JAMBO JOY NIGHT: 2 GOOD

HEARTS last night achieved their dream of clinching a Champions League place.

And once again their hero was Paul Hartley, who scored from a penalty to beat Aberdeen 1-0.

Tynecastle erupted at the final whistle and the victory renders Sunday's clash with Rangers at Ibrox meaningless.

Keeper Craig Gordon was ecstatic at the finish and said: "It has been a long hard struggle but tonight has made it all worth while."

Hearts 1 Aberdeen 0

HEARTS last night spared themselves the trauma of a final-day showdown with Rangers at Ibrox when they secured second place in the SPL and a spot in the Champions League.

The prize came courtesy of a Paul Hartley penalty in 54 minutes after Aberdeen defender Zander Diamond had stopped a certain goal with a hand.

It was a deserved win for the Tynecastle side who have never been out of the top two places all season and it was captured on a dramatic night in Gorgie.

Jimmy Calderwood had been prowling the area around the mouth of the tunnel watching his players loosen up but also shooting glances at his opponents.

Perhaps he was envious of Hearts' position and possibilities which lay before them and occasionally he would bend slightly to one side sharing a whispered comment with one of his assistants, Jimmy Nicholl or Sandy Clark.

However, there was an obvious confidence about Calderwood's gait as he led his squad indoors barely 15 minutes before kick-off.

He had his own plan and goal, he always has, and given his side's form he was entitled to believe his Dons could deny one half of Edinburgh the right to party.

It certainly wouldn't have been lost on the travelling supporters that their side were the last non-Old Firm club to represent Scotland in the top European competition back in 1985-86 and here they were last night trying to block the path of another outfit with big aspirations.

Yet Calderwood's objective wasn't to break Hearts. He was focused on getting his own side back into Europe, even though he was aiming for the secondary UEFA Cup competition and when he re-emerged for the start of the game he was wearing a smile as wide as the Forth.

He rubbed his hands together and urged his players one last time and Kevin McNaughton wasted no time easing himself into the match storming out of defence with only seconds on the clock.

He prodded a pass through to Ritchie Foster but the intent was read by Craig Gordon who cleaned up and Hearts were on the move with Roman Bednar pounding down the inside-right channel before cutting the ball back to Edgaras Jankauskas.

He mishit his shot but it was a storming start as it usually always is when Hearts are involved but this time Aberdeen, unlike Celtic at the weekend, were not caught cold.

Again Gordon had to dive on Foster's low cross to prevent the Pittodrie side's strikers from applying a finish although Russell Anderson, one of the Scottish game's real unsung heroes, denied Bednar and Jankauskas at the other end as the sun set between the Wheatfield and Roseburn stands.

Calderwood threw his hands up in despair but to be fair to the man with the tan he'd just witnessed big Diamond give the ball away for the second successive time.

There was another grimace when it became clear Stevie Crawford's shift was over after 33 when he had to hobble off.

Darren Mackie was sent on just in time to watch as Diamond threw himself full length to head away a dangerous Jankauskas cross into Jamie Langfield's box.

Then Hartley zipped downfield before leaving the ball to Bednar whose cross from the right was almost knocked in by Skacel but even if he'd had a little more length on his legs his effort wouldn't have counted.

He and possibly also Jankauskas were offside and Calderwood was becoming increasingly edgy on the touchline.

Valdas Ivanuaskas continued to sit passively in the stand watching as his players started to force the pace and push the Dons deeper into their own territory but the goal Hearts' fans craved remained elusive although Bednar should have done more than dwell on the ball seconds before the break allowing a chance to slip away.

Ivanuaskas would have been telling his side during the break they needed to get the job done in the remaining 45 minutes rather than take their quest to the final day on Sunday and the message seemed to have registered as Bednar and then Skacel ran at the Aberdeen defence, forcing Anderson into a less than elegant clearance.

Even Neilson, who can send a throw-in longer than some players can kick the ball, seemed to have greater power in his arms and he was able to launch the ball deep into dangerous areas causing chaos.

Then, in 52 minutes, Langfield missed Skacel's corner from the right, Bednar got a flick on and Diamond appeared to use a hand to prevent the goal.

He should have been ordered to walk by referee Stuart Dougal but was only booked much to the dismay of Hearts' fans but all through the arguing and shouting Hartley remained calm and apart.

He had the responsibility of taking the penalty and nothing was going to distract him from his task. When the referee gave him the nod he belted the ball into Langfield's net and Tynecastle went crazy.

Hartley's 17th goal of the season brought the Champions League within touching distance but the Dons were not done and Gary Dempsey was sent on for Diamond, who was toiling.

Hearts took off Skacel and sent on Sailius Mikoliunas in 65 minutes as the cold night air became charged with even more tension.

Hearts were edging ever closer to their goal but the fans didn't dare believe and some of them actually turned away when Aberdeen looked like breaking forward. But there was no real belief now in the Dons attacks.

Hearts fans were on their feet as Mikoliunas turned on the edge of the box and then sent in a shot which Langfield just managed to touch away from the bottom right-hand corner of his goal.

How they all needed that second goal which would ease the pressure and have Gorgie's landlords rubbing their hands in gleeful anticipation but Aberdeen were stubborn if not stylish although they were in further trouble 10 minutes from the end when Severin was sent off.

He had clattered into Aguiar and Dougal had no hesitation in pulling out the red card. Calderwood stared at the ground, the grand plan he had been working on and the expectations dashed.

Yet with the prize even closer to Hearts a strange silence seemed to descend on Tynecastle.

Then the fans found their voices again although the songs and chants lacked their earlier volume but the reception Bednar received when he made way for Michal Pospisil a few minutes from time shook the dust from the rafters.

All Hearts had to do was keep their heads and the ball. Just play simple passes and run down the clock and when Smith's cross from the right drifted over the roof of Gordon's net more precious seconds were lost.

Even more were spent with Hearts making another change. Aguiar went off Julien Brellier took over. Only two more minutes and it would be over. Ibrox on Sunday would be a formality and now Hearts' fans bellieved fully.

When Dougal blew for the final time Vladimir Romanov jumped on to the shelf in front of the directors' box . Mission accomplished.

MAN OF THE MATCH Roman Bednar (Hearts)

HEARTS -Gordon 6, Neilson 6, Pressley 7, Tall 7, Fyssas 6, Cesnauskas 5, Aguiar 7 (Brellier 90) 1, Hartley 7, Skacel 7 (Mikoliunas 66) 2, Jankauskas 6, Bednar 7 (Pospisil 88) 1. Subs not used: Banks, Berra, Wallace, Barasa.

ABERDEEN - Langfield 7, Diamond 5 (Dempsey 66) 2, Anderson 7, Severin 6, Byrne 6, Foster 6, McNaughton 7, Nicholson 7, Smith 6, Lovell 4 (Mackie 33) 6, Crawford 6. Subs Not used: Esson, Considine, Macauley, Maguire, Griffin.

Referee - S Dougal.

Taken from the Daily Record