Exclusive:Horns, Hearts and hubbub in Trabzon as the Tynecastle players try blocking tactics

Locals sit perched on dusty pavements sipping tea from tiny glasses. Some play board games, some gibber on phones, others are just chilling out in the autumnal air as people charge back and forward. Amid the hustle and bustle of Meydan Park in central Trabzon, cars and taxis rattle past, horns blare and drivers shout. There is no shortage of energy in this crowded Turkish city

The people of Trabzon are welcoming Hearts and their supporters into their surroundings and culture on the edge of the Black Sea. Tonight’s UEFA Conference League tie against Trabzonspor is a daunting assignment for the Edinburgh club. The energy reverberating around the city is multiplied when you step inside Papara Park. It can leave opponents beaten and breathless, as Besiktas discovered there on Monday night.

For all the noise around Trabzon - their fans had a full-on street party after the 2-0 win over Besiktas - the local players and manager Thomas Reis have been quiet and respectful towards their visitors. They know they are overwhelming favourites, but this is football. Anything can happen and they won’t dismiss the challenge from Edinburgh. Hearts are a long way from home with a few hundred fans travelling with them, but there will be between 30,000 and 40,000 passionate Turks waiting for them at Papara Park. They will need blocking tactics to stifle Trabzonspor, but must also shut out the noise around them.

“I try not to let the crowds overwhelm me. To be fair, that’s also what helps me,” says midfielder Laurent Mendy, speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News. “I like playing in front of a big crowd because I want to showcase my talent. I’ve played at the lower levels and worked my way all the way up to here. Now that I’m here, I just tell myself to do my best. That’s literally how I approach things: game by game.

“It’s going to be crazy. To be fair, I’ve never played in Turkiye before, but I’ve heard a lot about the crowds and the teams in Turkiye. I know it’s going to be a hell of an opportunity and a great atmosphere. But, yeah, I’m going to have to do my best to block out the crowd and focus on Mo Salah and the rest of their players. I’ll just embrace the opportunity I’ve been given. Really and truly, I’ll embrace it, and I’ll focus on what I need to do. I tune everything else out. I’m in my own zone.”

Mendy has gone from National League to Conference League in just a couple of months after Hearts paid in excess of £500,000 to sign him from English side Forest Green Rovers. He looks a good acquisition and has scored three goals in 11 appearances so far. The latest was a fine strike at Celtic Park on Sunday which was firmly overshadowed by the 7-1 final scoreline in favour of the hosts.

“Obviously, you’re always going to be happy about scoring goals, but when you lose a game like that, the feeling comes and goes. So I just know that I need to focus on getting ready for Trabzonspor,” admits Mendy. “Games come and go, so Sunday wasn’t our game. We just learn from it and try to forget about it because we’ve got another big game tonight.”

What exactly have Hearts learned? Because it might come in handy in Turkiye. “Not to concede early,” says Mendy. “It gives confidence to the other team. There were also a lot of individual errors, including myself. I don’t think we had the best performance. We played well because, even at one point after it was 2-0, and even at 3-0, we kept the ball well. But they really and truly punished us. They punished every mistake we were making. They were just absolutely ruthless in front of goal.”

He is learning how to handle high-octane fixtures with so many on the calendar for Hearts. Trabzonspor is simply the next one, with more big European and domestic games to follow between now and Christmas. “Do you know what? The game against Benfica was a game that opened my eyes,” says Mendy, referring to the Europa League qualifier. “Playing in all these games in front of 60,000 people isn’t a shock anymore.

My head is in the right place. I know I’m here, and I know what I need to do. I’m in a professional environment, and this is going to happen. I just need to focus on the game. Obviously, it’s always a blessing, and I’m always honoured to experience it. You learn a lot. You’re playing against European clubs that have played in big competitions, so you’re also testing yourself because you’re playing against big players who are worth a lot of money and have played for big clubs. In those games, you just test yourself and try to do as well as you can.

“We will try to get a result against Trabzonspor. That’s the first thing we should think about. It’s not about getting other players’ shirts or anything like that. It’s about going there and trying to get a result. After that, once the game is finished, you can do what you want. But the main thing is to go there and show that Sunday was just a blip - and we can actually perform in front of a big crowd against a big team.”