Jambos jet off with Robbo's best wishes

PAUL KIDDIE

TYNECASTLE legend John Robertson has tipped Hearts boss Craig Levein to lead the Jambos to UEFA Cup glory in Portugal.

The Gorgie outfit jetted out to the northern city of Braga today and were due to train for the first time at the Estadio Municipal this evening as Levein made his final preparations for the vital tie.

Hearts go into the second leg showdown with a 3-1 advantage from the first match at Murrayfield, goals from Andy Webster, Paul Hartley and Patrick Kisnorbo seeing the men in maroon mark their historic first appearance at the home of Scottish rugby with a stirring triumph.

Making light of their unfamiliar surroundings, the ‘home’ side executed their manager’s game plan to perfection to storm into a 2-0 lead after 62 minutes.

However, despite assistant boss Peter Houston stressing to the players from the touchline that it was imperative for them to keep their concentration, the lead was to last just three minutes, Paulo Sergio popping up in the box to head home a free-kick.

The Portuguese celebrated as if they had won the match itself and the vital away goal certainly took the wind out of Hearts’ sails for a brief period.

But after regaining their composure the Jambos continued to bare down on keeper Paulo Santos and were rewarded with their efforts just when it appeared they would have to head for Braga with the most slender of leads.

Patrick Kisnorbo was the hero as he smashed home a dramatic stoppage time effort and Robertson believes the Australian’s first goal for the club could yet make all the difference to the outcome of the tie.

As the club’s record scorer in Europe with seven strikes, Robertson knows a thing or two about the route to goal. And while he would be delighted to see his former team defy its chronic injury problems within the striking department to snatch an away goal, the former Scotland internationalist believes the key to success tomorrow night for Hearts will be found at the back.

"The third goal from Patrick Kisnorbo could well prove crucial tomorrow night," he said.

"At 2-1 it would have been a bit precarious for them in Braga."

On Saturday, Robertson’s Inverness Caley Thistle outfit became the fifth SPL team to be shut out in the league this season by Steven Pressley & Co. The skipper, in tandem with Webster, has formed a formidable last line of defence for Hearts, and with Robbie Neilson and Alan Maybury filling the full-back berths with distinction this season, the Jambos have conceded goals in just two league outings - away to Motherwell and the surprise defeat across the Forth to Dunfermline.

That statistic alone gives Robertson hope that Levein can carry on from where he left off last year and book Hearts’ place in the new money-spinning group stages of the UEFA Cup.

"Hearts showed last year in Bordeaux that they can defend against a quality side as well as cause them problems," he said. "Obviously it would great for them to get the goal away from home which I’m sure would take them through.

"But the foundation of Hearts’ success under Craig Levein has been based on a rock-solid defence.

"I think that will be the main thing to take them through tomorrow given their injury problems up front. For Hearts to lose 2-0 would be a major surprise for me given their solid defence and the players they have."

He added: "All Craig has to do is ensure that at the end of the 90 minutes or however long the match lasts, that Hearts have done enough to get through to the next round."

Taken from the Scotsman