BAIRNS TAUGHT ME BIG LESSON

HEARTS keeper Craig Gordon would never under-estimate Falkirk after they handed him his worst drubbing in football.

The SPL leaders visit Westfield tomorrow still purring after their 1-0 defeat of Rangers last week maintained their 100 per cent start to the league season.

Gordon, 22, reckons the game against the Bairns is even bigger than last week's match against the defending champions.

He reckons Hearts must continue to prove they have the focus and mentality to raise their game against any side in the league.

John Hughes' side may be nearer the bottom of the table than the top, but over-confidence will not be a problem for Gordon after the lesson he was handed by the Bairns.

He made only his second appearance for the club at Brockville two-and-a-half years ago in a Scottish Cup tie and was on the end of a 4-0 drubbing.

Hearts boss Craig Levein had just signed Tepi Moilanen and left Gordon stewing for months before he could prove to the former Tynecastle boss he could handle the big time.

Gordon said: "It was only my second game for the club and there was not an awful lot I could have done to prevent any of the goals.

"In fact, I haven't lost four goals since that day in any game"We had just come back from the mid-season break and Roddy McKenzie had broken his thumb and the club had just signed Tepi.

"I didn't do an awful lot wrong that afternoon but I paid the price as it wasn't until the following season I was given the chance to play for the first team again.

"It was a hard period to go through but the defeat was actually a turning point in the club's fortunes that season.

"In the next five games Tepi kept four clean sheets and the team went on a good run.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't upset at being left out but it was one of those things. I was young then and still am but the manager went for experience and looking back he made the best decision as the team went on a good run.

"It actually gave me time to adapt to life at that level and I continued to work hard, knowing it was still the early days of my career.

"I'm looking forward to playing Falkirk,especially at their new ground. Brockville was such an old-style ground it probably worked in Falkirk's advantage.

"I still remember the one shower in the dressing room - it was like a tap coming out of the ceiling."

Gordon insists Hearts won't take their eyes off the ball despite the game holding a lower profile than last week against Rangers.

He said: "There's not been the same buzz in the media and the game has not been built up as much as Rangers.

"However, this is a bigger test as we aim to show we can come off the bigger matches and still take points off teams from outwith the Old Firm.The manager has been stressing that point in training all week. We must be focused and concentrate on Falkirk as this is the biggest game for us now."

Gordon is refusing to think ahead to next week when he will join up with the Scotland squad for the crucial double header against Belarus and Slovenia.

He also dismissed the fatigue factor with players such as himself, Andy Webster, Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley wanted for club and country.

He added: "It's a case of dealing with it and we take the occasional day off here and there. Perhaps as the season goes on it will get a little more tiring and we'll be given an extra day here and there, but it's great to be so busy."

Hearts boss George Burley was named Manager of the Month yesterday for the second time in a row, with Webster scooping the player award to follow in the footsteps of Rudi Skacel. Burley is toying with the idea of throwing in Michal Pospisil as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Pospisil has featured in only three games but has trained all week and could feature with countryman Roman Bednar sidelined as a result of his cartilage op Burley said: "Michal has had a good weekin trainingandtherehasbeenno adverse affect to his injury. He is still not 100 per cent but is progressing all the time.

"He's a hard worker with a good track record and if he is called upon he will do well. Ideally, I'd like him to play a couple of reserve games but the nature of the squad means we might have to take a chance."

Burley is also looking forward to meeting up with former team-mate John Hughes but he has a bone to pick with Falkirk's money men. He played with the Bairns for a week in 1993 before moving to Motherwell.

He said: "I knew Jim Jefferies and Billy Brown well and agreed to play for them for nothing after my spell at Ayr but it lasted only a week as I was offered the job as player-coach at Motherwell.

"The club said they'd pay expenses but I'm still waiting - it's a few miles from Prestwick to Falkirk every day

Taken from the Daily Record