Levein remains positive despite Steven Pressley woe

ALAN PATTULLO

CRAIG Levein’s Hearts side are currently purring along in so confident a manner that the coach can deliver the news that his captain, Steven Pressley, is in grave danger of missing Thursday’s vital UEFA Cup match against Bordeaux without emitting also a cry of anguish.

Pressley himself made a few positive noises about "maybe making it" after yesterday’s clash with Hibs, but his coach seemed resigned to the worst, rating the centre-half a "99.9 per cent" certain non-starter after straining a thigh during the 2-0 derby win.

Apart from Pressley’s woe - he was replaced by Andy Webster after only 22 minutes - this was an uncomplicated victory for a Hearts team now preparing to meet Bordeaux in supremely good cheer.

Six consecutive victories since a five-goal mauling by Celtic in mid-October have allowed Levein to become sanguine and relaxed, in complete contrast to his opposite number yesterday, Bobby Williamson.

Hibs’ luck is not completely out at present - they gathered an eagerly accepted point a fortnight ago against Dundee United due to a last minute own-goal - but yesterday they were visited only by misfortune. Williamson later adopted the look of someone damned.

"You need the breaks to go in your favour," grumbled the Hibs manager after a match which had seen defenders Gary Smith and Alen Orman concede own-goals.

"I don’t know how many ways to explain ‘I’m disappointed’," he said in an agitated manner, having been asked by one sadist to describe more fully his sense of desolation after the defeat. "I’m gutted, is that better?"

He continued: "It doesn’t matter how you lose a game. It’s if you have lost which matters. It’s a derby match so, of course, I am disappointed, just like the fans. But I feel worse because I am the man responsible."

Williamson, though, played no part in the calamitous scenes which led to Hearts’ opening goal, a series of gaffes by the Hibs defence, resulting in Paul Hartley’s poorly delivered corner being transformed into something worthwhile. Orman supplied the final touch, helping the ball beyond Daniel Andersson, and then, in the second half, Smith converted Robbie Neilson’s cross beyond his despairing goalkeeper. "We’ll suffer in the same way the fans will suffer over the next few days," said Williamson. "That’s the way it should be. We’ll pick over the bones of the defeat."

One player clearly not anticipating a joyous time in the short term at Easter Road was Smith, who said the manager had already had "a few words" with the team in the dressing room. Of his central part in the in the goal which effectively ended the contest, he added: "I couldn’t see what was behind me. I tried to cut it [the cross] out, but unfortunately I didn’t. I’ve scored a few in my time, so I’ll get over it. It’s just one of those things, but heads are definitely down at the moment."

Hearts are the pesky equivalents of the Joneses for Hibs at present, the Easter Road club looking towards their neighbours with barely disguised envy. The inevitable financial concerns ensure not everything in the Tynecastle garden is rosy, but half-a-dozen consecutive victories and the prospect of defending a 1-0 lead at home in the UEFA Cup second round means Levein’s normally pragmatic mood can be ornamented with good humour. If Pressley cannot make Thursday’s match it is not the end of the world, said the coach, the good vibes inspired by a derby win still rampaging through his body.

"We threw Andy Webster on, and I thought he was outstanding," continued Levein. "So we’ll cope [without Pressley]. We’ll be sending out a team of 11 Hearts players who are determined to get us into the next round of the UEFA Cup."

Returning to the subject of the afternoon’s game, he was pleased with the desire shown by his players, seeking to rectify the season’s derby standings which had shown Hibs in front with one win. Gloating rights now belong to Hearts, who, in their current good form, are becoming tiresome rivals indeed for the Hibs supporters. Yesterday’s game was bad enough without being speared by the knowledge work today will be made insufferable.

"We have had plenty of derby matches full of excitement and goals," said Levein. "But it was back to the normal derby duty today, hectic and full of pace."

He might also have added utterly wretched. There was little in the way of composure, and rather than act as a pleasant relief, each goal simply confirmed that this was a match of uncommon abjectness.

Not that Levein was complaining about either this or the manner of his side’s goals.

"Do you think I am bothered?" he said when asked about the misfortune which twice descended on Hibs that afternoon. "It makes no difference to me how the goals are scored.

"We asked questions of their defence and put the ball in dangerous places all afternoon. The players showed their desire to win the match. They spoke about that in the dressing room before the match; we knew we had to win this.

"One good thing about my players is they have very good mental strength. They were focused enough [ahead of Thursday] to put in a performance today. It’s all about league points. The league is how we got into the UEFA Cup this season and we’d like to be back in the competition next year."

Taken from the Scotsman