Jim Jefferies pledges to keep Romanov happy by maintaining title threat

Jim Jefferies is aiming to keep Vladimir Romanov on side by sustaining Hearts' title challenge beyond this month as the Hearts manager prepares to make a first visit to Kilmarnock since he left the club over a year ago.

Not even the notoriously hard-to-please Romanov could have imagined Jefferies' second spell in charge at Hearts working out quite so well. The veteran manager brought some much-needed unity to a struggling side last season and spared them a second bottom six finish in three years.

This season, despite a slow start in the league and a CIS Cup exit to First Division Falkirk, has seen significant improvement. Away from home in the league, Hearts have been beaten just once, at Celtic. It meant Jefferies could approach last week's trip to Lithuania to speak with Romanov with an air of serenity, having so far more than fulfilled the targets set by the club's owner.

In other times, a home defeat to St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup prior to a summit meeting with Romanov might have been enough to give the manager an attack of the terrors. But this had to be viewed as a minor setback in a season which has seen Hearts start to mount a challenge at the top of the league. A win over fourth-placed Kilmarnock this evening would stretch the gap between the clubs to 11 points, and leave Hearts relatively free to focus on the two sides currently above them.

"We had planned to meet a couple of times but it had to be postponed due to snow on a couple of occasions," said Jefferies yesterday, as he recalled last week's meeting with Romanov. "We managed to get away on Thursday and returned late on Friday night."

Jefferies and Tynecastle chief executive David Southern also attended the meeting Scottish Premier League officials Neil Doncaster and Ralph Topping had with Romanov, but it was Hearts matters which remained top of the agenda as far as the manager was concerned.

"We talked mostly about the squad, and the plans for the transfer window," said Jefferies. "The ones we want are probably not available just now, so we talked about the possibilities at the end of the season. Who knows? We might get an offer for someone. If so, what's the contingency plan? We have a lot of players here and you can't just keep adding to the numbers."

Romanov was not completely at ease with the side's most recent result, the 1-0 home defeat to St Johnstone. "He asked me what had happened last Tuesday night," said Jefferies. "But you can't win every game. He understands that. I think he is excited that the team has been playing a good brand of football, our record has been great and we have been scoring a lot of goals compared to the last couple of seasons."

"I know what the goals are and what he sees is the future. It's nothing different to how I view it - which is to make Hearts as successful as I can in the league, and at the same time nurture and bring through some of the younger players."

Jefferies conceded that if Hearts are to seriously challenge the Old Firm, much would depend on the next few weeks, when they are due to play both Celtic and, on two occasions, Rangers. The first meeting with the Ibrox side takes place at Tynecastle on Saturday, and, depending on tonight's result, it could prove a hugely significant encounter.

"There's no point going to Kilmarnock and looking for anything other than a win," said Jefferies. "The game against Rangers will be a big game because obviously we can get a lot closer (to them]. Talking about it is one thing, doing it on the pitch is another."

Jefferies will be without Kevin Kyle tonight - with the former Kilmarnock striker nursing a knee injury - while there are doubts over fellow strikers Calum Elliot and Stephen Elliott.

The manager is confident that he will receive a warm reception from the home supporters at Rugby Park.

"It's football so they are entitled to boo me, but I have always had a good reception (from them]," he said, adding that in nearly eight years in Ayrshire he had kept Kilmarnock in the league and reached a major cup final. He also noted: "I brought in eight of the players who are doing fantastically well at the moment."

One of those signings was Conor Sammon, brought to Rugby Park as a raw striker by Jefferies and who is currently on the verge of a reported 500,000 move to Scunthorpe.

"We signed him and he needed time to adapt, and now his whole game has improved," said the Hearts manager.