Hearts Preview

Last updated : 15 April 2005 By United Mad
Hearts are currently sitting fifth in the league, four points behind Aberdeen, and will be desperate to pick up points in order to try and grab that last available UEFA Cup spot for finishing fourth. They were also beaten by Hibs in the Edinburgh derby in midweek, and will also be looking to get back on track after that.

It will be a tough game – but we can take a great deal of confidence from the work ethic and commitment shown in the semi-final victory and the win against Rangers on Tuesday night. Also, we were very unlucky to lose 3-2 in our last game against the Jambos on the 15th January, losing a very late goal in a game we deserved at least a point from.

I have to say – I have been more than happy with the tempo and attitude of the United players since Chisholm took over. Also, long have we been missing the ‘psycho’ get-stuck-in attitude that Dave Bowman showed as a player (Dave Bowman has been installed as coach since Chisholm took over). Personally – I think Hearts will be an extremely difficult game to win – but if we can beat Rangers and Hibs, we can beat Hearts too.

Worth mentioning is that the club are handing out vouchers which will enable ‘real fans’ to get tickets for the cup final. There will also be one to collect at the next home game, and fans are advised that they will need both vouchers, and also to arrive early at Tannadice as the handing out of said vouchers may create extra queues.

Should be a good atmosphere at Tannadice tomorrow – and hopefully the attendance will be swelled by people looking to pick up vouchers, fans cheering on their Hampden- and Euro-bound heroes, and a decent Hearts following looking to see their team grab a UEFA spot. All in all it’s been a fantastic week for the club – probably the best for quite a few seasons, and despite what happens on Saturday – we are going to Hampden and Europe no matter what – and that’s enough to put a smile on this particular Arab’s face for many weeks to come. However – three points tomorrow would go a loooooooooooooong way to securing our SPL status for next season. This isn’t a position we expected to be in at the start of the season. Every game is massive now, every single game.

Lastly – we don’t know who we’re playing next week, or even if we will be home or away!! This is due to the SPL split, and the fact that sixth place is not yet decided as ICT could still mathematically nick sixth spot from Motherwell. This is not our concern though – we need three points tomorrow – three points that I think, would put us well on the way to survival.