GET ME TO THE WORLD CUP... I'LL GET YOU THE SPL TITLE
RACE FOR THE TITLE
By Gary Ralston

RUDI SKACEL has begged Hearts (Dundee Utd v Hearts, click here) to help get him to the World Cup Finals - and in return he'll help them win the league.

The Czech goal machine rattled in his 16th strike of the season as the Jambos beat Hibs 4-1 at Tynecastle in the Edinburgh derby.

Skacel stripped to his underwear as he celebrated but insists he didn't mean to offend Hibs fans when he moved towards them at the final whistle waving his shirt.

Paul Hartley and Andy Webster did him a huge favour by pulling him away, although hypocritical Hibees who rushed to complain conveniently ignored the 90 minutes of racial abuse they had dished out at the on-loan Marseille star.

Skacel, 26, shrugged off the controversies afterwards as he basked in a man-of-the-match display that saw him assist in three strikes and score the other.

As always, questions about his future beyond the summer featured heavily in the post-match analysis but he insists he is only concentrating on the short term, especially the SPL title and a trip to Germany.

Skacel said: "I don't think about these questions for now. I have a contract until the summer and I'm enjoying this time. I like Edinburgh and the supporters. We have a fantastic dressing room and the players are like my family.

"I'm happy but we'll wait and see as this is an important season because of the World Cup Finals. There's a small chance I could go and I want to go and help my country. Maybe my family at Hearts will help me to the World Cup. I want to help the Jamb os and maybe they will help me.

"We have 14 games left in the league and maybe we'll take the title and Scottish Cup. If I also score some more goals I might go to Germany.

"But I'm not thinking too much about the future at this time. I want to concentrate on playing perfectly every week to help my team and maybe my team will help me in return."

Crowd-pleaser Skacel is costing his club a fortune in replacement kit as he throws his away to adoring fans at the end of almost every game.

It rubs the opposition crowd up the wrong way but Skacel insists he means no offence and says on Saturday he was only caught up in the amazing derby atmosphere.

He said: "I was only celebrating. When I took off my shirts and shorts and gave them to our fans I was thanking them and that's all - football is showbusiness to them."

Hearts are in a strong position to finish second in the SPL but after Celtic's draw with Dundee United, Skacel doesn't see why the title should be out of reach.

However, he is refusing to take anything for granted.

Skacel said: "It would be amazing for this club and our supporters for us to play in the Champions League. And we still have a chance of the title so why not go for it?

"I hope we can still catch Celtic. Second place would be good but we'll see what we can do in the last 14 games of the season. It was important to beat Hibs and it's fantastic to be nine points in front of them.

"But this will not end their chances of finishing second. It's too soon to say they are out of it. There are still too many games to play."

The only thing missing from Skacel's amazing season is a goal at the Gorgie end of Tynecastle.

He has never scored in front of the Hearts fans there, but that was just an intriguing side issue to a game Graham Rix's side knew they had to win to underline their title credentials again.

Skacel said: "Don't remind me of not scoring at that end of the ground. I don't know why that is, maybe it's bad luck or maybe the pitch has a big slope on it. I hope I can score there the next time.

"The most important thing was taking three points from Hibs. I didn't feel under any pressure going into the game but I knew a win was important, especially because it was a derby.

"The derbies are different from any other games we play because they mean so much to the people of Edinburgh and the Scottish players.

"They're amazing games although they have been like that everywhere I've played, including Prague, France and Greece.

"It was a big day for me but we scored four goals and took three points and that makes it the perfect afternoon.

"There was only one team out there and I was pleased with that because I play for the Jambos and I'm a Jambo."

Taken from the Daily Record