Kevin Kyle dreams of European nights at Tynecastle

Hearts striker Kevin Kyle admits he is dreaming of playing European football for the first time in his career as the Tynecastle side threaten to break the Old Firm's SPL dominance.

A fruitful run of ten wins in 12 games has left Jim Jefferies' team just six points shy of leaders Celtic and has stirred talk of Hearts replicating their feat of 2006, when they finished second.

Ten-goal marksman Kyle, who notched a late winner in the New Year's Day derby win over Hibs, would love to split Rangers and Celtic but insists qualifying for the Europa League via a third-place finish would be a massive personal feat.

The former Sunderland, Coventry and Kilmarnock forward has experience of playing on foreign soil after ten Scotland caps, but has never experienced club football on the continent.

He said: "We don't really talk about what we can do this season. I drive up with Darren Barr and Ryan Stevenson to training and sometimes we sit and say, 'imagine we do finish third'.

"Worst case scenario we finish third and we get a Europa League qualifier. We qualify and we end up having European nights here, that's something I have never done in football, playing European football, and it's something I would like to do.

"If we can do that I would be ecstatic but to go one step further and challenge the Old Firm, it's going to be difficult. We're in touching distance and we have to play them so we'll see where we are after that."

Kyle, who will be in Scottish Cup action against St Johnstone this weekend, says Hearts have grown stronger on and off the park. He said: "We all get on well with each other, it's as if we have been friends since we were five. I think Hearts were in the doldrums and hopefully the good times are coming back. We all enjoy being here."