SKACEL REVEALS HEARTS BOND

Hearts midfielder Rudi Skacel claims a strong sense of team spirit has underpinned the Jambos' remarkable beginning to the season.

The Czech striker's eighth goal of the season at Celtic was enough to give the visitors a 1-1 draw and extend their unbeaten Bank of Scotland Premier League run to 10 games.

George Burley's side maintained their three-point advantage over the Hoops at the top of the table and the 26-year-old put Hearts' early-season success down to camaraderie.

He said: "There are no stars and there is a good atmosphere in the team which is very important to me - it's like a small family.

"You see it on the pitch, we are a strong team, we work together and I hope we continue like this - there's no reason why we can't.

"It was a very difficult game because Celtic are also very strong.

"It was a small mistake by their goalkeeper for my goal but it was an even game.

"We had chances but we just couldn't get the second goal, but a draw was a fair result."

Skacel, on loan from Marseille, reiterated his claim that Champions League football next year could persuade him to sign a permanent contract at Tynecastle.

He said: "This question of whether I will stay or not is not for me, Hearts have the option.

"But I'm very happy in Edinburgh and for me the important thing is to play in the Champions League next season.

"I've played for big teams like Sparta Prague, Panathinaikos and Marseille so why not in the Champions League with Hearts?"

Skacel, however, could soon be watching the Jambos' quest for European football from the stand if his curious habit of picking up yellow cards for celebrating his goals is not curtailed.

The Czech star, already booked earlier in the campaign against Kilmarnock, Inverness and Hibernian for over-celebrating after scoring, picked up his fourth booking of the season after his 16th-minute strike had cancelled out Craig Beattie's opener for the home side three minutes earlier.

There was debate as to whether referee Dougie McDonald's yellow card, at the behest of assistant Tom Murphy, was for Skacel stepping over the line or for motioning with his finger for the Celtic fans to remain silent, a la Jose Mourinho.

Nevertheless, the Jambos midfielder was frustrated by yet another unnecessary blot on his disciplinary record.

He said: "I must be careful but football is meant to be a show."

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan admits the two sides all but cancelled each other out in what was at times a ferociously fought affair.

He said: "It was more exciting and more tense than I thought it would be and if you had been at the side of the pitch with me you would have seen how intense it was.

"The physical contact was immense, people tried to play but good players were stopping them from actually doing it."

Taken from sportinglife.com