DON'T LEAVE ANY REGRETS

STEVEN PRESSLEY last night warned his Hearts team-mates not to blow their Champions League chance - because they might spend a lifetime regretting it.

The Jambos skipper got his first taste at Europe's top table as a 19-year-old Rangers rookie when he came on against Marseille at Ibrox in Gers' run to within 90 minutes of the final in 1992/93.

Back then Elvis thought he'd be feasting there every season. Instead he's had to wait 14 YEARS for another chance.

Now, with Shakhtyor Soligorsk of Belarus or Siroki Brijeg from Bosnia-Herzegovina awaiting Hearts in the second qualifying round in July, Pressley is begging the rest of his squad not to leave any regrets behind.

He said: "This is the first time we've had this chance at Hearts and we must do everything we can to take it.

"I'll be putting that message across to the younger players especially - just as I did before the Cup Final with Gretna.

"I won a Scottish Cup winner's medal at 19 and had to wait 13 years to get another.

"When you're younger you don't realise how fortunate you are but you have to savour these occasions and make the most of them."

Hearts have two hurdles to climb before they can dream of the group stages. And Pressley insists they will be doing their homework on the dark horses to avoid a repeat of Celtic's shock defeat by Artmedia Bratislava in last season's qualifiers.

He said: "We don't want to fall into the same trap and should be well prepared. Mr Romanov has a team in Belarus and will keep us up to date.

"We also have Mirsad Beslija and he is Bosnian. He says Siroki Brijeg are of a good standard. We played a Bosnian team, Zeljznicar, in the UEFA Cup in 2003. We beat them 2-0 in the first leg but were lucky to get a scoreless draw away from home."

Pressley, who spent the summer at Largs working on his SFA coaching badges, still doesn't know who will be leading the Jambos next season.

With doubts still remaining over Valdas Ivanauskas' position as head coach and Alexei Mikhailichenko on his way as the new director of football, the winds of change that battered Tynecastle all last season haven't died down yet.

But Elvis insisted: "I hope a number of things are sorted out to bring stability back.

"Valdas did exceptionally well and I thought he was the type of man who was right.

"He was firm but also liked to have a rapport with the players.

"I'm sure there will also be activity in the transfer market. We'll need a decent-sized squad because European football will make rotation a necessity."

Taken from the Sunday Mail