HEARTS BREATHE SIGH OF RELIEF

By Ronnie Esplin, PA Sport

Hearts midfielder Paul Hartley admits the team breathed a collective sigh of relief after avoiding a final-day showdown at Rangers on Sunday.

The Edinburgh club secured second place in the Bank of Scotland Premier League on Wednesday courtesy of a second-half penalty by the Scotland international against Aberdeen and will play in the Champions League qualifiers next season.

And now the weekend trip to Ibrox, which could have been a winner-takes-all meeting had the Jambos failed to pick up all three points against the Dons, has been rendered meaningless.

The 29-year-old, who has been named Bank of Scotland Player of the month for April, concedes nerves would have been shredded in Govan this weekend without the win over Aberdeen.

Hartley said: "We will go into Sunday's game with the pressure right off us now and I'm delighted.

"I'm not saying we wouldn't have gone there and won the game or got something from it, but it was always going to be difficult.

"The possibility of going to Ibrox and taking something from the game was in everybody's mind because we know it is such a difficult place.

"We had such a big gap over Rangers at one stage, but it had been whittled down to one point before the Aberdeen game.

"It was such a tense game and you could tell when we came in at half time that everybody was nervous.

"But we managed to get there in the end with a game to spare.

"We scraped a result, but it doesn't matter how you do it.

"It is a massive achievement. I don't think the club has ever had success like this before.

"Everybody knows Hearts blew the title in 1986 and we were determined not to blow this.

"We're not guaranteed to get into the Champions League because we have to play two qualifying rounds to play.

"But we have given ourselves a chance and that is all you can ask."

Hartley is hoping the possibility of playing against Europe's elite next season will tempt Andy Webster to patch up his differences with the Tynecastle club.

The Scotland defender has been frozen out in recent weeks after contract talks with the club broke down.

But the Hearts playmaker is sure the prospect of Champions League football can help build bridges.

Hartley said: "I think reaching the Champions League qualifiers can help in sorting things out between Andy and the club.

"I'm sure if Andy looks at it and realises that we are playing Champions League football next year, then things will get resolved.

"He is a fantastic player. We want to keep our best players at the club and he is one of those."

Hartley's own future at Tynecastle is also set to come under the spotlight again with the impending departure of Stilian Petrov from Celtic.

The Jambos midfielder was subject to two failed bids by his boyhood heroes last year before he signed a new three-year contract with the Jambos in August.

But, with the Bulgarian looking to leave leave Celtic Park at the end of the season, Hartley is being touted as a ready-made replacement.

However, the former St Johnstone and Hibernian player was keen to play the rumours down.

Hartley said: "It's fairly easy to put speculation to the back of my mind to be quite honest.

"I had the pressure of being linked with Celtic 18 months ago and I managed to put that to the back of my mind then.

"It's maybe going to crop up if Petrov leaves and people see me as a replacement, but I can guarantee our supporters I'm happy at the club.

"I'm enjoying my football and what more do I want than to get Champions League football.

"And, as long as the club want me to stay here, then I'll be delighted to stay."

Taken from sportinglife.com