Kenny Milne: 'Hearts never saw my best'

KENNY MILNE admits he'll always regret the fact that injuries prevented Hearts supporters from seeing the best of him.

So the irony of this weekend's clash with Hearts, and the fact that defeat could consign the Jambos to the bottom six of the SPL this season, is not lost on the big defender.

It's been five and a half years since Milne left Tynecastle to sign for Partick Thistle but the memories of an injury-plagued spell in Gorgie still rankle with the 28-year-old. Milne's Hearts career initially looked promising under Craig Levein but the player's time at Tynecastle was blighted by injury and he went on to make just 12 first-team appearances in the league.

He moved to Partick in 2002 before switching to Falkirk where he has gone on to become an integral part of Bairns boss John Hughes' plans. "I've come a long way since I played for Hearts and it has been a long time since I left Tynecastle," he said. "But I have always regretted my time at the club because I don't think the fans ever really got to see the best of me.

"I had a lot of trouble with injuries when I was with Hearts and it meant that I missed a lot of games and when I did play I was probably never really 100 per cent fit.

"Because I didn't get to play a real run of games my match fitness wasn't what it could have been.

"That's something I will always look back on and wonder 'what if', but these things happen in football and it maybe just wasn't meant to be."

The Bairns travel to Tynecastle this weekend sitting three points ahead of their rivals in the SPL table. A victory on Saturday would increase that gap to six points – and with a superior goal difference into the bargain the cushion would feel much more generous.

And, having spent almost four years in Gorgie, Milne knows that the Jambos' current predicament is not what the club or their supporters expect: "A win for us on Saturday would make it very difficult for Hearts to come back.

"If we get the victory, we would be six points ahead of them but we have got a better goal difference than them so it would be more like seven points. By their own standards, a club like Hearts should not be where they are right now.

"I remember when I was a player there and the expectations were that you would be up near the top of the table, pushing the Old Firm as far as possible and challenging for the European places.

"It's a massive game for us and just as big for Hearts, if not bigger.

"They should be looking to finish in the top three, not getting a place in the top six, but obviously we will do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen."

And Milne doesn't mind how his side get the points, just as long as they come home with all three in their locker.

With so much at stake, there might not be a lot of football on show but, if Falkirk can shut his old side out in the opening half hour, Milne hopes that the Tynecastle crowd will allow their nerves to get the better of them. He added: "I don't mind how we play, the result is the most important thing at this stage of the season. The style of football that we have been playing would suggest that there will be some football and Hearts also try to get the ball down and play a bit.

"But whatever happens I am sure it will be entertaining for the supporters, it certainly won't be about punting the ball up the park all the time.

"Hearts always give us a hard game. Ever since I moved to Falkirk they have made it very difficult for us, although we have still managed to get some decent results again them. But we have had to work hard for every point that we have taken. We've managed to get the better of them a few times at home but at Tynecastle the crowd make it very difficult for opposing teams because they really create a good atmosphere.

"If we can keep Hearts out for the first 20 or 30 minutes then the chances are that the crowd might start to get on their backs because there is so much at stake."

While Hearts skipper Christophe Berra was given his first call-up to the full Scotland squad this week, Falkirk have their own involvement at national level.

Berra is likely to earn his first senior cap next week when George Burley takes charge of his first game as Scotland manager. The Dark Blues will face Croatia at Hampden on Wednesday night in a friendly to allow Burley to cast his eye over squad in match action.

However, Bairns players Tam Scobbie and Scott Arfield will also represent their country at under-21 level on the same night after being called up by Billy Stark.

The 21s will take on Finland in a UEFA European Championship Qualifying match at Aberdeen's Pittodrie Stadium and Milne continued: "From what I have seen on television and heard this season, Christophe has been Hearts' most consistent player and thoroughly deserves his call-up to the squad.

"He's just a young guy but he has been playing at a high level for a long time, he has been consistent and he is a genuine leader as well.

"I'm sure he will have had a huge boost with the news that he was in the squad but we've also got a couple of players making their mark at under-21 level.

"Tam and Scott have both done really well for us this season, they have been playing regular first-team football and hopefully they will continue to do that for us for the rest of the season.

"It's a great chance for them and it is good for the club to have players being recognised at international level too."

This is the first time that the Bairns have managed to stay in the top flight for three seasons on the bounce but Milne insists that he, his team-mates and his manager are still not satisfied.

Since their promotion, they have finished ninth and seventh in the SPL and they want to push themselves to finish even higher than sixth this time around.

"We've been improving bit by bit every season and hopefully this one will be no different," he added.

"It's the first time we've managed to stay up for three years in a row and we want to make the most of it.

"We've had a ninth-place finish, a seventh-place finish and we're in sixth place right now.

"We keep out targets in the dressing room but I think that everyone knows we want to finish as high up that table as we possibly can. Obviously at the start of the season the first aim was to make the top six, but now that we have a real chance of doing that, we want to see how far we can go and getting something from the game at Tynecastle this weekend would be great for us.

"A win would be fantastic but a draw would also be a better result for us than it would for Hearts."