Pat is Hearts' flexible friend

HEARTS
BY GRAEME CROSER

HEARTS became Euro stars on a rugby field earlier this week and tomorrow they’re aiming to find domestic bliss on Dunfermline’s plastic pitch.

Adaptability is the watchword for Craig Levein and his players at the moment and, having passed Thursday’s historic UEFA Cup test at Murrayfield with flying colours, they must now test their SPL credentials on the Pars’ much-maligned synthetic surface.

Levein is anxious that his players put the 3-1 victory over SC Braga to the backs of their minds as they return to their bread and butter in Fife.

Patrick Kisnorbo was the man who smashed home the potentially tie-winning third goal in midweek and if Levein is looking for versatility he need look no further than the Aussie.

Kisnorbo has performed right across defence and midfield since joining the Jambos last summer but his capacity for dealing with change stretches back even further.

‘Soccer’, as he affectionately refers to it, was banned from his primary school on the grounds that it was too dangerous. In their wisdom, school chiefs decided the altogether gentler game of Australian Rules Football was the order of the day.

Kisnorbo was a keen enough participant but would sneak a round ball into the playground in order to pursue his favourite sport.

He admits it was a dream come true to be involved in a European tie such as Thursday’s and conceded he also relished the opportunity in a strange environment.

He said: "I thought it was brilliant playing at Murrayfield. The crowd we managed to attract created a great atmosphere and it was just a great experience.

"I’m told there were about 19,000 fans there which was a great turn-out. Back home we get big crowds for Aussie Rules games, maybe around 75,000, but the fans here are a lot more passionate.

"I used to watch UEFA Cup and Champions League matches at home in Melbourne and I used to sit and dream of being involved on those occasions. Now I’ve actually done it and it was a great feeling - especially to score. The surface itself was a bit slippery but other than that I thought it was quite nice. It was a big pitch as well, larger than we’re used to, and I think we all enjoyed the change of scene.

"We’re playing on a different surface this weekend but we should be able to adapt and hopefully the result from midweek can help us."

Levein intends to alter his team’s style tomorrow of play to deal with the surface. Having studied his side’s performances on the surface since its installation last season the head coach believes a difference in approach is necessary.

The Jambos failed to win on either visit last term and with Dunfermline anchored to the bottom of the table and desperate for their first league victory of the season, the manager knows the match is a potential banana skin.

And he also backed under-fire boss Davie Hay to turn the club’s fortunes around. He said: "The plastic surface makes East End Park an especially difficult place to go. I’ve studied our performances on the last couple of visits there and there’s one or two things we’re going to change for this match. Hopefully that will help us but we’ll also have to be switched on and totally committed. Dunfermline are desperate for the points just now and they will be pretty fired up for this one I’m sure.

"Davie is a good manager and he doesn’t need to prove anything to anybody.

"I’m 100 per cent convinced that if he gets the backing from those at the club he will do a great job there.

"He’s been a success everywhere he has been but he took over at Dunfermline at a very difficult time. Given the financial difficulties they are in it’s not realistic to expect him to wave a magic wand straight away but he will get it right."

Taken from the Scotsman