HEARTS LOSING SKACEL WOULD BE LIKE CELTIC LOSING PETROV

VLADIMIR ROMANOV has pulled a few rabbits out the hat this season but the most impressive trick he could do for Hearts in January is make Rudi Skacel disappear from view.

Believe me, if this boy isn't removed from the radar someone is going to snatch him in the transfer window.

Werder Bremen are ready to offer Marseille £1.5million for the Czech next month and if the French side accept, Skacel's short and sweet love affair with Edinburgh will be over.

Romanov must somehow persuade Marseille that the boy is better off staying where he is in the meantime and as his value soars they will get more for him in the long run.

Either that or he goes to his Lithuanian bank, withdraws a wedge to match Bremen's and wave it under the nose of the French side. One way or another Hearts have to keep this guy on board at least until the end of the season.

And if Romanov has to part with £1.5m it will be a bargain if Skacel's goals bring the club a £10m Champions League bounty.The winners of the SPL go straight into the big boys' playground next season and with Skacel they have an outstanding chance of doing just that.

Without him, though, their hopes will diminish substantially. Of course, they will still compete with Celtic but this left-sided midfielder makes the difference between Hearts being good and Hearts being outstanding.

Put it this way, if Celtic were to lose Stilian Petrov it would be a hammer blow to their hopes. Skacel is Hearts' Petrov with goals thrown in.

He scored another two against Livingston onSaturday to hoist his tally to 13 in 17games.The second after just 15minutes was a clinical,calculated finish from a man who instinctively knows where the goal is.

A cutback from Callum Elliot, one touch in a packed box and a sweet left-foot strike away from Ludovic Roy. It was a fine goal but compared to his opener it was a sclaff from three inches that barely crossed the line.

His first, eight minutes into a cracking contest, was one that will live long in the memory.Don't know how he got the ball to be honest as he was so far out on the left wing it didn't seem to matter.

But then he was off, homing in on goal and leaving a string of Livi defenders gasping in his vapour trail. Gabor Vincze tried to trip him but after the briefest stumble Skacel recovered his balance and from 22 yards struck the sweetest left-foot shot you'll see.

It pinged from his boot and was still gaining pace when it licked the postage-stamp corner.

This was special and so were Hearts for half an hour.They really could have had a cricket score such was their pace, hunger and movement.Only their finishing was not of top quality after Skacel's heroics.

Livingston were all over the place and Paul Lambert was screaming himself hoarse trying to limit the damage.Tobe fair he got his message across as his team dug in and carved out a couple of chances - a signal of what was to come after the break.

Paul Dalglish will cringe at this but he produced one turn and curling shot that swerved inches over - like lifting a curtain and taking a peek into the past.

Livi's competitiveness led to a rash of flare-ups and there was a bit of a barney just as the half-time whistle blew. Ref Alan Freeland kept a lid on it but only just.

In the second half Hearts still looked the more likely but this was no longer a one-sided affair and when Allan Walker drilled home from 22 yards, Livingston were bang in business. An edginess crept into the home team and their support. Their mood wasn't helped by Roman Bednar hitting the post or Michal Pospisil cracking the bar.

The third goal wouldn't come though and with three minutes left Hearts almost threw away two points, literally.

Vincze hurled a long throw into the heart of the Jambos box. A group of players went up for it and missed before the ball bounced up and over Craig Gordon into the net. Livingston claimed it had hit someone, anyone, and was a legitimate equaliser.

Freeland disagreed and gave a goal kick as the vast majority of the 16, 583 inside Tynecastle heaved a sigh of relief. Television later showed it to be the correct call but Hearts sailed too close to the wind in that second period.

They almost paid the price for thinking the game was won at 2-0 but delivered the first three points of Graham Rix's reign.

He was mightily relieved at the end and said: "I can't say I enjoyed it. It's always tense but I was pleased with what I saw.

"I felt we did it with a certain amount of style and played some great stuff.

"We created a lot of good chances and came out of the traps flying. I'm delighted for the lads and the supporters.

"The boys have worked really hard for me in the last three weeks without getting the rewards. If we had knocked in five or six it would have been correct."

Lambert reckons a repeat of the fighting spirit shown by his men will see Livingston rise from the foot of the table.

He said: "It was a hell of a game and there were a lot of chances at both ends.

"I've not seen the replay on TV and if I'm wrong I'll say I'm wrong. But for someone to throw the ball 40 yards or whatever, it to go over an international keeper and for the referee to say there was not a touch, I don't know.The boys are saying there was.

"I thought our players were terrific in the second half against a very good side MAN OF THE MATCH Rudi Skacel (Hearts

Taken from the Daily Record