Hearts manager Gary Locke hopes administrator Bryan Jackson can follow up his escape act at Dunfermline by leading the Edinburgh club to safety.
The BDO troubleshooter was lauded on Wednesday after his efforts at the stricken East End Park club saved the Fife outfit from going bust earlier this year.
Jackson and his colleagues Trevor Birch and James Stephen are now focusing all their efforts on rescuing the Jambos from their own administration crisis, and Locke hopes the football finance experts can do the double by saving Hearts.
He said: “I know I am speaking on behalf of everyone at Hearts when I say we’re delighted to see Dunfermline come out of administration. It’s great that the fans have taken over and I’m delighted for the gaffer (former Hearts boss Jim Jefferies, now in charge at Dunfermline), too. Now they can move forward as a football club.
“Bryan has been looking after them as well as us, and we are in good hands with both he and Trevor. Hopefully, with a bit of luck we can get the same result as Dunfermline before January.”
BDO has been unable to progress its attempts to remove Hearts from administration while its insolvent majority shareholder UBIG remained in limbo waiting for liquidators to be appointed in Lithuania, but reports on Wednesday suggested the firm is set to be formally declared bankrupt next week.
BDO was unable to negotiate with UBIG until administrators were appointed, but they can now set about trying to persuade the stricken company’s administrators to hand over UBIG’s 50%shareholding in Hearts. That stake, as well as Ukio Bankas’s 29.9% share and a floating charge held against Tynecastle, will be required if a successful CVA is to be struck with the Foundation of Hearts.