Robbie can hold key to success in SPL for Hearts - Webster

PAUL KIDDIE

WINGER Joe Hamill was rightly praised after Hearts’ opening league victory over Dundee after playing a significant role in the Jambos’ Dens Park triumph.

The youngster produced one his best displays for Craig Levein’s side as the curtain went up on the SPL but the wide man isn’t the only Gorgie ace to have hit some timely form, with a rejuvenated Robbie Neilson today hailed as the most improved player at Tynecastle.

The full-back has seen his fortunes transformed over the past 12 months, Hearts now reaping the benefit of a loan spell at Queen of the South two years ago.

Short on confidence and first-team opportunities, the defender headed to Dumfries in a bid to kick-start his career with the Doonhamers. And how the switch has paid off for Levein, with Neilson having repaid his manager’s faith in handing him a new one-year deal.

Much has been made of the weight of responsibility on the shoulders of the experienced professionals such as Steven Pressley, Phil Stamp and Mark de Vries this season. But with a reduced squad at Levein’s disposal, the younger players at the club also have a key role to play - and Neilson appears well up to the task.

With Jamie McAllister’s hamstring injury forcing the new signing to cool his heels on the bench at Dens, Neilson slotted in at right-back with Alan Maybury switching to the left-hand side of the park.

Dundee boss Jim Duffy praised the performances of Scotland internationalists Pressley and Andy Webster after the visitors’ 1-0 triumph, although the Hearts rearguard as a whole formed a formidable barrier, the hosts managing just two efforts on goal in the 90 minutes.

Webster, who was fast-tracked into the Scotland set-up by Berti Vogts after breaking into the Jambos first team following his move from Arbroath, was indeed immense alongside his skipper but the former Gayfield stopper was quick to highlight the emergence of Neilson as a defender of some quality and has tipped the 24-year-old to be a vital cog in the Gorgie outfit’s wheel this season.

"It was a good win for us. Dens Park isn’t an easy place to go to and get a result, particularly on the first day of the season when you don’t really know what to expect," he said.

"When you look at who we have in defence it is understandable why we are going to do well. There is myself, Elvis and Alan Maybury with Craig Gordon in goal and we have all played international football. And Robbie Neilson also deserves his place. I think he must be the most improved player at Tynecastle so it was basically a good back five we had out against Dundee.

"Robbie has been a quality player for us recently and is a vastly improved player. I know he was away on loan at Queen of the South not so long ago. Maybe his confidence had been a bit low but he deserves to be in the team just now and the gaffer has always said if you are playing well enough, you’ll stay in the team."

It was a fine all-round effort from the visitors on Saturday, with Webster adding: "Defensively you have to give credit to the midfielders and strikers who put in a real shift chasing balls down. They basically made our job a bit easier.

"It wasn’t just down to the back four, it was the whole team who defended well. The gaffer has spent a bit of time working on different aspects of the team but you are never sure if it is all going to click into place on the first day of the season. We were delighted to come away with the points after all the talk beforehand.

"We ignored all the hype and just got on with the job of winning the match."

Successive home games against Aberdeen and Kilmarnock now give Hearts the opportunity to get off to an even better start.

"It’s always better to have the points in the bag so you’re not having to scramble around for them," he said. "That’s why it was good to get a win from what was a big game for us - and the Aberdeen match is also another big one."

Webster may have been one of the star performers at Dens but he admitted he feared he would have to miss the big kick-off.

Prior to Saturday’s encounter, the 22-year-old’s last outing had come in last month’s friendly against Airdrie at New Broomfield. Struck down by a back injury sustained during training a fortnight ago, he faced a race against time to make the Dundee clash and admits the problem is something which will have to be monitored.

He said: "I had been struggling with a problem with my back. I felt a shooting pain down my leg and initially thought it was something to do with my hamstring. It now appears to be the back which is the problem and although an X-ray didn’t show up much, I think I’ll have to keep an eye on things.

"Hopefully everything will settle down and I won’t be hampered too much by it."

Taken from the Scotsman