Liam Fox says the supporters will be a big miss in tomorrow’s UEFA Conference League meeting with Dinamo Minsk but wants his side to stand up the challenges in Azerbaijan.
The Jambos open their European campaign tomorrow at the Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium in Sumgayit, with no fans admitted into the game.
Although the lack of a boisterous Hearts support will be dearly missed, Fox says the players need to block out external factors and concentrate on maximising their own performance.
“There were large amounts of the performance on Saturday that pleased us as a staff,” he told the media ahead of the game.
“There were wee moments in the game that we can build on, which is important. It’s always better taking something from the game than nothing. It’s also important to not just talk about taking next steps, but to go out and do that. That starts tomorrow night.
“There’s always an opportunity. We’ve got a difficult opponent tomorrow and we have to be respectful of that. It’s an opportunity to build on what we did on Saturday. What’s important for me is that focus is on us.
“We can show the players what to do, we can show them videos and bits and pieces, but we need to look at how we are in and out of possession. How we go after the game, that’s the key.
“They’re a good side on a good run of form with good individual players. Every game at this level is difficult but like I said, it’s about what we do. Everyone’s fit and healthy, so got a good selection of choices. That highlights the strength of the squad.
“We’re absolutely going to miss the supporters, but most of these boys have played during the Covid season. We’ll miss the fans and the energy they bring, but we’ve got two ways of looking at it.
“You can either mump and moan about it or get on with it. It’s just another challenge for us to overcome.”
You can catch Liam’s press conference in full on Hearts TV.
