Gordon targets knockout stages
Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon is convinced his team-mates can reach the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Bank of Scotland Premier League runners-up have not even made the group stages of European football’s premier club competition yet but he is convinced they can do every bit as well as Rangers did last season.
The Scotland international said: “Rangers qualified for the last 16 last year and we finished above them in the league, so I don’t see why we cannot do the same.
“They have proved that by having grit and determination and going about things the right way that that they became the first Scottish team to reach the second stages.
“Anything is possible. It is going to be a very difficult thing for us to achieve, but it is not beyond the realms of possibility because we have lots of talent in this squad.
“We have a very focused group of players which I think we showed over the closing stages of last season.
“It was very difficult for us but we got together and we made sure we finished off the job. We get the rewards of that now with the crack at the Champions League and we are determined not to throw that away.”
Gordon is also looking forward to running out in front of a 67,000 capacity crowd at Murrayfield, Hearts chosen venue for their Champions League matches.
“The Champions League is where pretty much where everyone wants to be. I am sure the players that this club are looking at will see this as a huge positive,” he said.
“There are big teams in the next round but we have aspirations to make it to the group stages. I will be happy to play against anybody. I am sure if we got a big team we could fill Murrayfield. You never know with that sort of backing behind us what we could achieve.”
Gordon told the club’s website, www.heartsfc.co.uk: “I really think we have that sort of fan base. We won the Scottish Cup and we took nearly 40,000 through to that and that was in Glasgow.
“This is on our doorstep and you saw the reaction after we won the Cup in the streets of Edinburgh.
“They will come out and support us. This could be one of the biggest names in Hearts history.”
