Hearts can still finish in third, says Lee Wallace

HEARTS have set their sights on a late flourish and a top three finish, according to Scotland full-back Lee Wallace, but they will use this afternoon's match against Dundee United to gauge how realistic those ambitions are.

Hearts have won their last three games against Falkirk, Hamilton and Aberdeen but face a sterner test at Tannadice today.

"If we go there and win, it just shows the commitment and the passion; we've got to get back to what we were like last season. With these three wins, we just have to keep going and then who knows what will happen," said Wallace, below.

"(This season] has been a disappointment considering the feats of last season (when Hearts finished third]. But it's not over and we're more than capable of getting third place again. That's the only way you can look at it; I'd be wrong to say that couldn't happen. That's the goal we've set as a club for the remainder of the season.

"The team is growing (in confidence]. We suffered three defeats at first under the new manager, but that's now three wins on the bounce – good results. We've got a hard game (against United], but we're taking confidence from each game. It's just about going in with that confidence and trying to win the game."

The mid-season managerial switch at Tynecastle means Wallace is turning out for new gaffers at club and country level, but he says that rather than unsettle him, the shake-ups have exposed him to even more knowledge, with Jim Jefferies and Scotland manager Craig Levein both aiding his development.

"They are two top managers and it's an advantage for the people who have the opportunity to work with them. They can only improve you as a player. There have been different methods, different types of play, and that's great for young players, because the different tactics and freshness benefit you. I've still got a long way to go, I'm still young, I'm still practising and I'm still learning and just happy to be improving."

The 22-year-old earned his third cap against the Czech Republic on Wednesday, running out at Hampden for the first time in dark blue, and he knows the only way to remain in Levein's thoughts is to deliver a high standard of consistency for his club.

"That's the most important thing, you need to keep doing well at club level. If you're doing the right things there and the manager is there watching, there's no reason why you wouldn't be involved. My first focus is winning games with Hearts and keeping our form going. Long may the international set-up continue for me. That was my first start at Hampden and I was delighted to be part of a winning side. And I will take confidence back to club level."