I’d hate to see bro go but I’d love his jersey!

By PAT SHEEHAN

DYLAN McGOWAN admits he’d be gutted AND glad at the same time if big brother Ryan quits Hearts in January.

Boss John McGlynn expects several top stars to leave when the window opens as the struggling Tynecastle outfit fights for its life.

And Aussie international Ryan is sure to attract interest from a number of sides after establishing himself for both club and country over the past 12 months.

Rangers had a £400,000 bid accepted for the 23-year-old in August, only for the player to knock back the move after talks with Ally McCoist.

But McGowan’s contract is up at the end of this season, as are those of Marius Zaliukas, Andy Webster, Andrew Driver and Darren Barr.

That means Hearts will are likely to try to cash in again rather than allow him to leave for nothing next summer.

And although Dylan would be happy to see him get a big move, he’ll be sad when the time comes for his big bro move on.

He said: “I think if that was to happen it would affect me more on a personal level than a professional one.

“It would open up a spot for me here at Hearts — but I don’t want to see him go.

“He’s been here since I’ve been here and we’ve lived together the whole time.

“You could say he’s been an inspiration to me — although I don’t really want to say that publicly because he’ll see it!

“He has done extremely well for himself in the last season or so.

“He has become a little bit of a fans’ favourite and he’s got himself into the international team.

“You won’t find anyone more proud than me at what he’s achieved in the last 18 months.

“My dad especially likes when we both play at the same time.

“My mum could not really tell you too much about football — but as long as we both look good and well kept then my mum is happy!

“They are hugely proud to watch us both play.

“So if he moves it’s not going to be easy.

“But he’s got to do what’s best for him, whether that’s staying at Tynecastle or moving on.”

Ryan was already at Hearts when Dylan joined the club from Para Hill Knights four years ago.

And, like his older sibling, he feels he owes the Jambos a huge debt for bringing him over to Scotland to try his luck at the professional game.

That’s why Dylan was happy to accept a wage deferral this week to help the club reach a payment agreement with HMRC over its £450,000 tax bill.

And he reckons it was the least he could do, especially after finding himself in a similar situation when on loan to Aussie side Gold Coast United last season.

Like the Jambos, the Queensland outfit had their own money woes to deal with after failing to pay bills on time.

But unlike Hearts they were then shut down by the league, who simply awarded their franchise to another club.

McGowan explained: “That was not a nice experience.

“Gold Coast were owned by a billionaire but the federation just decided to take the club off him. They had been going for only three or four years, so there wasn’t much history and we were playing in front of only two or three thousand supporters.

“So it is slightly different from the situation here, but it was still not nice.

“The league decided that the club would close and gave the franchise to Sydney.

“And all of the players were told that they had four games to prove to other clubs that they were worthy of getting a move.

“I was in a better position than most because I was on loan and had a club to come home to.

“Thankfully most of the guys are now playing elsewhere but it wasn’t a nice situation.

“So this week, given what the club has done for me, agreeing to defer my wages was the least I could have done.

“I came over when I had just turned 16 and the club took a huge gamble on me.

“They brought me over, gave me my first pro contract and found me somewhere to live.

“These are things that you don’t forget easily.

“They say loyalty is gone in football but I’m more than happy to stay here for a long time because of what they’ve done for me.

“It’s a huge club and if you play every week like Ryan does, he has got called up into the international squad. So what more do you want?

“When you see the reaction of the fans this week, when you look at how much they’ve put in, deferring our wages was a gesture we could do.

“I think all the boys were happy to do it, although I can’t speak for everyone. Many of them have plenty of other commitments with family and mortgages than I do.

“But it was an easy decision for me especially.”

Over 17,000 fans will pack into Tynecastle today to show their support for the club when they take on St Mirren.

It is Hearts’ first sell-out for over FIVE years and McGowan admits he and his team-mates need to repay their backing with a stirring display.

But he’s confident that, in spite all of the Jambos’ problems, the club will survive.

He said: “The players have spoken about that this week. We have been taken aback by the response of the fans.

“It really humbles you as a player to play for a club of this size.

“We have to be confident a club like this is going to be around — you just can’t imagine Scottish football without Hearts.

“Everyone within the club is fighting their hardest and you see the fans putting in a lot of hard-earned money.

“So I’m hopeful this club will be around for a long time to come.”