Roman looks for perfect pick-me-up

AFTER their player was accused of diving, they drew their city rivals in the national cup semi-finals and then lobbied the SFA to change the venue of said match, sparking mass debate.

Consequently, Hearts should feel relieved at returning to the solemnity of league business at Almondvale on Sunday as another tumultuous week for the club comes to a conclusion.

Officials at Tynecastle will be grateful for the short and mundane journey out to Livingston, for their recent existence seems to have been incessantly peppered with high drama and, at times, confrontation. Mere mention of the word "Murrayfield" can stir virtually any football supporter in Edinburgh into a frenzy at present.

A controversy-banishing result to maintain Hearts' challenge for a Champions League spot is the aim in West Lothian, particularly in the wake of last weekend's stuttering display against Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

Roman Bednar has an outside chance of starting the match after his dismissal for feigning contact with Partick goalkeeper Kenny Arthur last week, and any notion of the talismanic Czech possibly appearing in the starting line-up will be enthusiastically received amongst the visiting support. Bednar has shrugged aside allegations of simulation, and jokes to the same effect from his team-mates, all week at the club's Riccarton training base. From a football perspective, he is anxious for Hearts to return to the domineering form they displayed on their last SPL visit to Livingston, when they won 4-1.

"We were playing some great football at that time. We were scoring goals and Livingston had no chance in that game," said the 22-year-old. "Things have changed a little now and that can be down to a long season. I think our problem at the moment is that we score a goal and then stop playing, and that is very dangerous. We are always waiting for something to happen but must keep playing.

"Maybe if you get to 3-0 or 4-0 then you can slow down a little bit, but not after one goal. If we are playing our pass-move-pass-move game, then I believe we will win against Livingston.

"Three points is very important because, after Livingston, we have four awkward games. One up at Inverness and then it's Rangers and Celtic soon after. Winning on Sunday is a must."

Victory was achieved in unconvincing fashion last week, a consequence of Bednar's ordering off for which he has been forced to pay a costly price. The powerful striker is now suspended for the all- Edinburgh Scottish Cup semi-final with Hibs, regardless of its location.

He has also had to endure a particularly testing week since the incident with Arthur, which resulted in a second yellow and then red cards after he had originally been booked for deliberately encroaching at a Partick free-kick.

"After my red card it was difficult against Partick because we had one man less. We scored the first goal, and then nothing. We got our second and we looked comfortable and then I was sent off, which made it hard for the team. We lost a goal but managed to hang on to 2-1. There was a lot of talk about it on Monday because I went into the dressing-room and everyone was joking about my red card. Then we went to the training pitch and the guys were throwing themselves around in front of me!"

Premium fitness levels have still to be attained by a player who will doubtless have a critical role in Hearts' European ambitions. Bednar's knee injury has healed but only regular exposure to first-team football will see the player return to his own explosive form of early season. The extensive cold front currently enveloping Europe has disrupted the final stages of his rehabilitation.

Freezing pitches have had an effect on the training schedules of many clubs across the continent, Hearts being no exception. Synthetic surfaces at Riccarton are all well and good, but even they can be hazardous for players when temperatures are fighting to stay above freezing for much of the day.

"My knee is getting better but this week has been difficult," admitted Bednar.

"On Monday we were training inside on the synthetic pitch, on Tuesday we had a bounce game outside on the all-weather surface, and then yesterday we were inside again. The weather has not helped us. That is hard on my knee but it is good for me to try every surface and overall I feel okay."

Winter in the Czech Republic is normally characterised by average temperatures of -10 degrees celsius. This year, Bednar's native land has perished at around -30 for much of its coldest months, so perhaps Scotland is not so unappetising after all. With the adulation constantly bestowed upon him by the Hearts support, there is plenty to keep him warm.

"This is my first contract in the European leagues outside of the Czech Republic and I have been happy with my season here," enthused Bednar.

"I have played well, although I was frustrated after the injury and I am a little like that now because I want to play all the time from the start. I am still positive in my mind, though."

Those Tynecastle frequenters who are willing to glance a few months into the future may find themselves in a panic at the uncertainty surrounding certain players at the club. Like Bednar, many of the squad are FBK Kaunas players who have been loaned to Hearts in deals brokered by the club's majority shareholder, Vladimir Romanov, pictured left, which end this summer.

Bednar, though, has no concerns over his long-term prospects in Edinburgh, hinting that preliminary discussions with Romanov may have already taken place.

"I think Mr Romanov has plans for me and I will be staying here 100 per cent. I have never even been in Kaunas," said the player, who is officially contracted to the Lithuanian club.

"I don't think I will be going anywhere. I want to stay with Hearts, we may be in the Champions League because we are on course for second place and we have a good chance of winning the Scottish Cup.

"I want to play with good players and in a good team, and that is here at Hearts."

Taken from the Scotsman