Andy Halliday admits raising the curtain on Hearts ’ Europa Conference League campaign with a drubbing from Istanbul Basaksehir was more than just a humiliating anti-climax.
The Tynecastle midfielder believes the 4-0 defeat to the Turks was also a wake-up call for a side which he’s adamant won’t be allowed to bow out of Group A with a whimper. All roads now lead to Riga as Hearts aim to restore some pride by putting points on the board and the 30-year-old insists the plan was always to target some rich pickings in Latvia.
As Robbie Neilson ’s men were being mauled at home by Basaksehir, Rigas FS were earning a point at Fiorentina and Halliday revealed there’s already been a dressing room summit designed to ensure the 18-year-wait for European group stage football isn’t a misadventure. He said: “That’s a chat we had after the game. There’s a huge feeling of disappointment when you lose your opening game 4-0, especially in the manner of our second half performance. But it’s one game out of six and we played a Pot 1 team who were 23 games unbeaten going into the match.
