Levein glad of breather

MARK BONTHRONE

HEARTS boss Craig Levein today admitted that next weekend’s fixture break couldn’t have come at a better time for his players.

The Gorgie club were put through a tough 90 minutes at Pittodrie as they battled to a 1-0 win over Aberdeen just three days after an energy-sapping trip to Bordeaux, and towards the end, several players looked as though the exertions of the past week had taken their toll.

The Jambos have now won their last five matches since going down 5-0 to Celtic in Glasgow and have opened up a six-point gap over nearest rivals Motherwell, who sit in fourth place.

And with their next games being the home derby clash against Hibs on November 23 and the return leg of their UEFA Cup second round clash with Bordeaux four days later, Levein admits that this weekend’s break due the Euro 2004 play-offs is a welcome one.

"I think we need the break now," conceded Levein.

"Mentally we have had some extremely tough games in the last week while and I think the wee breather is needed. Since the Celtic game we have won five games which for any team is remarkable, especially if you consider there have been two cup ties in there and two away league games.

"That is pretty good going and I think that we need to rest some tired legs, regroup and get ready to come back for two important matches.

"Our next game is Hibs in the derby and then Bordeaux on the Thursday night so I think the players are pleased to have the rest. There were some heavy legs out there yesterday but the players showed great resilience.

"It has been a tiring period both mentally and emotionally and the break has come at just the right time for us.

"The only unfortunate thing is that Steven Pressley won’t get a break because of the Scotland game as I would like him to get a rest but that’s just not possible as Scotland need him."

Taken from the Scotsman