Bednar: Champions League is Hearts' holy grail

ROMAN BEDNAR believes that, if Hearts qualify for the group stages of the Champions League, it will be like winning the Scottish Cup all over again.

The Czech striker was amazed at the scenes which followed Hearts' first cup win in eight years with hundreds of thousands of supporters turning out to cheer their team on an open-top bus parade through Edinburgh after their penalty shoot-out win over Gretna.

The 23-year-old striker said that winning the trophy and joining in the celebrations was the best day of his life but he feels that could be equalled if the Jambos can make it through the qualifiers to make it into Europe's top competition.

The Scottish Cup was the first winners' medal of Bednar's short career and he is desperate to add more to his collection - although he admits that lifting the Champions League trophy might be a step too far this season, even for Vladimir Romanov.

He said: "We did everything that we wanted to at the end of the season and everybody was happy. Of course I would like to win more medals with Hearts - but I don't know if we will do that in the Champions League though! Seriously, qualification for the group stages would be just like winning another cup.

"Our aim is to make sure that we qualify, to get through these two games and then we will see what happens. I think that everyone will be happy if we make it into the groups.

"It was my wish to play in the Champions League this season and now we have done it.

"We have players with Champions League experience and four or five good Scotland players in our side who can all play at that level."

Bednar's loan deal from Kaunas expired at the end of the season but he has seen enough of the city and the club's ambitions in that time to convince him that he wants to remain in the Capital.

He has had initial discussions with Romanov although he has yet to put pen to paper on any new deal, be it on loan or permanent, but he is in no doubt that his future, in the short-term at least, lies at Tynecastle.

With the lure of Champions League football next season in mind, Bednar added: "Of course I will be here, I want to stay at the club and I have spoken to Vladimir Romanov.

"I have not yet signed a new deal but I expect that to happen.

"It does not matter to me if it is a permanent deal or a loan deal, I would just like to stay."

Bednar knows that Hearts' reputation will go before them next season, the Old Firm surely now convinced of the Tynecastle side's title credentials but, far from worrying that they have lost the element of surprise, the player insists his side will be even better equipped for the new campaign.

And he believes that, with the addition of a few more new faces in the summer, Hearts have a better chance then ever of lifting the SPL title.

Celtic and Rangers have dominated the title honours over the past two decades but Bednar feels that could be about to change: "I think that this time we can be even better. We already have a good squad of players and if Mr Romanov buys a few players we will be even stronger.

"I think that last year was difficult for us because there were a lot of new players, but we have all stayed together for some time now and now we have a really good dressing-room. I think that this season we have to be saying that we can win the league.

"I think we can win it, I want to win it. Why not? It is just football and I think it is realistic for us."

Thus far Hearts have not dipped into the transfer market but, even if the squad remains the same for the next campaign, Bednar believes they have the quality and strength in depth to again make their mark on the domestic front: "We have not signed anyone but I don't think that we are being left behind - sometimes it is better like that because it can be better to keep the same squad. I think the current squad is good enough, we won the cup and second place in the league."

The frontman's never-say-die attitude and bustling enthusiasm, not to mention his seven league goals, made him a firm favourite with the Hearts supporters last season but the good news is that Bednar believes they have yet to see the best of him after missing a chunk of last season due to surgery on a knee injury.

He added: "I was injured for a bit of the season but I think this has probably been the best season I have had. But I hope that if I can avoid injury then I will be even better next season."

Taken from the Scotsman