Levein to keep on pushing

MARK BONTHRONE

HEARTS boss Craig Levein today insisted his side could maintain the standards they have set for themselves next season after they claimed third spot in the SPL for a second successive year.

The Jambos were forced to come from behind at the weekend to see off a spirited Dunfermline side and eventually kill off the Fife club’s challenge for third place.

Results this season will again raise expectation levels among supporters and critics ahead of next term as Levein’s men have consistently shown why they are ‘best of the rest’.

And despite the fact the Hearts boss is likely to lose out-of-contract stars Scott
Severin, Steven Boyack and Andy Kirk on top of Jean-Louis Valois, Gary Wales and Austin McCann who have already left this season, he believes his side can continue to be the benchmark for those clubs outwith the Old Firm.

Although he does concede it is likely to be his "most difficult season" since taking over the Gorgie hot-seat in December 2000.

"I’ll have to see if the new wand arrives in the post," he joked. "Seriously though, we have a lot of hungry players who won’t want to rest on their laurels and will want to do better. I want to do better as well.

"I think this year we deserved to finish third and I don’t think anybody can argue with that although sometimes deserving something and actually doing it are different things so I’m pleased to have finally done it.

"Having been in third for so long it would have been very disappointing not to have clinched it. Next season will be our most difficult season to date but I believe with the quality of young players we have coming through allied to the guys still in contract that we can continue to improve.

"We have plenty of guys that want to taste big European nights again and succeed and we can keep moving forward.

"Everyone wants to keep getting better and better and we are all determined to make sure that we do at least as well as we have done this season."

Hearts’ Canadian internationalist Kevin McKenna has backed his boss to continue to help the club to improve.

The defender agrees with Levein that the Jambos will face their toughest season to date but insists he is confident they are equal to the task. "This season we have definitely improved on last season," he said. "We are playing more as a team now and have managed to get better results. It is getting tougher as the manager doesn’t have a lot of money to spend but we have dealt with it this season and I’m sure we will do the same next year."

Taken from the Scotsman