McAllister talks up Tynecastle

AS HEARTS prepare to face the SPL's three away-day specialists in the coming weeks Jamie McAllister has warned them his side won't give up their proud unbeaten home record without a fight.

The Jambos are the only top-flight side not to have lost on their own turf this term having conceded just two goals - but that record is about to be given its sternest test over the festive period. Three of the Capital club's next four games take place in Gorgie with Inverness Caley Thistle, Falkirk and table-topping Celtic all due to visit Tynecastle while a trip to Ibrox is also scheduled.

On paper Graham Rix's side would be expected to take maximum points from the first two home clashes but closer investigation reveals that both opponents have saved their best form for the road.

The Highlanders have garnered an incredible 16 of their 22 points from their travels while John Hughes' men have collected 14 of their 17 points away from the New Falkirk Stadium.

Those games, followed by a mouth-watering top-of-the-table showdown with Celtic on New Year's Day make for an exciting time over Christmas, after which the eventual destination of the championship flag could be somewhat clearer. And McAllister, who featured for the Scotland Future team in their 2-0 win against Poland on Tuesday night, is well aware his side are approaching a crunch time.

Many critics have predicted the Hearts bandwagon will grind to a halt in the coming weeks but McAllister has urged his team-mates to help keep their proud home record intact and keep their title bid on track.

"We're doing well at the moment at home and are undefeated and I think it's important that we continue that," said the former Livingston and Aberdeen ace. "We have a wee run of home games and, if we can make the most of those, it would put us in a good position.

"Any side that wants to challenge at the top end of the table has to do well on their own ground and the matches coming up are arguably our toughest run of games at home so far.

"We have started to make Tynecastle a place teams don't like coming to but if we can continue that it will put us in a good position as regards the league. Like any record, you want to keep it going as long as you can and if we could make it into the New Year unbeaten at home that would be a great achievement for the club."

Last Saturday's 2-1 defeat of Livingston saw Hearts at home for the first time in almost a month and also marked Rix's first game in charge at Tynecastle following difficult trips to Pittodrie and Fir Park. His players duly obliged with the first win of his tenure and the margin of victory should have been significantly greater than the solitary goal which eventually separated the teams as Hearts struck the woodwork three times in a pulsating second half.

The three points lifted some of the pressure off the shoulders of Rix. He had been under intense media scrutiny since he was the surprise choice to succeed George Burley at Tynecastle.

The former Chelsea coach, below, has quickly developed a close working relationship with his squad and has won over any doubters who may have existed among the Tynecastle camp. And McAllister revealed the players were delighted to hand him his first win.

"All the boys were pleased to get a win for the gaffer at the weekend," said the 27-year-old.

"The longer it went the harder it was going to be for him so it was important we won the game. In the end we could have won by a lot more but the main thing was that we got the three points.

"Livingston made it difficult for us and there were a few nervous moments towards the end but over the game there's no doubt we deserved to win.

"He [Rix] and the players will take a lot of confidence from the victory and hopefully we'll take that into our next match."

The Capital club will need to be at their best with Saturday's opponents Caley Thistle having already stunned the likes of Hibs and Rangers by coming away with a win and a draw from Easter Road and Ibrox respectively while they were only narrowly beaten at Parkhead.

With something sure to give in the meeting between Hibs and Celtic in Glasgow, the clash with Caley takes on added importance as the Jambos will have the opportunity to either overhaul the Parkhead outfit or increase their advantage over city rivals Hibs. And although McAllister knows his side's title credentials will be given a thorough examination he admitted it's vital they take maximum points.

"It will definitely be a hard game," he said. "Inverness got a good three points at Motherwell which is a hard place to go as we found out a couple of weeks ago.

"It took a last minute penalty to get us a share of the points in that one yet they won there so we know Inverness are going to be tough.

"Strangely they seem to do well on the road. They have a fantastic record so it must suit them playing away and we will have to play well and make sure we compete.

"Inverness are a really organised side on their travels and big Craig Brewster has them working their socks off for 90 minutes every week. We need to make sure that we match that and make the most of the run of games we have at home.

"We have been doing well this season and we just have to look to keep that going without taking it for granted that we will win this one. It's an important game for us but the way this season is panning out they are all important games at the moment."

Taken from the Scotsman