Ivanauskas understands Beslija's frustration

VALDAS IVANAUSKAS conceded that Mirsad Beslija was fully justified in issuing a "play me or I go" ultimatum to Hearts after the Bosnian winger delivered his finest performance for the club yesterday.

Beslija was outstanding in the 4-0 destruction of Dundee United at Tynecastle, creating the second goal for Juho Makela and making an incisive foray into the opposition penalty area which saw him fouled by Alan Archibald and a penalty awarded for Hearts' third.

Three weeks ago the 27-year-old told the Evening News that he would seek to engineer his way out of the club if he continued to be denied first-team exposure.

Yesterday brought his first start of the SPL season and merely his fifth since arriving in Edinburgh from Racing Genk in an £800,000 deal in back in January.

With the player insisting he needs to play, head coach Ivanauskas has empathised with his winger's predicament and challenged him to continue his domineering form on the right flank and ensure he becomes undroppable.

The Lithuanian said: "I can understand Mirsad's frustrations because he hasn't played regularly. Maybe he was a regular at his other clubs, but we know now how important Mirsad can be. He has waited for his chance and he took it yesterday.

"You saw with Mirsad's performance, he has quality. He needs to work very hard in every game and every training session. Mirsad Beslija is an international player and yesterday we saw his best game for Hearts.

"Every player can have a big future here if they are ready to work hard, if they are ready for the fight. Mirsad is only one player at Hearts, but he did well."

With four victories from their last five outings, Hearts now appear to have found the rhythm they have sought since the start of the season. That sequence of matches has seen them score 12 goals and concede only one.

Ivanauskas admitted his satisfaction at seeing his side hit top gear: "I am happy because I had heard negative reactions about our fitness after the Prague game but our fitness is now perfect. You saw that in the second half.

"We started at a high tempo and put Dundee United under some pressure. They also made a lot of chances in the match but we have Craig Gordon. After the first goal the game was easy and after the second it was over.

"This experience has been good and built confidence. It's important to remember how we have won matches recently because Motherwell was not easy for a start. At Alloa the difference in quality showed, then at Aberdeen the first half was very dangerous for us and it was the same in Prague.

"We have a few days off now and then come back and start working hard for the Hibs game."

Ivanauskas also praised his previously untried striking partnership of Makela and Andrius Velicka, adding: "The first 20 minutes was not easy and it was the first time they had played together for us. I was not happy with the first 20 minutes but it is always important for strikers to wait for a scoring chance and work hard."

Taken from the Scotsman