to win a title since 2008? Raducanu 'getting back to best' but edged out by Sabalenka Owners worth billions, so why might Red Bull era dawn slowly at Newcastle? Chaos & controversy - Rashford's first two weeks inside Barca soap opera When England won by two runs - the greatest ever Test match? Video When England won by two runs - the greatest ever Test match? Becky Zerlentes - the first female boxer to die in fight in US Hansie Cronje, match-fixing and plane crash that left a complex legacy Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.