Boyce and Co ready to go on offensive

LIAM BOYCE says Hearts will travel west today with not just hope but also expectation, insisting they have no intentions of parking the bus against Celtic. The Northern Irishman was previously part of a Ross County team for which visits to Glasgow usually represented exercises in damage limitation.

However, having won three of his seven meetings with Celtic and Rangers since joining Hearts at the start of 2020, Boyce (below) is relishing the prospect of going to Celtic Park tonight for a match in which Hearts have the incentive of knowing a win will lift them above their hosts to second place. He said: ‘When I was at Ross County, Celtic were formidable. They were pretty much winning every cup, so we would set up defensively because we worried about the quality they had.

‘There was one game against Rangers that sticks in my mind when we were 1-0 up at Ibrox and Lee Wallace scored towards the end (Rangers won 2-1 in February 2017). ‘When you set up defensively, you’re just delaying their chances to the end. With the quality these teams have, they’re going to take their chance, so it’s a breath of fresh air for me up front to be going into games like this believing we can get something from the game instead of worrying about the opposition.’

Hearts have taken four points from their two league meetings with the Glasgow clubs this term, but they were disappointed with the way they played on their last visit to Celtic Park when they lost 3-2 in the Premier Sports Cup in August. Boyce said: ‘We beat Celtic in the first game of the season at home and it was a really good performance.

‘But when we went there in the cup, in the first half we couldn’t get out our half, basically. ‘For me, personally, I was picking the ball up 30-40 yards from my own goal and having to buy fouls and whatever.

‘We know they’re a good team but hopefully we can win the ball in more advanced positions to try and take advantage. ‘As a forward, it’s more enjoyable when you go and press teams because you can win the ball high up the pitch and you have more people close to you.’