Tall stays positive after loss of Hart

A SCOTTISH Cup assignment at East End Park is one of the more onerous ways Hearts could begin life without Paul Hartley.

The Scotland midfielder's tenacity has been a central component in recent successes at Tynecastle, therefore how Valdas Ivanauskas proposes to cope without one of his talismans will be a fascinating aspect of tomorrow's fourth-round tie. Losing Hartley was not entirely unexpected, as defender Ibrahim Tall confirmed but, in this instance, Celtic's gain is most definitely Hearts' loss even accounting for the recouping of a £1.1 million transfer fee.
Lower your bills. Advert for U-Switch

Two previous league victories in Fife this season will give Ivanauskas encouragement but confronting Dunfermline outside of what has been a disheartening SPL programme for the hosts could prove distinctly more awkward.

Until now, it has been to Hartley whom many would turn in moments of uncertainty.

Just as in last season's penultimate league match with Aberdeen at Tynecastle, when the midfielder defied his own nerves and those of 17,000 others inside the stadium to ram a decisive penalty beyond Jamie Langfield and secure a Champions League qualifying place. Such memories will always remain vivid, but Ivanauskas is not naive enough to wallow in them.

The head coach has an unenviable task in trying to replace Hartley and has been furnished with two central midfielders in an attempt to do so.

Laryea Kingston and Linas Pilibaitis have arrived on loan from Terek Grozny and FBK Kaunas respectively, with the former most likely to be handed a debut tomorrow alongside Bruno Aguiar.

Tall finds the new inclusions heartening in the wake of Hartley's defection to Glasgow and is able to unveil an especially sound knowledge of Kingston's background.

The Senegalese defender has closely monitored the progress of Kingston's national team, Ghana, in recent years, and believes Hearts supporters should be pleasantly surprised by their club securing an international midfield colleague of Michael Essien.

"I was watching him last week and he is a very good player," said Tall. "He is very tough but he is also a technical player and I expect him to do well for us. His reputation in Africa is not that big but Ghana as a country are improving their reputation all the time. They played in the last World Cup, of course, and they have a reputation for producing good young players.

"In Africa, the Ghana youth teams are always winning tournaments at under-21 level, under-19s and under-17s, so Kingston would have played in some of these teams when he was younger. He is a different player with different qualities to Paul Hartley, but Julien Brellier is also a different player because he is more defensive. There would be no problem with either of those two playing at Dunfermline. With the other players we have we can still be a dangerous team.

"The players were disappointed to see Paul leave because he is such an important player to have, and he is also a good guy. He is a Scottish internationalist. But there are others there to take his place, like Bruno, Julien and Larry. Neil McCann played in central midfield against Rangers and did not look out of place. I think we have the players to fill his position and I believe the team can still progress without Paul Hartley." Tomorrow's match brings Tall back to the Scottish Cup arena for the first time since last May's final, when he claimed a winner's medal following the penalty shoot-out victory over Gretna at Hampden Park.

It was only the 25-year-old's sixth appearance in a Hearts shirt following a bizarre eight-month wait for his debut as first George Burley and then Graham Rix refused to play him.

However, any distasteful thoughts from early last season were erased in one crowning moment of cup glory. "Last season was a great memory. I only played in the final but it was a special moment for me," recalled Tall. "This season we have the chance to do it again but it's not going to be easy trying to get through at Dunfermline.

"In Scotland, cup games are always fought very closely and it can be different from the league.

"The Scottish Cup games are one-off, so Dunfermline will give 100 per cent. They know they are having a bad time in the league so the cup should be an objective and a distraction for them."

Ivanauskas concurred with those sentiments when he said: "It's two different games. This is a cup game and the previous ones against Dunfermline were in the SPL. It will be awkward because Dunfermline have also signed many new players. It's a cup match and it gives them a break from the league.

"It is their last chance because in the SPL their team has problems. They are trying to move away from the bottom position in the table but I think the cup game could be more important."

Dunfermline manager Stephen Kenny signed five new players during the January transfer window. Stephen Glass, Adam Hammill and Jim O'Brien all arrived on loan deals from Hibs, Liverpool and Celtic respectively, whilst striker Bobby Ryan and centre-back Jamie Harris have been signed from Irish club, Shelbourne.

Hearts' other January recruits include Tomas Kancelskis, the on-loan Kaunas captain, and Polish striker Arkadiusz Klimek. Neither is likely to feature from the start tomorrow but Craig Gordon is available to play after being dropped at Ibrox last weekend. The Scotland goalkeeper refused a transfer in the days leading up to the closure of the transfer window.

"Apart from being the captain, Craig is a very good goalkeeper as everyone knows. It is pleasing to know he is staying," said Tall.

"Steve Banks has done so well whenever he has played and has not conceded any goals in any of our last two matches. We have two good goalkeepers here. I have played most of the time with Craig behind me but Banksy has looked just as good whenever he has come in. I honestly could not separate them.

"I also remember Tomas from his last trial period here. I played beside him in defence against Osasuna and he is a strong player. He doesn't speak English but I have been impressed with him."

Taken from the Scotsman