I’d swap my goal at Killie for a win

STEPHANE MAHE today spoke of his delight at scoring his first goal for Hearts - but admitted he would happily have swapped his superb strike against Kilmarnock for three points at Rugby Park.

The Frenchman found the back of the net for the first time since joining from Celtic last summer to put the Jambos ahead on Saturday.

However, the Ayrshire side roared back after the break to lead 3-1 and it took a dramatic fightback from Craig Levein’s outfit to rescue a point courtesy of two goals in the closing eight minutes.

Mahe’s glorious 39th-minute opener capped a superb performance from the experienced defender, whose attacking threat was a feature of Hearts’ display at the weekend.

There was no concealing his joy at finally opening his account for the Gorgie club after 30 games in a maroon jersey - he was booked by referee Kenny Clark for a gesture to the home fans - but his delight was tempered somewhat by the fact the Jambos failed to use it as a launchpad for victory.

"I try to give the fans 100 per cent every week" - Stephane Mahe

"I had mixed feelings after the game at Kilmarnock," he said.

"I was overjoyed at scoring my first goal for Hearts after so many games. I really enjoyed the moment but that was not the important thing for me.

"I would prefer to have won the match but in the end we did well to fight back for a point in what was an incredible result.

"Having gone in at half-time 1-0 up it was disappointing to find ourselves falling behind so quickly after the break but we deserve credit for the way we fought back and I thought we fully deserved a point from the game."

Mahe reckons he managed four goals in four seasons at Parkhead, and he has warned Hearts supporters not to expect his scoring exploits to be a regular feature of his season.

"Of course it is great to score goals but that is not my job at Hearts," he said.

"I just try to give my best for the manager and the team every week and hope to help Hearts earn good results. The fans expect 100 per cent from their players and that’s what I try to give them every week.

"Like myself, Steven Pressley scored his first goal for a while with his late penalty at Kilmarnock and while players like us always try to chip in when we can, our major responsibilities generally lie at the other end of the park."

The share of the spoils at Kilmarnock mirrored the dramatic comeback of a fortnight previous when Stephane Adam struck deep into injury time to salvage a draw against Dunfermline at East End Park.

The draws have helped Hearts stay well in the hunt for a place in the top six of the table when the league splits next month.

And Mahe insists the attitude currently being shown by the squad is testimony to the team spirit in the Tynecastle dressing-room.

"We showed once again on Saturday what a good mentality there is in the side," he said.

"It was the same at Dunfermline when we scored very late to earn a point. It is important for us to be in the top half of the league and that’s why we have to keep Kilmarnock in our sights.

"They are still just two points ahead of us so it is still very close."

With Hearts idle this weekend when the domestic scene returns to Tennent’s Scottish Cup action, the blank Saturday gives the players an opportunity of a well earned rest ahead of their next league meeting with Motherwell at Fir Park.

"We have the chance now to recharge the batteries before taking on Motherwell," said Mahe.

"It promises to be another very difficult game but we will go there with confidence and if we play as we can then there’s no reason why we cannot win the game."

Levein was delighted with Mahe’s display at Rugby Park.

"I thought he had a smashing game," he said. "He defended well but also got a terrific goal and I was delighted for him.

"Both him and Alan Maybury had instructions to try to get forward against Killie but the way the game unfolded Stephane had more opportunities to move upfield and I think he did so very well."

Mahe’s experience has been vital for Hearts this season, although he is quick to play down his influence in the side.

He has another year left of his current deal to run and is looking forward to continuing his enjoyable stay with the Capital outfit.

"The term ‘experience’ is a magic word as far as I am concerned," he said. "It perhaps just means that I can deal with the pressure of matches a bit better than some of the younger players.

"I have played football for 15 years and try to look after myself and try to lead my life carefully and as professionally as I can.

"Craig Levein is a young coach but he has some good ideas and I rate him highly.

"I am enjoying my time at Tynecastle and hopefully we can finish as high up the table as possible this season."

Taken from the Scotsman