Champions League spot will be ours, predicts Pressley

ALTHOUGH Hearts fate this season will be settled in forthcoming fixtures against their strongest rivals - four of their remaining eight league games are against Celtic, Rangers and Hibs - Steven Pressley, the captain, was adamant the 1-1 draw with Rangers which kept Hearts six points clear of their nearest challengers in second place yesterday was a better result for the home side than the visitors.

Pressley said: "The result was a fair reflection of the game but it wasn't satisfying from our point of view because we wanted to win the fixture. I absolutely believe we're in pole position and have a six-point cushion with eight games to go. Yes, there's a lot of football to be played. But who's position would you rather be in? I genuinely feel we can achieve that Champions League place."

The Hearts defender defended referee Craig Thomson's decision to show Dado Prso a yellow card rather than red when the striker elbowed him in the face. "It was the correct decision in a very physical game," he said.

He also defused a controversy stoked by TV about a clash late on in the contest between Takis Fyssas and Nacho Novo. Pressley refuted any suggestion the Rangers player spat at the Greek defender. "Takis got a cut on the head and he was showing Nacho the blood on his hand," said the Hearts captain.

Jim Duffy, Hearts director of football, took issue with the suggestion the team had again run out of gas and argued it was inevitable a side of Rangers' calibre would enjoy a period of ascendancy in such a significant game.

"There was a lot at stake for both teams and it was a game about commitment rather than silky soccer," he said. "Both teams cancelled each other out to a certain extent. But we were delighted to keep that six point gap between the teams.

"Defensively, I thought we were outstanding and there was another tremendous save from Craig Gordon. Perhaps there was a wee twinge of disappointment after leading 1-0, but we're still in the driving seat for second place. The closer you get to the line, the more tense it becomes, and we won't look beyond the next match at Falkirk."

Having once trailed Hearts by 16 points and trimmed the difference to six, Alex McLeish, the Rangers manager, who won the championship on the final day last season, is entitled to feel a momentum swing toward his players.

"This result wasn't a disaster for us," he reasoned. "Hearts showed they were really up for it at the start. We played so much better in the second-half and created a few chances. Of course I feel the gap between ourselves and Hearts can be bridged - there are enough points still at stake for us to do it. I think the race for second place will go right down to the wire.

"Our fightback was what I would expect of Rangers and Hearts had to thank Craig Gordon, who is a terrific goalkeeper. He made some fantastic saves and, to be honest, we missed a couple of snips. But there were a lot of positives for us to take. Barry Ferguson looked really strong again and Chris Burke was exceptional."

Kris Boyd, the SPL's top scorer who came off the bench in the second half, believes the final meeting of the campaign between the two clubs at Ibrox could be decisive. "Hearts have still to come to Ibrox and that's a game we need to win," he said. "Then we'll see how they [Hearts] handle it from there. We've had a taste of the Champions League and know that's where we want to be. We need to finish second in order to do that. Over the coming weeks, hopefully we can get there and that will give us a good platform for next season.

"The mental side will play a big part in it and it's up to us to keep winning our games. Hopefully, Hearts will slip up along the way and we can take advantage of that.

"When you play for Rangers, you know you've got to win every week."

Taken from the Scotsman