Lasley on swift action to cut trio loose
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Scotsman
34 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Beni Baningime wants more responsibility - Hearts need his influence
Premier Sports Cup exit hurt the Congolese midfielder Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Seeing Beni Bangingime strolling towards the penalty spot in Paisley on Saturday would have been unexpected for many of the 1,476 travelling Hearts fans. The midfielder is not known for his shooting ability, but he confidently converted his team's fifth penalty in the Premier Sports Cup shootout against St Mirren. Malik Dijksteel then did likewise to win the tie for Saints and take them into the quarter-finals. A cup exit in mid-August hurts Hearts after six wins from six under new head coach Derek McInnes. Shamal George's penalty save thwarted the Tynecastle forward Claudio Braga in the shootout, resulting in defeat by the tightest of margins. Baningime is just returning from injury and his influence had been notably missed in recent games. The Congolese is now one of the more senior players at Tynecastle Park, a responsibility he does not take lightly. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When asked to take a penalty, he didn't hesitate despite knowing there were more accomplished finishers around him. It is a sign of the player's maturity that he wanted to shoulder the pressure and step forward for the fifth - and potentially pivotal - Hearts kick. He had entered the fray as a half-time substitute and brought composure to midfield. The visitors enjoyed a stronger second half, scored an equaliser and pushed for a winner in extra-time following an unconvincing first 45 minutes. The improvement with Baningime on the pitch is no coincidence. He explained why he is willingly assuming extra responsibility these days, starting with that penalty-kick. 'I was down to take one, yeah,' said the midfielder. 'The gaffer asked me: 'How are you feeling?' I was like: 'Yeah, I'm fine.' I just said I wanted the attacking players to go first because, ultimately, they should be going first. Just because they're better than me at shooting. If it was one-v-ones or tackling, then I'd be like: 'No, I'll go first.' I'm 27 next month, so I'm not a kid anymore. I need to try and take on more responsibilities. When the gaffer called my number, I was like: 'Yeah, fine.'' More responsibility comes this week as Baningime and other experienced figures try to rejuvenate their Hearts colleagues following the disappointment of Saturday's cup exit. 'Oh yeah, 100 per cent,' he acknowledged. 'I think as you grow, you've been in the game long enough, you've seen a lot of things, you've experienced a lot of things. You take on a different role without even someone telling you. Maybe someone is a bit younger than me, or you know people's character, so you know maybe he's not going to be as good at this. So you end up just taking on responsibilities and it just fits. 'It was a tough first half on Saturday, but I thought the second half was a different game and then, obviously, we had extra-time. It's a tough one to take. It's hard to take positives out of losing, but I think you've got to. It's happened, you've lost, you've got to move on, and you've got to bounce back as quickly as you can. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad EPL win and Scottish Premiership success - but Premier Sports Cup heartache 'I think from the pre-season, when we even beat a Premier League side [Sunderland] in one of our games, it's been good so far. It's a bump in the road. The game could have gone either way. That's what penalties are. We could be coming in and saying: 'Oh great, a win.' Unfortunately for us, that wasn't the case. It's happened, a we have to try not to allow this to derail us any further.' Braga looked dejected at being the only one of 10 players not to convert during the shootout. The Portuguese is a popular figure among Hearts fans as a new signing with fervour and character in abundance. Again, Baningime and others will try to help lift his spirits if needed. 'He was okay [afterwards],' said Baningime. 'I think experienced players, we have to get around him and be like, that can happen to anyone. It could have been me, it could have been Shanks, it could have been anyone. Ultimately for him, it's the same message that I'm saying to the team: It's happened, it's gone. 'On another day, he scores a goal. So you have to try and move on as quickly as possible. He's had a great start to his Hearts career, so you don't want this thing being the thing that changes that. Hopefully he can bounce back. He's a strong boy, and he'll be okay. All the boys will be around him.' Although fatigued and despondent trudging off the pitch in Paisley, Baningime is not a believer that extra-time should be bypassed in football. Some observers have called for penalties at the end of 90 minutes but the Hearts midfielder does not share that view. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This is my thinking on it, right,' he said. 'I'll maybe [think differently] when we're in Europe, you play a lot of games. I don't play international matches, but I understand some of the points of the boys saying: 'Well, we play this amount of games, we've got the Club World Cup, etc.' I also do think extra-time, it's just part of the game. It's part of something that I've always grown up playing. So I'm on the side of sticking with it. 'If you play 90 minutes and then you're taking penalties, I don't know, it just sounds weird to me. You get paid a lot of money, so I'm not really on the side of complaining that we're playing more football. All those boys, let's even say higher up in the Premier League and whatever, some of these guys are earning thousands. You can easily just change players and alternate if you want. So I'm on the side of playing extra-time.'
Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Horse racing tips: ‘Masses of untapped potential' – Templegate's NAP could be a star
Read on for his selections TEMPLEGATE'S TIPS Horse racing tips: 'Masses of untapped potential' – Templegate's NAP could be a star Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TEMPLEGATE takes on Monday's horse racing confident of building the bank for York Ebor festival with his tips. Back a horse by clicking their odds below. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up JET PATROL (4.27 Stratford, nap) Is ready for take off now he's joined James Owen. The canny trainer has earned a well-deserved reputation for hugely improving newcomers to the yard and there's untapped potential in this June arrival from Sandy Thomson's yard. He's lightly raced for his age and went close a couple of times over hurdles for the Scottish handler. Owen looks to have found a good debut race and has booked champion jockey Sean Bowen which suggests it's all systems go. MOSSVALE DIVA (2.45 Catterick, nb) Has been knocking on the door and this looks an excellent winning chance. She has gone down by less than a length on her past two outings – both at Beverley – so should handle Catterick's ups and downs. UNDER THE TWILIGHT (7.00 Windsor, treble) Won well here two runs back before going down in a photo at Glorious Goodwood. She's up the weights but looks well up to the challenge. MY GENGHIS (Windsor 4.52, Lucky 15) He went close at Chepstow on his turf return latest and is best over this distance. Templegate's tips FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Horse racing tips: ‘Masses of untapped potential' – Templegate's NAP could be a star
TEMPLEGATE takes on Monday's horse racing confident of building the bank for York Ebor festival with his tips. Back a horse by clicking their odds below. JET PATROL (4.27 Stratford, nap) Is ready for take off now he's joined James Owen. The canny trainer has earned a well-deserved reputation for hugely improving newcomers to the yard and there's untapped potential in this June arrival from Sandy Thomson's yard. He's lightly raced for his age and went close a couple of times over hurdles for the Scottish handler. Owen looks to have found a good debut race and has booked champion jockey Sean Bowen which suggests it's all systems go. MOSSVALE DIVA (2.45 Catterick, nb) Has been knocking on the door and this looks an excellent winning chance. She has gone down by less than a length on her past two outings – both at Beverley – so should handle Catterick's ups and downs. UNDER THE TWILIGHT (7.00 Windsor, treble) Won well here two runs back before going down in a photo at Glorious Goodwood. She's up the weights but looks well up to the challenge. MY GENGHIS (Windsor 4.52, Lucky 15) He went close at Chepstow on his turf return latest and is best over this distance. Templegate's tips Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
