13-year stretch with best to come

ROBBIE NEILSON has racked up ten years of memories at Hearts but, after putting pen-to-paper on a new three-and-a-half-year deal, he reckons the best are yet to come.

It's not often that a player aged just 25 finds himself as the longest-serving player at a football club but that's exactly the position that Neilson is in at Tynecastle. While there are plenty of players at the Jambos who are older than the Scotland Future Squad cap, none can match his time on the books which stretches back to 1996.

During that period the defender has seen the club win a Tennent's Scottish Cup, challenge for the SPL title in the same season and record famous victories over Bordeaux and Basel in the UEFA Cup, the latter of which he scored the winner.

But it is the potential the club have shown this season and the belief that Hearts are on the verge of achieving something big that persuaded Neilson to extend his stay with the Jambos until the summer of 2009. "This is a once in a lifetime chance that some of the players have to try and win the league. A few years ago, or even last season, I would never have thought we would be in the position that we are and it's great.

"I wanted to be part of that and wouldn't have forgiven myself if I'd left and the boys had gone on to win something.

"I was out of contract at the end of the season so it's nice to get the contract done and dusted so I can concentrate on my football," added Neilson, pictured below earlier in his career. "I don't need to worry about my future now and hopefully I can play as well as I can for Hearts.

"I always knew that I wanted to stay and the club made it clear they wanted to keep me, so it was pretty straightforward.

"I've been playing regularly and it's a good time to be playing for Hearts with everything that is going on so it was an easy decision really.

However, Neilson's time at Hearts hasn't always run smoothly and, in August 2002, he looked to be heading for the door when Craig Levein sent him on loan to Queen of the South.

But regular first-team football proved to be just the tonic and he returned to Tynecastle to become a near ever-present since.

And, while some observers felt he was nearing the end of the road with Hearts, he insisted that he always had faith in his own ability. "Football is a different game even to when I started out and to stay in the one place for ten years is almost unheard of.

"But I've really enjoyed myself at the club. I went to Queen of the South but I always had the intention of getting back into the Hearts team.

"The manager spoke to me before I left and he said, if I got first-team football under my belt, I would come back into his plans and he was true to his word.

"I've played quite regularly since then and feel I've held down a place on merit."

While Neilson was busy thrashing out an extension to his deal at Hearts, the Vladimir Romanov revolution was in full swing with no fewer than 11 new faces coming into the club during the transfer window.

Of those new recruits Lithuanian internationalist Nerijus Barasa and Slovakian star Martin Petras can both operate in Neilson's right-back role but the Scot insisted he isn't worried about losing his place, in fact he is relishing the competition.

"I trained with the new guys yesterday and they all looked decent players," he said.

"Obviously there was a fair few different languages being spoken but I know the club are sorting out English lessons for them all which will help.

"But, at the end of the day, good players can play together and work things out on the pitch and it doesn't matter what language you speak.

"Personally I just need to play as well as I can and if I do that hopefully I will stay in the team.

"The manager has always told the players that he will pick the guys that are on form and I'm sure that's what he'll do.

"We've got a lot of new faces in recently and that has to give the club a lift and hopefully raise the standard a bit, whether that's with these guys coming into the team or the guys that are already there lifting their game.

"It can only benefit you as an individual as you know you will have to train to the best of your ability and play to the best of your ability otherwise you could find yourself on the sidelines."

The next chance for Neilson to impress is likely to come this Saturday when Aberdeen visit Tynecastle in the fourth round of the Tennent's Scottish Cup.

Neilson was on the groundstaff at Hearts when they last lifted the trophy back in May 1998 and will never forget the celebrations after that historic 2-1 victory over Rangers.

And, while admitting there is still a long way to go, he revealed he would love to see a repeat of those scenes.

"I was just a young boy and although I wasn't directly involved in that game I still remember it well.

"There was a real buzz about the club at that time and it would be great to think we could manage that again.

"First up is Aberdeen though and we need to concentrate on that. It's a massive game and a good opportunity to get into the next round being at home.

"Aberdeen are a good team despite their league position at the moment so we know it will be hard but we are good enough to beat them.

"If we can get into the next round then all of a sudden you are only a couple of games away from the final which is a huge incentive to everyone.

"With Celtic also being out, I'm sure that all the teams left in the competition fancy their chances a wee bit."

Taken from the Scotsman