POOR OLD NEIL, WHY IS HE ALWAYS AT CENTRE OF RAMMY?

SPITTING is one of the worst offences that any footballer can commit on the field of play.

Not for one minute would I condone the actions of anyone who spits - and I include my Hearts team-mate Rudi Skacel in that statement.

That is why before making any comment as club captain I had to be 100 per cent certain Rudi was telling me the truth.

I spoke to him on a number of occasions about this and the fact I was prepared to go public and defend him I wanted to be completely sure that he did not commit the offence.

Rudi categorically denies spitting at Neil Lennon. He admits he did spit but not at the Celtic player.

The one thing I will say is poor old Neil Lennon.

He always seems to be the one involved in the middle of any controversy.

He always seems so innocent but in a lot of the highlighted incidents that have occurred between players this season the one common denominator is Neil Lennon.

This should not be overlooked. He was defended by his manager after the Stuart Dougal incident and then there was the CIS Cup Final war of words with Greg Shields when he criticised a fellow professional.

I understand that spitting is an entirely different issue but Lennon has gone public and made a great deal about things again.

And again he has claimed he is completely innocent.

But in this instance I do not think Lennon has been gracious in defeat and he has tried to cloud that by making a big issue of something we at Hearts simply do not believe happened.

If Rudi did spit at Lennon then I certainly would not defend him in any shape or form nor would I put these comments into print but I just don't believe such an incident took place.

Rangers' victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday turned the heat up on us going into Sunday's match against Celtic but not for the first time this season we showed our true mettle.

Real character was evident again at Tynecastle and that says a lot about this Hearts side.

We have been handling that kind of pressure all season both on and off the park.

If history tells us anything it is that seasons can come apart at the seams in a matter of minutes.

Everyone knows how Celtic blew the title in the final minutes at Fir Park last season and no Jambos fan needs reminding of what happened in 1986. Our players stand on the verge of making history by becoming the first Hearts squad to qualify for the Champions League.

Our fate is in our hands but the final hurdle is always the hardest to overcome.

We are concentrating solely on the fact that if Hearts can beat Aberdeen then we will have a crack at European football's premier competition regardless of other results.

We are focused on taking care of our own job but we will be coming up against a determined Aberdeen side who have not given up hope of qualifying for Europe themselves.

Regardless of the outcome at Easter Road we will be approaching our fixture with the same objective - to win the game and qualify for the Champions League. The pressure we are under is immense but it is a fantastic kind of pressure.

The sort of pressure the likes of Livingston have had to deal with this season is far worse.

Not only are we talking about players' contracts but about employees within the club relying on Livi staying up to remain in employment. That is a horrible pressure and an unwelcome burden to live with.

The Hearts squad should enjoy this pressure we are under. This is a chance for us to right our own chapter in the club's history and this could be one of Hearts' most memorable seasons ever.

We can almost reach and touch the finishing line it is that close and this group of guys in the Hearts dressing room are determined to see the job through.

I would also like to give a special mention to the players who have not featured regularly in the side.

It is very easy to get disillusioned as I am sure many of them are about not playing in the first team.

But none of those fringe players have allowed problems to manifest in the dressing room.

They have shown great professionalism and have been right behind the players who have been performing and that for me has typified the spirit in the dressing room.

It has helped us enormously and contributed to our success as a club this season.

It has been one almighty rollercoaster playing for Hearts this season and I can assure you that I and the group of players have endured a lot. We will never experience a campaign like this again in our lives.

Taken from the Daily Record