Gary Glen looking to hammer it home

The legend of Hearts' greatest ever goalscorer is never far away. Robbo did not grace the club's Riccarton training complex as a player, for it did not exist, however talk of his striking feats regularly echoes through the corridors. Players discuss him over breakfast, lunch and outside on the training field, where he returned last season to deliver specialised coaching to Glen and other strikers at the request of manager Jim Jefferies.

Robertson's presence looms large over those charged with scoring the goals to propel Hearts back towards being Scotland's undisputed third force. Supporters are craving an instinctive finisher and, having done without one for more than two years, often hark back to their hero's exploits of yesteryear. Perhaps that contributed to Jefferies' decision to offer Robertson, 45, a non-contract coaching assignment last year.

The guidance from a master craftsman was certainly welcomed by players. From two-yard tap-ins to 35-yard piledrivers, Robertson thrived on bulging nets. Every jink past an opponent, every dart towards the near post, every snapshot on the turn was geared towards scoring, which he managed 271 times in a maroon shirt.

Glen listened intently to Robertson's instructions and spent the summer pondering how to implement his ideas. Penalty-box predatory is an art in itself, something the 20-year-old is keen to perfect. He has studied current iconic goalscorers like Messi and Torres closely, but mimicking Robertson's dexterity would be the ultimate achievement.

"That's what I'm looking to do," explained Glen. "Everyone here goes on about John Robertson and his goalscoring record. I just want to start the first game of the season, then the second game and so on. If you're thrown in and you get a goal then you become more confident and you'll push yourself even further.

"My aim is to start as many games as possible so I can finish the season feeling good about myself and the number of matches I've played.

"Last season I mostly played in behind the striker, so a lot of my play was outside of the box. The new gaffer brought Robbo into training and he does all his stuff inside the box. That's what we've been looking at. We worked on crosses and how to get in the box to finish them.

"I watch Champions League games and see all the best players in the world. You see different strikers in the English Premier League and how they play and move. You can pick things up from there.

"Robbo explained what he was like as a player and certain things he did. He always says he was a penalty-box player who scored all his goals from inside the box. I listen to him and take everything in because his record speaks for itself. If he comes back in this season I'll learn even more because I learned a fair bit from the couple of weeks he was here.

"He took a few of us aside and told us what to do, where to be in the penalty area. I found his drills really good and helpful. They taught us a lot and I hope it will be beneficial this year.

"At the end of last season, with him having taught us certain things about what positions to take up, he watched a couple of games and would have a word with you next time he was in. He would say well done if you'd carried out something he'd taught you, or if you hadn't he would also tell you.

"It would be good if he came in permanently, I really enjoyed the time he spent with us." Of course, it doesn't require a tactical mastermind to identify the main issue hindering Glen and others in recent seasons.

Hearts circa 1986 deployed a minimum of two forwards, predominantly Robertson alongside the imposing Sandy Clark, and reaped the benefit of manager Alex MacDonald's attacking ethos. Fast forward two decades or so and the increasing use of a lone striker has rendered goals difficult to come by. Indeed, the last Hearts striker to reach double figures in a season was Andrius Velicka with 14 in 2007/08.

The return of Jim Jefferies to Tynecastle seems to have remedied the lack of numbers in attack, with this season's favoured formation certain to be 4-4-2. "Obviously it's a bonus for the forwards that there will be two strikers on the park all the time," said Glen. "The manager prefers to play that way so I'll be pushing myself as hard as I can to get one of those places. The gaffer said over in Italy that everyone will get a chance. When I get mine I need to show up well.

"I feel really fit now. The pre-season was really hard, probably the hardest I've done. The heat in Italy really took it out of me but it was worth it. I'm hoping for a breakthrough and a run of games this season because I want to stay in the team. I've had a run now and again over the past couple of seasons, stretches of four and five games here and there. I just hope this time I can cement a place."

A portion of Glen's eagerness stems from an inward notion that he did not always do himself justice at first-team level last season. "I felt there were a couple of games when I didn't do enough. It's always hard when you are in and out of the team and trying to keep your performances up. I need to stay in the team and keep my form.

"It's the start of the season and everyone is looking for places in the team. I don't put pressure on myself so that I crumble at the end, but you do need to be hard on yourself. That's what I'll be doing. During the couple of weeks before the start of the season, we'll be playing more football instead of running and you need to show then what you can do."