IF WE CAN BEAT THE HEAT WE CAN BEAT THE GREEKS

THE last time a British team played in the type of conditions we will face in Greece tonight David Beckham threw up on the pitch.

Here's hoping it's AEK Athens who will be feeling under the weather as Hearts bid to progress into the group stages of the Champions League for the first time.

The blanket of heat that is currently smothering Greece is great for holidaymakers soaking up the sun in resorts from Crete to Corfu.

But it's vital we don't wilt under the pressure of playing in temperatures of up to 100 degrees fahrenheit as we bid to reverse our 2-1 defeat from the first leg.

Beckham is a vastly experienced campaigner throughout Europe and plays for Real Madrid in a country that knows all about coping with high temperatures.

But it even proved too much for him when England faced Ecuador in Stuttgart during the World Cup finals and he was sick early in the second half of their 1-0 victory.

I'm not getting our excuses in before a ball is even kicked in the Olympic Stadium because coping with conditions that are foreign to most of our players is part and parcel of competing in Europe.

To that extent, we'll be making sure water and fluids are available at every turn as we bid to pull off the greatest comeback, and probably even the greatest result, in the history of our club. Don't be fooled by the fact the games kicks off at 9.45pm local time because even at that time of night the heat is stifling.

Our coach Steve Frail phoned me from Athens a fortnight ago after watching a pre-season friendly between AEK and Benfica to inform me temperatures were still nudging 100.

Heat management is going to be a big part of our game-plan as we bid to score the two goals that will take us through to Friday's draw for the group stages.

It's well known we're at our best when we start games aggressively and on the front foot but it's unlikely we'll be able to play at the 100 mph pace normally associated with the SPL.

We have to play a smart, savvy, continental game and the time management of substitutions will also be key to any success we hope to enjoy this evening.

Of course the availability of Paul Hartley after his recent groin injury is a huge boost and he clearly comes into our thoughts for the central midfield area as aresult of the suspension to Bruno Aguiar.

But it's a tough decision as Paul has only played 20 minutes of competitive, first-team football since the pre-season and 45 minutes of a low-key friendly against Gretna.

In an ideal world the next step up for Paul would be 45 minutes, but it would be difficult to do that in the temperatures we normally associate with Scotland, never mind the ovens of Athens, so it's a lot to consider.

We've got to balance it up. We need Paul on the park but the conditions might be far from ideal to give him a hugely significant comeback role.

Let's be frank, at this stage of the competition most people would probably rule us out of the tie. Nevertheless, there's still a big carrot dangling in front of us, not just in terms of the riches available to the club but also in giving the players access to perform in the greatest level in club football.

We've got to be careful in defence but still look to put them under pressure whenever possible, although we all could see from the first leg they are a good team going forward.

To be honest, few of us expected them to be as good as they showed at Murrayfield but maybe they had a good night because they drew 0-0 with PAOK Salonika at the weekend, which shows they are not invincible.

We must be resolute and hard to break down and certainly prevent them peppering our goal with the shots that characterised the first leg. We must also look to hit them on the break - ironically, something we did well in the first leg at Murrayfield, even if it wasn't part of our pre-match strategy.

We must learn to play patiently but then react sharply around their box to create the opportunities that can keep us in this competition.

We know the atmosphere at Tynecastle can crackle on European nights but we also know we'll be walking out into a special arena tonight as well.

We've already watched AEK in action and before they even come on to the pitch there's a guy who walks into the centre circle and orchestrates a hand-clapping routine that builds to an almighty din.

As the TV cameras panned around the ground it became clear there were fans present among the home support who weren't even interested in watching the game as they were too busy with their backs turned to the pitch, singing and shouting.

It's absolute bedlam as the flares go off and the fans jump up and down but AEK fans revel in their reputation as football crazies and we have to learn to cope also with their unique form of intimidation.

However, our fans are a friendly bunch and hopefully they will make a few new friends tonight as we set about fulfilling the greatest achievement for most of us in our careers.

Champions League football wouldn't just mean everything to the supporters of Hearts but I genuinely believe it would boost even further the international reputation of Edinburgh as a city.

The capital is already renowed as a world-class tourist centre but it would be great to put it on the map in football by attracting some of the biggest names in the game to Edinburgh.

I've been fotunate enough to be part of some huge Hearts results over recent years - we drew 2- 2 in Braga, beat Bordeaux 1-0 and then won 2-1 in Basel.

Another glory night would be treated ecstatically by our fans and would also bring us enormous pleasure after all the hard work that has been put in to get us to this stage.

Sure, it's going to be a tall order - but what's that old phrase again? If you can't stand the heat, keep out of the kitchen? Here's hoping we're cooking up a victory to remember tonight.

Taken from the Daily Record