Pars next up in McKenna's sights

PAUL KIDDIE

GOAL hero Kevin McKenna brought Hearts’ Euro vision firmly into focus with his late winner against Livingston, the Jambos first SPL victory at Almondvale putting them firmly in the driving seat for UEFA Cup qualification for the second season running.

The Canadian struck six minutes from time on Tuesday evening when he powered home a header from Robert Sloan’s corner to win a thrilling contest after both sides had taken the lead only to relinquish an equaliser.

The landmark triumph - Hearts’ first win in five league attempts in West Lothian - saw the third-placed Gorgie outfit blast open a nine-point gap over Euro rivals Dunfermline ahead of the East End Park showdown on Saturday.

The victory has brought added significance to the weekend meeting between the pair and McKenna, whose glory strike was his second in as many matches following his effort which sealed the win over Dundee United at Tynecastle, today urged his team-mates to press home the advantage and leave the Pars trailing in their wake as they try to finish off the job in the weeks ahead. "We are nine points clear just now and although that is a good advantage we have to keep going," he said.

"We are not taking anything for granted and there is no way we will be taking our foot off the pedal.

"It’s a decent position to be in but we have to try to ensure that we can drive home this advantage over Dunfermline.

"It was in the back of our minds that we hadn’t won in the league at Almondvale. It was a huge result and now makes the game at the weekend a massive match and one we’re all looking forward to."

If anyone ever doubted the 24-year-old’s value to this Hearts team, then McKenna has confined such concerns to the dustbin with his impressive performances in the Gorgie outfit’s last two games.

Having been overlooked at the kick-off to the current campaign, the Canadian began a run of eight games when he started in the 4-1 victory over Partick Thistle at Firhill in October.

Frustratingly for the former Energie Cottbus defender, he has since been in and out of Craig Levein’s plans until the last two outings against United and Livingston, opportunities he has made the most of with the rediscovery of his scoring touch. In both matches he started in a three-man defence but was then moved into a more advanced role on the wide right of midfield, a position he has filled with some distinction on the international stage.

He also represents a potent threat when deployed as a striker - and could fill that role this weekend if Mark de Vries doesn’t recover in time from the calf strain suffered at Almondvale.

But while some people maintain that being so versatile can count against players, McKenna is happy to play anywhere as long as it means pulling on a maroon jersey.

"That’s two goals now in two games and hopefully I can prove to the manager that I am worth a place in the team," he said.

"If the boss needs a job to be done then I will try to do it. I am comfortable when out on the wing and I just like to be involved in games.

"I’m just glad to be out on the park and happy that the gaffer has had confidence to play me in these positions.

"I was in the team for a wee while earlier in the season and then dropped out and I need to try to nail down my place. I don’t want the manager to take the view: ‘Should I play Kevin or not’. I want to be one of our top players so the boss can say: ‘I need to play him.’

"I cannot afford to leave the manager with any doubts in his mind so it is up to me to go out and show that I deserve to be picked."

Former Hearts star Roddy McKenzie was pilloried in certain sections of the Press for his mistake at the winning goal on Tuesday night, the keeper getting nowhere near Sloan’s corner to allow McKenna the straightforward task of heading home into the unguarded net.

It was a blow for McKenzie, who has been in impressive form of late.

However, the Gorgie ace has jumped to the defence of his old team-mate, saying: "To be fair to Roddy, he seemed to be impeded at the goal.

"I think he was impeded but I don’t know if it was a Hearts or Livingston player who got in his way.

"Whatever happened, I didn’t expect the ball to reach me but I was delighted to see it hit the back of the net.

"It won us the game and Europe is very much in our own hands now and it’s up to us to push on from here."

Taken from the Scotsman