Hearts 0 - 2 Inverness CT

A home win against Hibs, a draw away to Rangers and a deserved victory at Tynecastle would suggest they should fancy their chances against Martin O'Neill's side.

However, such is the realism in their camp that manager Craig Brewster and experienced striker Barry Wilson accept they will have their work cut out against the champions.

In other cases such defeatist talk could be dismissed as pre-match psychology but both men are experienced and respected enough to have their comments taken at face value.

Wilson has been part of Inverness sides which have pulled off cup upsets against Celtic in the past but believes the current Parkhead team is the best in the country.

"The Celtic game is a bonus game for us," said Wilson. "People who think we can get something from it must be realistic, as Celtic are the best team in Scotland. For us to think we can take anything is wrong, but we will go out with the right attitude and if we get anything, it will be a bonus."

They will certainly take great confidence from the win over Hearts. There had been much made by the home side of the fact they had only 10 fit outfield players after a flu bug hit the club.

Their application to have the fixture postponed was rejected by the SPL board, a decision which angered John Robertson, the Hearts manager, after the game. "We feel the SPL short-changed the supporters," said Robertson. "They pay decent money to see a good product on the pitch and they didn't get that today.

"If I'd played that team in a cup-tie, I'd have been fined for fielding an under-strength side. We had only one fit midfielder and at one point against Inverness we had six attackers on the pitch. It was in midfield where we lost the game."

Although you have to have sympathy for Robertson's plight, it is puzzling for him to suggest he had only one fit midfielder. He made just three changes from the side which drew at Dunfermline the week before and had Joe Hamill, Neil Janczyk and Devidas Cesnaukis in his starting line-up, all recognised midfield players.

Dennis Wyness had played behind the front two before, and Lee Miller was passed fit enough to play up front after the striker shook off the bug.

What cost Hearts defeat was dreadful defending and, in that context, club captain Steven Pressley was a big miss. They failed to pick up Darren Dods, one of the tallest players on the park, at a free kick from which the former Hibs man scored with a header.

Inverness' second goal was a comedy of errors from a Hearts point of view. Christophe Berra played a short back-pass, which Wilson pounced on. The striker was going round Craig Gordon when the Hearts goalkeeper hauled him down. Wilson got up to score from the spot to secure all three points for the Highland outfit, now 11 points clear of bottom club Dundee United.

Brewster has Inverness playing flowing football and his influence is huge. In the 80 minutes he spent on the park he gave a masterclass in how to hold the ball up to allow midfielders time to make runs from deep. When the ball was out of play he was prowling the pitch telling the players just exactly what he expected of them.

Despite the win Brewster accepts that a rampant Celtic side will be a different proposition compared to an under-strength Hearts. "I saw Celtic beat Hibs and they were awesome," said Brewster. "We have gained a lot of confidence from the way we have been playing and will cause Celtic some problems, but I realise it's going to be very tough."

Taken from the Herald