Halkett not taking Brechin lightly

Craig Halkett admits Hearts will head into Friday's Scottish Cup tie against Brechin full of confidence as they look to progress to the last 16 of the competition.

It's a Friday night under the lights at Glebe Park in front of the TV cameras and the Jambos will be looking to continue their recent form and avoid being on the end of a cup upset.

Speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference, Halkett said:

“I think in the last few weeks we've put on some good performances. Three clean sheets in a row, which is good. Obviously, a couple of wins. A bit disappointing not to win the other day, but it's on the back of three good performances. So, we've got a bit of confidence going, but it's the Scottish Cup.

“Obviously, we're playing lesser opposition, but we know it's a game that we can't take lightly. They're all tough matches. So, one we're going into with confidence, but we know we need to be at it to get the win.

“It's all about your mentality. We're a Premiership team and they're a lesser opposition. So, we know that we've got more quality in our changing room, but it's all about the attitude, going out there and putting in your effort. 

“You know they're going to fight for everything in the game. They're going to be desperate for a cup upset. Obviously, it's on the television, so they'll be looking forward to it. But again, it's just one that we need to go into with the right attitude, the right mindset and hopefully we can get the job done.

"The Brora game has been brought up this week. Purely for that matter, for the boys that maybe haven't been here or it's their first year at the club and they've not experienced playing a Cup game against lesser opposition. 

“From personal experience, it's not a great feeling. So, just to let everyone know that these games aren't just turn up, playing it in 90 minutes, winning the game and going back home.

“You need to be at it. So, the experiences are obviously helpful in these situations, but it's a game that we want to go and win and progress in the Cup.”

You can watch Craig’s press conference in full on Hearts TV.