I WAS MAD TO DO A ZZ

ROMAN BEDNAR reckons he knows just how Zinedine Zidane felt after his red-card shame in the World Cup Final.

The Czech striker was sent off in the tunnel against St Mirren and has vowed to repay his team-mates by firing Hearts towards the UEFA Cup group stage.

A run-of-the-mill match in the SPL hardly compares with one of the biggest games ever played but Bednar believes the emotions suffered are just the same.

He has refused to say sorry to whistler Dougie McDonald for his rant as he left the field because he's certain the Jambos were denied four penalties in the 1-0 defeat.

But he has apologised to his teammates for his indiscipline after Hearts skipper Steven Pressley urged him to learn to swallow the bitter pill of defeat.

Bednar, 23, became the fifth Hearts player to be dismissed this season at home and abroad and admits they will have to cut out the red cards for such stupid offences.

Now he has pledged to repay his pals for their support by dumping his boyhood favourites Sparta Prague in the first leg at Murrayfield tomorrow.

He said: "I don't think I said anything after the St Mirren game that was so bad but I made the referee angry. I said only what I felt, which is that we could have had four penalties

"I'mnot Zinedine Zidane but you know what happened in the World Cup Final and it was the same here - I had a hot head and was frustrated.

"We have a good dressing room at Hearts and the guys know I made a mistake and, as club captain, Steven has not been so bad. He called me after the game and asked how I felt and I told him I felt really bad inside because I was so disappointed in myself.

"He said that was understandable because everyone was angry but he gave me advice which I accepted because I know it was the truth.

"We're not committing horrible fouls or breaking legs but it's silly incidents, such as the one I was involved in, or wearing earrings or throwing the ball away.

"We must be more professional. I'll miss the game with Motherwell on Sunday but I know the best way to respond to the red card is with a cool head and a goal against Sparta."

Hearts are going all out to attract a bumper crowd, with tickets priced from £12 for adults and £6 for kids.

The Scottish Rockettes will be lending their cheerleading skills and there will be a pyrotechnics display and sky dive by parachutists.

Sparta touch down in Edinburgh this morning and Bednar is in line for a reunion with several old pals, including former Celtic targetMichael Kadlec, his room-mate with the Czech national team.

Bednar was a Sparta fan as a kid, inspired by his dad, Ivan, who also followed the club. But even his old man is swapping his allegiance for two weeks to cheer on the Jambos.

The player added: "My dad has told me I must score for Hearts. He's a fan of Sparta but a bigger fan of his son.

"He used to take me to games when I was a kid or else we'd watch at home on television and it quickly became my club.Slavia were nothing.

"My favourite memory of Sparta is a few seasons ago when they played Real Madrid in the Champions League in Prague. They lost 3-2 but I've never seen a Czech team play such good football it was fantastic.

"My dad even opened a bottle of wine for a drink because he had never seen football played so well. My brother is over for the first leg and my family will all come to the return in Prague."

Taken from the Daily Record