Memories of Mostar show composure paramount for Hearts

HEARTS' arrival in Mostar yesterday for this evening's return match against Siroki Brijeg brought back vivid memories of the last time they visited the town in Herzegovina - all of 18 years ago, during their most successful run to date in European football.

As is the case in this Champions League tie, the Edinburgh club won 3-0 in the home leg of their UEFA Cup match against Velez Mostar, and travelled to the then Yugoslavia confident of progressing to the last eight of the competition. They did so, losing the return leg 2-1 to go through 4-2 on aggregate, but not before coming up against one of the most hostile crowds they had ever experienced.

"We knew it was going to be like that," recalled John Colquhoun, who had scored along with Eamonn Bannon and Mike Galloway at Tynecastle. "The game had been hyped up after Mostar accused Mike Galloway of being over-zealous, shall we say, in the first leg.

"But the first we realised how bad it was going to be was shortly after we'd arrived. We were sitting in the hotel having lunch when we heard this rumble sound. We looked out and saw about 200 of their supporters heading towards us, then they started banging on the windows trying to get in."

During the match, fireworks exploded and a couple of glasses were thrown at the Hearts dugout.

After Velez took a first-half lead, a goal from Galloway 25 minutes from time killed the tie off - and produced another volley of missiles from the home support.

Velez scored in the dying minutes to claim victory on the night, and Hearts were simply anxious to get out of the place as soon as possible. They would have done so more quickly but for Colquhoun.

"I had to produce a sample for the drugs test," recalled the striker, who is now a players' agent. "It was a bit of struggle. I like to think I'd run myself into the ground."

Eventually he was able to satisfy the authorities and join the rest of the squad on the journey back to Scotland. Yet, while they were happy to get out of Mostar, the experience was still a valuable one, and not as threatening to the players as it might have appeared on television. "The thing is, even when there's a hostile atmosphere at a game you don't really feel you're in danger. You always feel relatively safe."

While Siroki Brijeg's supporters made themselves heard at Murrayfield, they are not expected to produce anything like the same hostility tonight. Colquhoun does, however, expect this Hearts team to do something similar to what his side achieved back in November 1988.

"I don't think it will be hostile - when a team is 3-0 down from the first leg the atmosphere is usually somewhat muted, and the circumstances are different from back then. But it will still be a fantastic experience, especially for the young Scottish players in the Hearts squad.

"Although we lost 2-1, we played very professionally and kept our cool. That's exactly what I expect from Hearts in this match."

Taken from the Scotsman