Frankie Kent has tipped his hat to Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon after the 41-year-old’s display against Viktoria Plzen on Thursday night.
And the Jambos defender joked that as a result, the UEFA drug test Gordon undertook after the agonising defeat was warranted.
Steven Naismith’s side battled valiantly in the Czech Republic but trail the Europa League play-off tie after Daniel Oyegoke’s 96th minute own goal separated the sides.
Despite this, the performance will instil belief that Hearts can get a result at Tynecastle next Thursday and qualify for the Europa League league phase.
Frankie Kent on Gordon drug test
Speaking after the 1-0 defeat to Plzen, central defender Kent – who was a standout on the night – highlighted Craig Gordon for praise.
The veteran stopper made his 23rd European appearance for Hearts and marked it with a vintage display despite his age.
And Kent admits it’s ‘unbelievable’ that Gordon is still performing at the highest level before joking UEFA were right to drug test him after the clash.
As quoted in the Daily Record, Kent said of Gordon: “Yeah, brilliant. We just said it in there. He was getting drug tested (after the game). We were saying, ‘yeah, I think he does need that because he’s 41 and still going’.
“But no, he’s done really well again on Thursday. Yeah, fair play to him. It’s all about him. His longevity is unbelievable, isn’t it? So I give credit to him.”
Hearts have ‘enough’ to turn around form
Hearts have made a poor start to the season having lost three of their first four competitive games of the new season, the most disappointing a 2-0 Premier Sports Cup defeat to Falkirk.
Fans have been critical of boss Naismith’s tinkering of the starting XI and feel they need a more settled side going forward.
Kent understands the frustrations at the moment but pointed out that Hearts endured a rocky start to the previous season before kicking on and finishing third in the Scottish Premiership.
He said: “We appreciate the pressure that we’re under and the scrutiny that we’re probably under because of the start. But we know we’ve got more than enough to turn this around and get back in the right direction.
“That’s starting on Sunday and then following up with the game on Thursday. It’s a cliched thing to say but it’s all about Sunday now.
“We need to get back into it, back onto good league form and then take every game as it comes. It’s about making sure we go into the game right and get in the right direction. We will just keep working because it’s difficult being in these situations.
“We had it a little bit sticky at the start of the last season but we know there’s more than enough in that changing room. We know what we’ve got as a team and keep working.”