Ewan Murray at Tynecastle
Thursday May 4, 2006
The Guardian

The final meaningful act of the SPL season was played out last night, fittingly at Tynecastle, where Heart of Midlothian have supplied such drama, excitement and controversy to fuel what was previously regarded as a stagnant competition.

This now famous Hearts side will finish second in the domestic championship for the first time in 14 seasons and enter the Champions League qualifying stages for the first time in their history next season. They also have the luxury of travelling to Ibrox on Sunday for a meeting with Rangers which is entirely meaningless.

Finishing his final campaign in third place in the domestic table is a cruel way for Alex McLeish to end his 4∫ year tenure at Ibrox, but few would begrudge these Hearts players, who have maintained ultimate professionalism throughout a most dramatic 10 months, the opportunity to play against Europe's elite.

Hearts' chairman Roman Romanov immediately set his sights on making an impact on the Champions League. He said: "The fans deserve it because it has been long awaited. Our goal was to achieve certain things and we are moving in the right direction.

"We will now sit down with the coaching staff to listen to what positions we have weaknesses in and where we need to improve to compete in Europe."

A Paul Hartley penalty was enough for the home side last night to begin a party both inside and outside this famous old ground. A Scottish Cup final appearance is to come on Saturday week but these Hearts players already have their names etched in the annals of club history. The 1-0 win also means that Gretna, Hearts' Cup final opponents, will play in the Uefa Cup next season.

"When Vladimir Romanov came to the club he made a few statements and I think a few people were sceptical about what he could achieve," said Hearts' captain Steven Pressley. "I'm still taking it in but it's been a fantastic night, if a very nervy one. Many people said this season was our biggest chance to win the league but I don't believe that; I believe this is the start of something really special here."

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of one of the blackest days in Hearts' history, given that on May 3 1986 the club lost out on the Scottish league championship on the final day of the season. This time Hearts' aspirations were slightly more modest but the club's supporters arrived at Tynecastle more in hope than expectation after a series of setbacks which have marked the intervening two decades.

Valdas Ivanauskas, Hearts' interim manager and an altogether impassive character at the best of times, cut a typically motionless figure in the main stand for the majority of the game. The Lithuanian, serving the first game of a two-match touchline ban, must have shared the palpable anxieties of the home supporters as the first half wore on and Hearts struggled to create meaningful goalscoring opportunities.

However, Rudi Skacel came within inches of opening the scoring eight minutes from the interval when he met a fine Roman Bednar cross at the back post. It was obvious Hearts needed an early second- half goal to settle rising anxiety and the breakthrough came nine minutes after the interval when Zander Diamond handled a Skacel corner in the Aberdeen box.

Hartley dispatched the penalty with a typically clinical touch and Vladimir Romanov danced with joy alongside the now buoyant Ivanauskas in the directors' box. Scott Severin summed up the visitors' abject frustration as he was sent off for a lunge on Bruno Aguiar.

The final word, though, should be for Hearts and their impressive striker Edgaras Jankauskas, who won the Champions League with Porto in 2004. The 31-year-old said: "This means as much to me as winning the competition because Porto had players who were experienced and expected to win; this team has been built from scratch in less than a year."

Taken from the Guardian/Observer