HERO WE GO

Spartak Trnava 1

Hearts 3

DEIVIDAS CESNAUSKIS hit a double to emerge the hero for Hearts in their second pre-season game and urged the club to let him loose in the UEFA Champions League.

The Lithuanian struck in a comfortable 3-1 win over Spartak Trnava as Valdas Ivanauskas' side continued their build-up to their European qualifier on July 26 at Murrayfield.

Somewhat surprisingly, Cesnauskis' haul against the Slovakians doubled his tally for the whole of last season but the player reckons featuring under countryman Ivanauskas can only bring out the best in him.

He said: "It was a good game for me. I scored the two goals which felt great. We are training hard and our preparation is going well.

"I hope to play a big part in the first team this season but there are good players in my position. I want to do everything to play regular first-team football and if I keep scoring I may stay in the team.

"I only scored one for the first team last season but scored about seven or eight for the second team. I have been here for two years now. I'm settled and we have the Champions League to look forward.

"This is Hearts' first time in the Champions League and it is a new thing to them but every player wants to feature in that competition and not sit on the bench.

"Valdas was a good player and a huge hero of mine when he played for Lithuania.

"When we won the Scottish Cup the Lithuanian players and Valdas got their pictures taken for the newspapers back home. It was a big thing for us.

"I think every player at Hearts can learn from Valdas as he is a very good coach."

Cesnauskis hit a superb volley from just inside the box in 30 minutes after he met youngster Andrew Driver's cross from the left.

Six minutes later he struck again when he followed up to slot home after another cross from the impressive Driver. His delivery was headed towards the goal by Edgaras Jankauskas only for keeper Miroslav Hrdina to parry into the path of Cesnauskis who drove high into the net from close range.

Ivanauskas gave trialists Tiago Costa, Giorgi Popkhadze and Ales Urbanek 30 minutes with 19-year-old Georgian international Popkhadze the best of the trio.

Substitute Mirsad Beslija notched his second of the Austrian tour when he fired home Callum Elliot's low cross from close range to make it 3-0 in 72 minutes.

But UEFA Cup qualifiers Trnava grabbed a consolation when Peter Duris' angled drive beat Steve Banks with 10 minutes left.

The goal angered captain Steven Pressley who hit out at Urbanek after the midfielder failed to track back and help cut out the danger.

Ivanauskas, however, was pleased with all his trialists and revealed Popkhadze had done his chances of earning a permanent deal no harm.

He said: "I thought all the trialists did very well. Giorgi showed he is a good player.

"He is still young but if he keeps working hard who knows what the future holds."

Hearts - Banks, Neilson (Costa 60), Fyssas (Popkhadze 60), Pressley, Berra (Wallace 53), Brellier (Barasa 46), Driver (Urbankek 60), Cesnauskis (Beslija 60), Jankauskas (Makela 60), Aguiar, Elliot.

Taken from the Daily Record