Strike ace Bednar's always been a boy in maroon

ROMAN BEDNAR comes from a family steeped in maroon. Not the Hearts shade, you understand, but that of Sparta Prague. As such, a homecoming to end all homecomings has been earmarked for September 28 in the Czech capital.

That day, Bednar will return to his native land to face the club he was reared to idolise.

Iveda and Ivan Bednar raised both their sons, Roman and Ivan jnr, as staunch supporters of the club that now stands between Hearts and a place in the group phase of the UEFA Cup. But which end Mr and Mrs Bednar will occupy when their son is attempting to dislodge their team from the tournament is still in question.

Conflicting priorities will not be a problem insists the imposing Tynecastle striker, who is as motivated as anyone at the club to erase the disappointment and deep-rooted resentment which has lingered since Wednesday's Champions League elimination at the hands of AEK Athens.

He will, naturally, attempt to convince mum and dad to switch allegiance for the night and offer their support amongst a travelling army that is expected to exceed 5000 in number. Whether the Bednars acquiesce with their son's wishes is another matter, however.

"Sparta are my team." he answered emphatically. "Only Sparta. My father and mother brought me up to support them.

"They followed Mlada Boleslav when I played there but they were always Sparta fans.

"My grandfather supports Slavia but he is the only one in the family because my brother supports Sparta too.

"I will have to talk to them all and persuade them to sit in the Hearts end.

"I remember signing for Mlada Boleslav and I was committed to them but I still supported Sparta. I watched them as a child when they had Jan Koller [pictured below] and Vratislav Lokvenc up front, they were the two big national team strikers at the time. I remember those days well."

Both Koller and Lokvenc are still on the go in France and Austria respectively, which emphasises the strides taken by Bednar in attaining full international recognition in the Czech Republic's recent friendly with Serbia & Montenegro.

Having frequented the Toyota Arena as a kid - back then it was known as the Letna Stadium - the Hearts striker knows exactly the kind of environment to expect. His mobile phone has virtually had smoke bellowing from it since yesterday's first-round draw, with Sparta full-back Michal Kadlec one of several to offer an early statement of intent. Although when it comes to cockiness, Bednar is rarely left wanting.

"I said to Kadlec, 'I will score goals against you' but he says he's not going to give me chances. We will see," laughed the 23-year-old. "I believe we can do it because from the five clubs we could have drawn this is the one that gives us the best chance."

Sparta coach Stanislav Griga will doubtless be entertaining the same thoughts as Bednar, but the Tynecastle player has the added advantage of already knowing how to succeed against his childhood heroes.

"I played against them twice with Mlada Boleslav and won twice so I have only good experiences," he added.

"I won in Sparta's stadium 1-0 and then we beat them at home 2-1. I didn't score in any of the matches and I must admit I missed about eight good chances.

"They are still one of the best clubs in Czech football and Sparta Prague can take all the best players from the other clubs in the country. They aren't playing too well just now but the coach will be doing everything to change that and the second leg in Prague will be decisive."

Griga currently has a squad top-heavy with strikers, one of which, Tomas Jun, was offered to Hearts back in January whilst still a player with Besiktas. A little like Hearts at the minute, trying to predict Sparta's starting strikers in any given game is a bit like a game of Guess Who?

"Sparta have about eight strikers in their squad at the moment and are playing a 4-3-3 system so it is difficult to say who will play," says Bednar. "But they are dangerous. Tomas Repka can score with set-plays but overall I think it's 50-50 between Hearts and Sparta."

So Bednar isn't the only one with a Tynecastle connection who will be keeping an eye on the Czech Gambrinus Liga for the next month or so. In fact, he admits to wishing he was back in his homeland right now. Sparta's league opponents tomorrow are Mlada Boleslav.

Taken from the Scotsman