Greek talisman Fyssas basking in Tynecastle side's place in the sun

IT'S no secret that a dash of sunshine makes everything more vivid. Childhood memories are usually possessed with a burnished sheen and on Saturday at Tynecastle Hearts' title ambitions appeared bolder still in the glare of a mid-August sun which helped light up another auspicious display from the home team.

Takis Fyssas, the impressive Hearts left-back, spoke later of bringing the Greek weather with him. That and the passion and commitment which allowed Greece to triumph in Euro 2004. Few outside the increasingly giddy contingent of Hearts supporters are subscribing to the notion that the club has a squad capable of challenging Rangers and Celtic, including the ever- sensible boss George Burley.

But against Aberdeen on Saturday the side again proved they will be no pushovers and, given the special set of conditions in which Greece were allowed to revel last summer, might yet last the pace. Teamwork and no little skill combined to create one of the sporting stories of all-time, as did the poor displays of those considered more realistic title contenders. "Like Greece, we [Hearts] have no big stars," said Fyssas, a distinguished performer for the European champions in 2004. "What we have is a collection of players who are very good in their own positions, and who are also willing to help a team-mate."

Greece did it over seven games. Hearts have negotiated just four and will be required to clear a further 34 hurdles. But there's a spirit here which will take some dousing, evidenced in the rollicking boisterousness which emanated from Robertson's Bar both before and after a win which keeps Hearts top for another week.

"We are very good but we have to continue like this," was Fyssas' endearing take on the situation. They know what they can do, they just have to keep doing it.

If it's consistency the side are seeking then look no further for inspiration than the new hero of Tynecastle, Rudi Skacel. That's four goals in four games for a player whose previous best tally was nine in an entire season. He was the first of Burley's signings and is quickly proving the most impressive. His compatriot Michal Pospisil is also helping turn the Czech Republic into a land as significant to this Hearts revolution as Lithuania, where Vladimir Romanov's business empire is based.

Pospisil, a second-half substitute, supplied the game's clincher with a stylish goal that he hooked into the top corner of Ryan Esson's net. After that there was nothing anyone could do to douse the enthusiasm engulfing a Tynecastle that has been 'dressed' with vast banners depicting club legends Tommy Walker and Dave Mackay.

Everything possible has been done to motivate the players, with Jimmy Calderwood, the Aberdeen manager, remarking that the pitch is in the best condition he's seen at the ground. Calderwood had already got it in the neck after an injudicious comment about the style of football Hearts have been playing.

"We only play long balls, we only play long balls," the Hearts fans had sung back at him as another sweeping move threatened to pierce an Aberdeen defence that had been robbed of much of its previous resilience by Calderwood's decision to go a 2-4-4 formation.

It was the first time Calderwood had chosen this tactic since a 5-0 mauling at Rangers a year ago, and it still doesn't look any more sensible. Paul Hartley should have made Aberdeen pay with a few minutes remaining when he scampered free from midfield and elected to shoot rather than pass to a better-placed Edgar Jankauskas. The Lithuanian let him know his displeasure, with the big ex-Porto striker still searching for his debut strike for the club.

Jankauskas' goal 'famine' is one of the few things which hasn't gone right for the Tynecastle club this season, with almost everything else Burley is attempting at the moment bearing fruit.

He substituted Saulius Mikoliunas for Jamie McAllister at half-time, and this served to toughen up the midfield area. It also showed that he's the boss. If you don't do the business in the first half, you can consider yourself expendable whether you are Lithuanian or not.

It's hard to say whether any of this fine-tuning was even noticed by Hearts fans salivating over another winning performance, and an extension to their reign as league leaders. They are too busy totting up points, and calculating goal difference. You can dress Tynecastle up all you want, but these are the real reasons the natives are getting excited by the current climate of revolution in Gorgie.

It's certainly proving more durable than simply a day in the sun. Try four weeks, with the promise of more to come.

Taken from the Scotsman