Time to end seven-year itch

PAUL KIDDIE

HIGH-FLYING Hearts will march into battle with Rangers tomorrow with skipper Steven Pressley warning the champions: "We don't fear you."

George Burley's side has stormed to the top of the SPL with a remarkable seven straight wins this season and can blast open an 11-point gap with victory over the Glasgow giants at Tynecastle. The Jambos will have to end a seven-year itch if they are to come out on top in the most eagerly awaited domestic clash in Gorgie for years.

The last time the men in maroon pocketed a home win bonus against Rangers was back in August 1998 when goals from Stephane Adam and Jim Hamilton clinched a 2-1 victory over opponents who included former Jambos Antti Niemi and Gordon Durie and the likes of Rino Gattuso, Sergio Porrini and Jorg Albertz.

Success since then has been thin on the ground, although ex-boss Craig Levein did mastermind an Ibrox triumph in May last year when Joe Hamill netted the only goal of the game. Despite being dumped out of the CIS Cup on Wednesday night at Almondvale by SPL basement club Livingston, Hearts are in buoyant mood going into tomorrow's live televised clash. And while they have found the Light Blues a tough nut to crack in previous seasons, there is a distinct feeling within the home camp that Burley's men can inflict a third defeat of the campaign on their visitors.

"There is a fantastic spirit in the camp and we have no fear about Saturday," said Pressley.

"There is no doubt in our minds that we can get a result against them. If you can win seven games back to back in the SPL then you must have the belief that you can continue that run and that's what we'll be trying to do."

Although the first quarter of the season has yet to be completed, Alex McLeish's side can ill afford to concede any more ground to the resurgent Maroons who have swept all before them in the league so far this season.

As Pressley acknowledged, an 11-point lead would be a "significant" advantage for Hearts to enjoy, even at this early juncture, while a draw would not be looked upon as a disaster for the hosts.

The pressure, therefore, is all on the shoulders of those in the away dressing-room tomorrow, according to Pressley.

"There is a fantastic atmosphere around the club at the moment and I do feel all that all the pressure is on Rangers for this game," said the Scotland star.

"We will be absolutely determined to get a result but I honestly believe all the pressure is on them. If we can win the game we will go 11 points clear of Rangers and although it is early in the season that is a significant gap."

The Ibrox side have looked far from convincing on the domestic front this season, surprise defeats from Aberdeen and Hibs highlighting their vulnerability at the back.

They may not be the force they were but Pressley doesn't buy into the argument that will mean Barry Ferguson & Co. will be any easier opponents.

"Rangers are an experienced team. They have players who have been over the course before," he said. "They know what these games are all about. We are well aware of their capabilities. We will give them respect but we certainly don't fear them as we believe we can win."

Having guided his team through such an impressive a 100 per cent opening to the campaign, Pressley has every right to talk up his players' chances of making it eight out of eight tomorrow.

But the experienced centre-half has also cautioned his men over the dangers of over confidence.

He said: "We can't afford to get too far ahead of ourselves and be too confident as football has a habit of coming back and biting you on the backside."

With the Tynecastle rearguard having conceded just four goals in the league - two of them on the opening day of the season against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park - the hosts are hoping their back line can once again provide the ideal foundation for another good result.

"Our defence has a lot of confidence about it at the moment and I thought we defended very well again at Livingston, only giving them the one chance which they unfortunately scored from," said Pressley.

"We have not been giving a lot away this season and that has been a pleasing aspect of our performances. It is something we pride ourselves on. If you don't lose goals then you've got every chance of winning games and we're determined to take three points from tomorrow's match."

Tynecastle will once again be packed to capacity tomorrow, the fourth home league game in a row in which the "sold out" signs have been put up.

The backing from the stands this season hasn't gone unnoticed by the players and Pressley said: "The fans turned out in their numbers at Livingston on Wednesday night and that was fantastic to see. It's just a pity we couldn't give them a win. But we will have another full house at Tynecastle tomorrow cheering us on and hopefully we'll get the result we're looking for this time."

Rangers front man Dado Prso, right, failed to finish the game the last time the teams met in Gorgie, the striker being red carded in the tumultuous final few minutes of the league encounter which also saw Saulius Mikoliunas dismissed for barging assistant referee Andy Davis and Fernando Ricksen convert a fiercely disputed injury-time penalty. The former Monaco star is relishing a return to the Capital, though, and insists it's a game in which the champions cannot afford to come out of second best.

"Losing is just not an option for us," he said. "We need to go to Hearts and win and that will take a big performance from us.

"I have been very impressed with Hearts as it's never easy when you have a lot of new players coming together, as we have found over the course of the past year.

"The demands of Scottish football also make it even harder. This league is unlike anything players coming from France, Spain or even England have experienced.

"But they seem to have settled quickly and they deserve a lot of credit for winning the first seven league matches. I am sure they will have taken a lot of confidence from that as a new team needs to win in order to settle properly." He added: "Tynecastle is never an easy place to play - even if Rangers have a great record there. It's a nice stadium with the fans very close to the pitch and I am sure the atmosphere tomorrow will be special.

"The two games I played there last season were battles.

"We drew one, and won the other one with a penalty in the last minute.

"That was a great result for us in terms of the title, although I was disappointed with the red card I received."

Taken from the Scotsman