IF WE CAN NAB AN EARLY GOAL THE 35,000 CROWD WILL ROAR US TO VICTORY

A CROW could fly from Tynecastle to Murrayfield in a few flaps of its wings but the two famous venues are a million miles apart in so many other ways.

We face AEK Athens at the home of rugby tonight in the first leg of our Champions League qualifier and at I'm sure the Greeks will be impressed with the environment in which they will be asked to work.

It's a far cry from Vfb Stuttgart, who turned up at Tynecastle five years ago for training before a UEFA Cup match with so much kit and personnel they demanded two dressing rooms.

They were shocked at the compact nature of our visitors' changing area and immediately asked to move their hampers and half their team into the area reserved for home players.

Let's just say they were given short shrift as they settled instead for taking over the players' lounge before going out to prepare for the second leg.

That was one of those barnstorming nights at Tynecastle when we won 3-2 but went out on away goals, having lost 1-0 in the first leg, and I wonder still if the Germans were put out by their surroundings and didn't quite fancy it.

Tynecastle fairly crackles when it is packed to capacity and can be an intimidating place to play but Murrayfield carries its own advantages.

These days, whether we like it or not, there is an expectation at this level to provide top-class facilities for opposition teams and the dressing rooms at the home of rugby are plush and so large you could easily play a game of hide and seek.

There's a very professional feel around the magnificent arena and, whisper it, one or two of the opposition really believe it's our ground.

It's perhaps no bad thing after events at the weekend but the dugouts are situated a good way apart, although there are pros and cons to being so far removed from our fans.

The most important thing about Murrayfield is it allows many more supporters to watch us play than would be the case at Tynecastle and Ican't wait to see around 35,000 fans - and maybe even more - in the ground tonight.

The biggest advantage Tynecastle holds over our temporary home is its ability to generate one of the best atmospheres in Scottish football but, as long as we play our cards right, Murrayfield can also play host to an almighty din.

We felt its negative effects against Siroki Brijeg in the last round because when the game hits awee lull it can feel very quiet, especially with so many empty spaces around the ground, despite the fact that in the circumstances the gate was a tremendous 28,000 plus.

Two seasons ago we played our first game at the ground against Braga, scored early on and the whole place was buzzing, helped by a sound system that is one of the best in the business.

We must look to foster a similar type of atmosphere this evening because undoubtedly the best results for Hearts come when we're playing on the front foot and find the net early, as was so often the case last season.

However, that is not to say we're going all out to score two or three goals against AEK in the first half, although that would be nice.

At this level, it's more vital we keep a clean sheet and look to create a cushion to take to Greece for the return in a fortnight.

For their part, we know AEK will come here and probably try to frustrate us, slow the game with a stubborn 4-5-1 formation and look to hit on the counter-attack.

Hindsight is a wonderful science and to that extent, with our 2-1 victory in the bag, I'm glad we lost the goal we did against Celtic on Sunday because Stilian Petrov's strike from a quick break forward is exactly the type we must look to prevent this evening.

Steve Frail was out watching AEK against Portuguese side Benfica last week and they looked impressive in a 3-1 victory.

As you might expect, Takis Fyssas and Christos Karipidis have also been invaluable sources of advice and information.

AEK Athens may not be able to gripe about the facilities tonight but we'll be doing everything in our power to ensure they go home with sore heads, complaining about the result.

'After Sunday it's perhaps no bad thing the dugouts are a good way apart'

Taken from the Daily Record