Upbeat Hearts playing it cool

By JIM REYNOLDS

10 Aug 1996

WHILE the rest of the premier division clubs swing into action today, Hearts and Dunfermline, who were due to meet at East End Park, will be on the sidelines looking on.

And the Tynecastle players will certainly go into their day off with the feel-good factor.

Their no-scoring draw against Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup-winners' Cup in Yugoslavia gives them a better-than-even chance of progressing when the second leg is played in Edinburgh.

But nobody is taking anything for granted.

A superb display by French goalkeeper Gilles Rousset and a good, honest, professional performance by everyone else gave Hearts this opportunity.

And the honesty stretched to Colin Cameron admitting things could have been even better had he not blown one of the best chances.

Luck has not smiled on the former Raith Rovers front man recently, but he is not despondent.

Playing deeper against Red Star and coming in for some rough treatment, Cameron, should have put the Scots ahead after just 13 minutes.

However, with a clear shot at the target and time to spare, he lofted the ball over.

"I'm disappointed," he said yesterday.

"They didn't give us much time on the ball, and when the chance came I automatically thought I would be closed down and slightly lost my balance.

Instead of taking my time I rushed my shot.

"But I'm not worried.

I'm getting into the right positions and I know the goals will come.

I would love to make it up to the fans by scoring in the return leg, but first there is our Coca-Cola Cup match with Stenhousemuir next week and that would be as good a time as any to get my first goal of the season.

"Red Star are a good young side with great technique, but they can also dish it out.

What we don't know is how they will react to a full house at Tynecastle with the crowd practically on top of them.

Our fans could be like an extra player."

Taken from the Herald