Neilson happy to be keystone in rejigged Jambos back line

A QUICK glance along the Hearts backline on Saturday suggested that Robbie Neilson would have to rely on every last drop of his experience at Easter Road.

The reliable right-back has been an almost ever-present in the Tynecastle defence in the SPL this season, more often than not joining Steven Pressley and Takis Fyssas among the first names on the teamsheet.

However, in their enforced absence and with Andy Webster sitting in the stand amid rumours of a rift with Vladimir Romanov over an unsigned contract extension, Neilson, pictured below, was asked to be the keystone of a defence which had an average age of just 22 in one of the biggest matches of the season.

Lining up alongside Ibrahim Tall, Christophe Berra and 18-year-old Lee Wallace, a trio who have never played together in the top flight, was always going to be a test of character but it was one Neilson was happy to rise to.

And, while he admits it has been difficult to adjust to the number of new faces appearing beside him with every passing week, he also believes that all three who played on Saturday - if required over the remaining games - have the ability to help Hearts finish the season on a high.

Neilson said: "In the last few weeks the defence has changed quite a bit and it does make it difficult to adjust. But what you have to remember is that it is all quality players who are coming into the squad and we should still be able to defend well.

"I thought we defended okay, we lost two bad goals but, those apart, I thought that we looked quite solid. Christophe Berra did well, he's a strong player, physically strong and he is fast. He has all the attributes you need. He has waited his time in the reserves and now he has got a wee chance and he'll be hoping to take it."

Pressley remains a doubt for Hearts' next match against Celtic with a troublesome back injury although he will work round the clock with club physios this week in a bid to make the starting line-up.

Fyssas is also expected to come back into contention for a place but Jose Goncalves is out longer-term with a hamstring injury and that could mean another place in the starting line-up for young Berra.

Despite his confidence in the rising stars who have broken into the first team in the absence of some of the more familiar faces at Tynecastle, Neilson is hoping to be part of a more recognised back-line when Celtic come calling.

Rangers reduced the gap - albeit by just one point - to four after Sunday's goalless Old Firm match and that means they now have the opportunity to put the pressure back on Hearts by temporarily reducing it even further this weekend as they face Kilmarnock on Saturday while the Gorgie face Celtic on Sunday.

Neilson knows Hearts will need all of the experience they can muster if they are to add another vital three points to their tally against the Parkhead side and added: "We would hope to have some of the more experienced players back for next weekend when we are at home to Celtic. It will be a different team again probably. If we could win that game it would set us up for the game against Aberdeen next Wednesday night. They are both home games and we need to be looking at taking all six points."

The Tynecastle squad will have to lift themselves after the disappointment of derby defeat but, with a Champions League place to chase, that should not be a problem for Valdas Ivanauskas as far as motivation is concerned.

Neilson, for one, is concentrating on the plus-points of the season so far, adding: "We didn't really play at all in the first half and I think we were quite lucky to get it back to one-each. I thought we did well in the second half but it was disappointing to lose the goal. We've got to be positive, though, because we are still four points ahead. We need to keep looking at the positives and make sure that the confidence is still high in the camp. We're all still focused on getting second place and it is up to us to do that. At the start of the season if someone had said that we would be four points clear of Rangers with just three games to go, we would have been more than happy with that."

Neilson admits, though, that Hearts will have to come out of the blocks firing on all cylinders against Celtic, something they didn't do against Hibs. A sluggish start at Easter Road proved their downfall against Tony Mowbray's men, allowing the home side to enjoy a goal advantage before Hearts had settled into any kind of rhythm.

Ivanauskas and his assistant John McGlynn soon resolved that issue, telling the players in no uncertain terms at the break that their first-half show had fallen well short of the standards now expected of them.

"Valdas had a go at the boys and made it clear that we need to perform well for the whole

90 minutes," admitted the 25-year-old. "I think that was definitely the worst we have played in a long time, we just never got going at all. If we had taken those chances that we had at the start of the second half then it could have been a different story" Ironically, while they dealt a blow to Hearts on Saturday, Hibs could now help hand the keys to the Champions League front door to the Gorgie outfit as they play host to Rangers next Tuesday night. Of course, Hearts could already have secured their place in the competition by then - if Rangers lose at Rugby Park and Hearts beat Celtic they would extend the gap to seven points with only six available from the remaining two games.

If it is still in the melting pot, though, Neilson knows Rangers will find the trip to Easter Road anything but easy, adding: "They'll give Rangers a hard game. Easter Road is a difficult place to go to.

"They play a high-tempo game, put a lot of balls into the box, they put you under a lot of pressure and they've got a lot of pace as well - but we know that we lost two slack goals on Saturday.

"We saw just last week when Rangers drew with Aberdeen that every team in the top half of the table is capable of dropping points.

"We've got three difficult games left but so have Rangers. Hopefully, we can do our bit and the other teams can do us a turn as well."

Taken from the Scotsman