Mullen out to add to Edinburgh club’s woes in emotional return to Tynecastle

Former Hearts defender Fraser Mullen hopes his old club will wilt under the pressure at Tynecastle as Cowdenbeath’s shock troops eye the last 16 of the Betfred Cup.

The Fife side, who required a play-off to preserve their SPFL status last term after finishing bottom of League 2, are second in Group C after seeing off Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers and will be on course to secure a shock qualification with a win in Gorgie.

Hearts, in contrast, have endured a testing start to their campaign, narrowly defeating Cove 2-1 - only to be deducted two points for fielding Andy Irving while ineligible – and salvaged a pedestrian draw against Raith, albeit claiming a bonus point on penalties.

That leaves the capital club’s hopes of progress hanging by a thread and Mullen, who made ten appearances for Hearts after progressing through the youth ranks, knows the suffocating expectation that will be on Craig Levein’s men.

“All the pressure is on Hearts. Wecangothere,playourgame, stay solid and maybe get a big result,” said the 24-year-old, pictured. “Tynecastle is a great place to play your football, but I know that the expectation is huge, too.

“The supporters – and most neutrals – will expect Hearts to walk over the top of us, so if we can keep it tight, then things might get nervy for them. We’ve put ourselves in a great position We know what a hard game it’ll be, but we can go with no pressure, enjoy the night and see what happens.” Mullen cannot wait for an emotional return to Gorgie. “I’ve not played at Tynecastle for a few years, so I’m looking forward to going back,” he added. “It was always a brilliant venue but, with the new stand and the fact it’s their first home game of the season, it should be a great occasion.”

Regardless of whether Cowden upset the odds to progress from the group phase, Mullen is adamant they have already given their supporters plenty of cause for optimism after finishing 42nd out of the SPFL’S 42 clubs for two successive campaigns.

“A lot of teams seem to look at this tournament like preseason, but we’ve been treating every game as a massive match and have made a good start,” he said. “We have a lot of belief that we can have a good campaign.”