Weir targets repeat win at Ibrox after Basel heroics

Young Hearts striker determined to further close gap on Old Firm as Robbo’s men return to league duty

PAUL KIDDIE

GRAHAM WEIR insists Hearts will have to produce as good a performance against Rangers tomorrow as they did in Basel to stand a chance of repeating last season’s historic victory at Ibrox.

Two of Scotland’s three midweek European heroes go head to head in Govan as the focus returns to the SPL, the Jambos gunning for their second successive triumph at the home of the Glasgow giants.

John Robertson’s side will go into the clash with spirits having soared following Thursday’s famous 2-1 victory over Basel in Switzerland which kick-started their UEFA Cup campaign.

Hearts now sit proudly in third place in Group A and are right back in the mix for one of the three qualifying places up for grabs, next month’s showdown with Ferencvaros set to take on massive importance.

Before the Hungarians ride into town, though, there are a number of league matches which have to be taken care of, starting with tomorrow’s trip to Ibrox.

Weir was deployed as a sole attacker the last time Hearts travelled to Ibrox, the move paying off for former boss Craig Levein with his troops shocking their hosts 1-0 in May last year.

Joe Hamill was the toast of Gorgie when his strike was enough to send Alex McLeish’s outfit spinning to a surprise defeat.

With the Jambos having to shrug off the effects of some tired legs after their exploits in Switzerland, Weir is hoping he may get the nod to again lead the line against the Light Blues.

Mark de Vries, Ramon Pereira, Dennis Wyness and Hamill all put in a power of work in Basel and Roberston will be tempted to rest some of those stars as he looks to concoct another winning formula. With the Hearts manager having given Wyness another chance to prove himself, Weir has been forced to cool his heels on the sidelines and wait for his own opportunity.

The front man hasn’t scored since August when he netted against Kilmarnock at Tynecastle but after some specialised training under the watchful eye of the Gorgie strike legend, the 20-year-old is determined to find his scoring touch to make life difficult for his boss. Should he force his way into Robbo’s plans, Weir knows he will have to do better than Thursday when he missed a glorious chance in injury time to seal a 3-1 victory in the Stadion St Jakob Park.

"I didn’t do myself any favours in Basel after coming on as a substitute," he said. "I know I should have scored when I was clean through on the keeper but instead of hitting it first time I decided to take a touch and clip it over him but the ball hit his shoulder.

"Hopefully I’ll have other chances which I’ll put away. The good thing about having the gaffer here is that we are doing a lot more work with the strikers, concentrating on passing the ball into strikers and laying it off.

"That suits the way Dennis plays but it is also the way I like to play. I am happy for Dennis as the boss gave him his chance and he has done well.

"But I’d like to do well myself and get a few goals and if I get the opportunity tomorrow then that would be great. "Winning in Basel has put us in good shape for tomorrow but Rangers are on a good run just now so it is going to be very tough.

"We will probably have to produce just as good a performance to take something from the game but we’re all looking forward to it. These are the games you always want to play in. I have still been involved on the bench but it would be great to get a start so we will see what the gaffer decides tomorrow."

Having played a key role in last season’s triumph, Weir is desperate to be involved again. However, he knows that whoever plays will be up to the task in hand, the squad now believing they have what it takes to compete with the Old Firm.

"That was a big win for us last season as we felt we had been getting closer to the Old Firm," said Weir. "We had been getting a few draws with Celtic and then beat them and now we have defeated Rangers at Ibrox.

"That was important for us and we will travel through tomorrow knowing we have already beaten them there recently. Both sides won in Europe during the week so hopefully it will be a cracking game."

And team-mate Craig Gordon is looking forward to another testing 90 minutes having played superbly in the win over Basel, the keeper proving a formidable last line of defence for the Gorgie outfit as the pressure mounted.

Delighted to have passed that test with flying colours, the Scotland No.1 is hoping the triumph can act as a catalyst on the domestic front.

"We were disappointed to lose to Motherwell last weekend but came back superbly against Basel," he said. "We now have to try to build on that and take it into the league.

"The Rangers match is another huge game for us but Ibrox is a great stage to play and while it is a big test hopefully we can come away with something."

Taken from the Scotsman