John McGlynn says Hearts can bounce back at Celtic Park

By COLLEEN STRACHAN
Published on 06/10/2012 12:05

HEARTS boss John McGlynn insists tomorrow’s trip to Celtic Park offers his side the perfect occasion in which to bounce back from defeat to Kilmarnock last weekend.

The Tynecastle side travel to Parkhead tomorrow looking to get back on track after the disappointment of losing 3-1 to Killie. A hat-trick from Cillian Sheridan saw the Jambos lose on their home patch, skipper Marius Zaliukas netting a consolation with two minutes left.

Hearts have won just two of their SPL games so far this season but McGlynn reckons there is no better venue at which to rectify that than the home of the league champions.

He said: “This is an occasion for the players to lift themselves. We have lifted ourselves for situations like Liverpool (in the Europa League) and Tannadice, where we hadn’t won for three years (Hearts beat Dundee United 3-0), so we know that we have got it in us. I think we have been very 
unfortunate in our home games and could have had maximum points from them.

“I don’t think we’re playing badly and I think we can cause Celtic problems. We have to go there and make sure we do that.”

McGlynn admitted that the Hoops’ 3-2 midweek win over Spartak Moscow will have been a huge confidence boost for Neil Lennon’s side. An own goal and further strikes from Gary Hooper and Georgios Samaras earned Celtic their first-ever away win in the Champions League.

Celtic went into that match as underdogs and won – and McGlynn believes his side can do the same tomorrow lunchtime.

McGlynn added: “It was a great victory for them. I would think that it will lift their confidence, of course.

“I want to congratulate Neil Lennon and his players . It was a massive win for them and it could go a long way to getting them into the latter stages of the competition.

“This was always going to be a difficult game for us but we have got to go there and make things very difficult for them.

“But we had a very similar scenario before the Liverpool game and we will just treat this the same.

“We are probably in the same situation as Celtic when they went to Moscow. Did you fancy them to win? Do you fancy us? Did they win?

“This is the same scenario.

“It’s just another game, a two-horse race, win, lose or draw. It’s 11 against 11 and anything can happen.”