Football: Locke praises Hearts' stock

THE HEARTS captain, Gary Locke, believes the best is yet to come from his team ahead of today's Cup-Winners' Cup preliminary round, first leg with Lantana Tallinn of Estonia.

The Edinburgh side approach the game in buoyant mood, having beaten Rangers in their first game of the season, the team they defeated to lift the Scottish Cup last May.

"It is unbelievable the progress we have made in the last few years," Locke said. "I think this is the best team Hearts have had for a long time. I believe we can go on from here and continue to make progress, as there are a lot of young players in the squad.

"The fans have been brilliant and it is important we put up a good show for those who are in Estonia. They have taken time off work and paid a lot of money to be here. To be honest if I wasn't playing for Hearts, I would probably be mingling with the fans at the game."

Hearts' last appearance in Europe was two years ago, when they also appeared in the Cup-Winners' Cup, having lost the Scottish Cup final to the double- winning Rangers team. On that occasion their campaign was short-lived as they went out in the preliminary round to Red Star Belgrade on the away-goals rule.

The Hearts manager, Jim Jefferies, is quietly confident of making more of an impact this time around.

"We are here on merit this time and much better prepared than we were two years ago," he said. "The whole club has been revamped since that Belgrade game and our progress is there for everyone to see.

"Winning the Scottish Cup was a huge bonus as we had already qualified for the Uefa Cup. Now there is a wee bit of expectation among the fans. It would be nice to get a good run and bring some money into the club.

"However we must not be complacent against Lantana. There are no easy games at world level. Estonia are one of the emerging nations, so we will have to be on our guard."

Jefferies will be forced to make at least one change to the side that defeated Rangers 2-1 in their opening League game. Steve Fulton did not travel to Estonia with the rest of the squad because of a sudden family illness, so the former Huddersfield player, Lee Makel, is likely to replace him.

Hearts' French striker, Stephane Adam, is almost certain to play, though, after recovering from a hamstring strain.

Bangor City's players have been preparing hard for their Cup-Winners' Cup tie with the Finnish side, Haka, according to the Welsh club's manager, John King.

Most of last season's Welsh Cup-winning squad have moved on to other clubs, but King remains optimistic. "I can't speak too highly of the lads' attitude and commitment. We certainly won't be found wanting in that department," he promised.