PRESSLEY HAPPY WITH HEARTS ACHIEVEMENT

By Ronnie Esplin, PA Sport

Hearts skipper Steven Pressley believes his side have proved a point after claiming a Champions League qualifying spot for the first time.

The Gorgie club overcame Aberdeen 1-0 on Wednesday night to secure second place in the Bank of Scotland Premier League.

Hearts have had a peculiar campaign to say the least. They have not been out of the top two in the SPL and have reached the Tennent's Scottish Cup final, in which they will play Gretna on May 13.

But things have been less smooth off the pitch under the stewardship of majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov.

Two managers, George Burley and Graham Rix, were sacked and chief executive Phil Anderton and chairman George Foulkes departed Tynecastle under acrimonious circumstances.

Consequently, Hearts have came in for criticism at various times from other clubs and opposition players but after Paul Hartley's second-half penalty clinched second spot, Pressley took a swipe at the critics.

He said: "We had to show that we had the bottle to carry it through and we answered them last night against Aberdeen.

"They came down with confidence, made life very difficult for us and we really had to show our mettle."

The Edinburgh club will be the first non-Old Firm side from Scotland to qualify for Europe's premier club tournament since their opponents featured in the European Cup of 1985/86.

However, Pressley insists he was always confident the Gorgie players could achieve something special this season and is looking to make a similar impact in the next campaign.

He said: "I remember George Burley meeting with the squad for the first time and he asked us where we thought we could finish in the league.

"I made the statement that we could be first because I believe that if you don't aim high then you won't get high.

"I'm sure there will be additions to the club in the summer because we haven't won the league, we've qualified for the Champions League.

"And we have to prove that we can sustain a challenge to the Old Firm again next season.

"It's been a great season but the proof of a good team is that they can produce season after season."

Taken from sportinglife.com