SECOND BEST IS STILL FIRST CLASS TO US

HEARTS keeper Craig Gordon admits he'll feel a pang of envy when he hears the Champions League theme on telly tonight.

The Jambos failed to progress to the best club competition in the world when they were defeated by AEK Athens in the qualifiers.

Handel's Zadok the Priest may sound like a requiem to a missed opportunity for the Scotland No.1 but he has vowed the Jambos can still hit the right notes in the UEFA Cup.

Hearts take on Sparta Prague in their first round, first leg tie at Murrayfield on Thursday and Gordon insists there will be no dwelling on what-might-have-beens because almost every other club in Scotland would love to be in their place.

He said: "The Champions League is where we wanted to be. We had a crack at it and probably just weren't good enough at the time so UEFA Cup football is the next best thing.

"It's still a great tournament and all European football is important, no matter the competition.

"If you asked almost any other club in Scotland if they would like to play in the UEFA Cup they would bite your hand off for the opportunity."

Gordon, 23, made his name as Hearts keeper three years ago when he defied Bordeaux almost single-handedly in the UEFA Cup.

He has also played his part in glory nights against sides such as Basel and Braga and admits he would love to sample the group stage again after playing there under Craig Levein and John Robertson in 2004. He added: "It was a great experience to play against quality teams in the group stage - Schalke at Murrayfield was probably the biggest of the lot.

"I enjoyed it, even though we had a man sent off and lost 1-0.

"It was a fantastic experience to have sides of that quality coming to play in Edinburgh and hopefully it'll happen again this season.

"But we've got to get the group stage first and as an unseeded team we were never going to pull an easy draw for the first round proper.

"I don't yet know an awful lot about Sparta and their players because, like the SPL, it's not a league that's much reported on elsewhere.

"We'll have a few team meetings between now and Thursday and I'm sure players such as Roman Bednar and Michal Pospisil will add to the information gathered by our coaches.

"I'm expecting a hard game and we'll have to rise to the occasion if we're to win.

"John McGlynn watched them at the weekend when they won 2-0 and they are going into the game with a bit of confidence as they have a new manager and a lot to prove.

"We'll do our homework but we'll be ready and I really believe we have the players here to do the job."

Gordon was speaking at Wester Hailes as he joined forces with Hibs defender Rob Jones to launch a new initiative with Lothian and Borders Police that allows the public to report anti-social behaviour by text.

The number is 07780 651492 but Gordon won't be rushing to dial 999 either despite the Jambos' 1-0 defeat by St Mirren on Saturday.

He also dismissed claims he was at fault for Stewart Kean's winner for spilling Craig Molloy's shot at the feet of the striker.

He said: "I didn't feel as it was an error as their guy hit his shot with a lot of pace from 10 yards and I didn't even try to catch it as get something behind it.

"I know it has been reported as a spill but it was a block really and it was unfortunate because they normally bounce away at that pace rather than land at the feet of the striker.

"We have to show we can bounce back from that and the defeat has already been put to bed.

"Everything is now focused on Murrayfield on Thursday and hopefully we'll get a decent crowd to help us along the way."

Sparta Prague are clawing their way back towards a challenging position in the Czech league after their 2-0 defeat of Tescoma Zlin at the weekend.

It was their first win under new boss Michal Bilek, who replaced Stanislav Griga 10 days ago, and the three points took them to third in the table. However, skipper Tomas Sivok admits the team are still not out the woods after a low-key start to the new campaign.

He said: "There was a crisis at Sparta before the new coach arrived but now we've won our first match and that's great for us.

"However, there is no reason for us to say the crisis is behind us. That is not the case and we have to work harder, score more goals and do everything better and better if we are to improve."

Towering frontman Libor Dosek, who stands 6ft 6in, scored a double at the weekend in a rare appearance for the Czechs.

He has been at the club 18 months but former boss Griga did not fancy him to lead the attack and used him sparingly.

But he proved he has an eye for goal with two in 11 minutes after coming on as a sub for the second half against Tescoma.

Dosek said: "I'm happy I scored twice but I don't know if it's enough to win a place against Hearts as we still have some great strikers in our side.

"It's a very tough time for us coming up as we must play seven matches in 22 days when we're only used to playing once a week.

"It will be difficult against the Scots but we are as keen as they are to make the group stage of the UEFA Cup."

Taken from the Daily Record