Hearts a step nearer promised land

HEARTS celebrated reaching the third and final qualifying round of the Champions League last night after a goalless draw in Siroki Brijeg and know that with Craig Gordon in goal anything is possible against next opponents AEK Athens.

The players will also be aware of the heightened level of expectation at Tynecastle these days, and perhaps expected the contrary review of their evening's work delivered later by owner Vladimir Romanov.

The Lithuanian-based businessman flew into Herzegovina yesterday to watch the match and, although the mission was accomplished by his team, the achievement left Romanov distinctly unimpressed. He declared that the team were not yet ready for a season which is already entering a critical period, with Sunday's meeting with Celtic closely followed by the pair of matches against AEK Athens.

It is a good time for Gordon to be at the top of his game. The Scotland goalkeeper was in irresistible form against the champions of Bosnia-Herzegovina and later head coach Valdas Ivanauskas paid tribute to Gordon by placing him in the same bracket as German internationals Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehman. The comparison is not as random as it might first seem, with Ivanauskas having experienced being frustrated by both Kahn and Lehman when a striker with SV Hamburg.

Gordon kept Hearts in the game, and perhaps the tie, with a succession of fine stops, including a point-blank save at the start of the second half which resulted in a very apparent loss of momentum on Siroki's part. Gordon made sure he left Herzegovina with a clean sheet when he again saved brilliantly from Hrvoje Erceg near the end. The 3-0 aggregate scoreline made it a satisfactory start to their debut Champions League campaign, with Gordon's performance the highlight.

"I have played against goalkeepers of great quality in my career, including Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehman," said Ivanauskas. "But Craig Gordon is just 23, and he is already a top quality keeper."

The Lithuanian was not so effusive about the others making up his team, and walked into the press room with a face like thunder. Perhaps he was simply contemplating the return journey, and the last-minute alteration to the itinerary which saw Hearts endure a three-hour coach trip to Split rather than Dubrovnik.

Or maybe he had already run into Romanov. The Hearts owner embarked on a stately tour of the Pecara stadium prior to kick-off but was much less contented after the match, which Hearts had closed out in dogged manner. "I am not really satisfied," said Romanov. "We got the result but the game was not very good. I am glad we are in the next round but I did not like the match itself. I do not think the team is ready yet for the new season. I am not thinking about Athens, more about the team and the state of preparation. Perhaps we started it a little bit late."

It was true Hearts looked far from world-beaters in Herzegovina, but much was made of the need to simply cope with a match that had been made less hazardous by the efforts at Murrayfield seven days previously. This Hearts did, something Ivanauskas somewhat grumpily acknowledged later. "I am happy with the result," he muttered. "We are in the next round - that was the target. It was a hard game and we knew we had to be careful. They had a lot of chances but we had Craig Gordon."

The goalkeeper reflected on his performance with customary modesty. "I am pleased with the way I played but a lot of times it was a case of being in the right place at the right time," he said. "It was not just me. The whole team defended well, from the strikers back to myself."

Turning his attention to the tie with AEK Athens, Gordon called on Hearts to show the same resolve exhibited against Bordeaux in the UEFA Cup three years ago. The Tynecastle side were distinct underdogs in the tie but pulled off an impressive 1-0 victory in France before eventually losing on aggregate.

"We definitely believe we can beat Athens," he said. "No one expected us to beat Bordeaux in France but if we play with the same spirit as we did that night then we can do it."

Taken from the Scotsman