THE least Hearts must expect of themselves next season is qualification for European competition, according to Saulius Mikoliunas. The Lithuanian winger says a poor pre-season had caused the Tynecastle club difficulties during this campaign, but insists they are in good repair and ready to face the challenges of next season.
"We started the season very badly, and that caused us (to finish in] the bottom six," Mikoliunas said yesterday. "In January, when Stephen Frail took over, we improved and started to play good football. We're building for next season and need to put
this one behind us. Our task now is to finish with as many points as we can. Our task for next season, as a minimum, is to get into Europe."
Hearts failed to get into the top six of the SPL this season for the first time since the split was introduced. They have applied themselves well, however, to the relatively low-key matches, and have beaten St Mirren and Gretna at Tynecastle.
They will seal a seventh-place finish if they win at Falkirk on Monday in a match in which Frail, the caretaker manager, is expected to keep faith with some of his younger players who have been given a run-out over the past fortnight. One of those, Gary Glen, has been particularly impressive, and Mikoliunas believes the 18-year-old can claim a regular start next season. "I don't see why not," he said. "Gary showed in the last two games how good he is. He's quick, and he's a good finisher. He has everything a striker needs."
Mikoliunas was speaking after he and team-mate Jason Thomson took part in a question-and-answer session with around 100 school students as part of the nationwide Kick-Out Bigotry campaign against sectarianism. The meeting in the Gorgie Suite was organised by the charity Football For All in conjunction with Hearts and the City of Edinburgh Council.
Meanwhile, former Grade One referee Willie Young has been appointed to take charge of next Sunday's Robbie Neilson testimonial match at Tynecastle between the Hearts Scottish Cup-winning sides of 1998 and 2006.
Young is assured of a warm reception from fans who recall the penalty he awarded their team in the first minute of the 1998 final against Rangers.
Neilson, the right-back who played in Hearts' victory over Gretna two years ago, is celebrating a decade on the books at Tynecastle.
The full article contains 414 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
