Double rations of training sessions helped Hearts catch up on their Austrian opponents.

The Hearts squad have been taking double training sessions as they get ready for the new season. Goalkeeper Steve Banks thinks that the new training regime is already paying dividends. The Tynecastle men beat Austria Vienna 2-1 on Saturday night as they brought the first phase of their training stint to an end. They will are heading home for a short while before travelling to Germany for more pre-season games. And Banks, who started in goal with Craig Gordon still out with a leg injury, believes they are benefiting from a tough training regime. He said: "I think the standard we have played here so far has been pretty good because they are so far ahead of us in pre-season. Austria Vienna are a good four or five weeks ahead of us so I think we can be very pleased. We are working double sessions every day, we are working very hard and we have shown we are on the right track."

Hearts went ahead through two own goals before Florian Metz scored a late consolation for the hosts past substitute keeper Eduardas Kurskis. Banks said: "It was nice to get another half under my belt and get a couple of saves which was good, because the last couple of games I've not done a great deal and let a goal in. It was good to not concede and make some saves which is good for your confidence." Assistant head coach Stephen Frail was satisfied with the performance. He said: "I'm happy with that. To play a team of the standard of Austria Vienna - it's a good win. It shows the hard work is beginning to pay off. They are a week away from starting their season. They started really quickly but once we got the pace of the game we started to knock it about and some of our stuff was really good. The pace of the game dies down when you make so many substitutions. The last couple of games I have noticed a sharpness and real buzz about them in training. We now go into our two or three games in Germany looking to fine tune it."

Meanwhile, defender Ibrahim Tall is looking for assurances about his future at the club. He said: "I hope to have a meeting with the directors and coaching staff about my future. It's important for any player to be involved at this club. If not then I need to look elsewhere. I could still move this summer."

Editor
Ger Harley (ger@scottishfitba net)

Admin Team (admin@scottishfitba net)

This is ScottishFitba Net