Jambos into last eight as Lafferty hints he’s moving
Craig Levein is adamant that Kyle Lafferty hasn’t played his last game for Hearts.
He said that with a smile on his face after watching his side scrape past Dunfermline in the Betfred Cup. While the Jambos boss was heading back to the dressing-room, the Northern Ireland striker was throwing his jersey and shinpads into the crowd. That’s normally a clear sign that a player believes he’s on his way out of the club. A move back to Rangers will depend on the Ibrox club coming up with a transfer fee that’s acceptable to the Edinburgh outfit. So far, they haven’t matched the valuation. When asked about the player giving away his shirt, Levein said: “Kyle costs us a fortune. He does that every single week. “So don’t read anything into that. “Do I think that’s his last game? No.” Another player Hearts’ fans certainly won’t want to lose is Czech goalkeeper ‘Bobby’ Zlamal. He kept them in the competition with a string of top saves. Everyone in East End Park was in awe of his performance – almost everyone. Levein said: “Maybe I’m a bit hard to please, but I’d have expected him to save two of those. The last one was an outstanding save, though. “It was a strange game towards the end. It was even in the first half and I felt we controlled it after that. “We didn’t cut them open as often as we’d have liked, but as often happens you get the goal and the other teams puts pressure on. “It was a tough match and I got what I expected from an in-form Dunfermline side.” This was a completely different experience for the Hearts players who had beaten Celtic last weekend. They were the team expected to dictate the tempo of the game. The home side aren’t short of players with ability on the ball, but getting back in numbers and pressing was the top priority. Allan Johnston’s men did that particularly well in the first half and were really dangerous on the break. Craigen and Louis Longridge were a constant menace down the right and made it uncomfortable for Hearts. The pair’s energetic work created a chance that saw El Bakhtaoui hit the post early on. The Morrocan perhaps showed why Dundee have been prepared to send him out on loan. He made intelligent runs, but just couldn’t hit the net. Not long after half-time, he sent a header wide of goal and a volley brought out the first of Zlamal’s impressive stops. None, however, was more important than his save in added-on time. Dunfermline were laying siege to the Jambos defence in search of an equaliser, even their keeper had an overlap, and it looked like the Hearts’ goalie’s work was done when he tipped a header over in the last minute. But the best was still to come from the big Czech. A point-blank stop from Aidan Connolly ensured Hearts will be in today’s draw and ended Dunfermline hopes of a cup run. Hearts’ goal came from the one clear-cut chance they created all afternoon. Olly Lee got on the end of a fine passing move and sent a low drive into the corner of the goal. The Pars are out, but they have plenty to be proud of. If they keep up this form they’ll be serious contenders for promotion back to the top flight. Craig Levein is now looking to sign two defenders after Aaron Hughes went off injured at half-time. It looks like moves will happen sooner rather than later. Holding on to Kyle Lafferty might not be as straightforward.