THE HART AND SOUL OF GORGIE SUCCESS

IT WAS a picture of determination and the perfect portrayal of the part played by Paul Hartley in Hearts' glorious season.

It wasn't a high-trajectory free-kick thudding into the top corner of the goal. Nor a precision pass to set up a scoring chance for one of his team-mates.

No, my enduring mental image of Hartley's contribution happened in the middle of the field at Tynecastle during the 1-1 draw with Rangers in March.

He ran half the length of the pitch chasing the ball while grappling with two Rangers players, one on either side.

There was no way, despite the numerical disadvantage, he planned to come off second best.

Hartley's two opponents tried desperately to shut the gap as the Hearts midfielder attempted to burst between them at pace.

The ball was heading towards the touchline and the more sensible option might have been to give it up but the look on Paul's face told a different story.

I can still see his pained expression as he piled in every ounce of energy.

It may have seemed an innocuous midfield tussle but for Hartley at that moment it was the big battle that needed to be won.

That incredible lung-bursting effort, that dogged determination, is typical of his huge input to the Gorgie success story.

And that's before you consider his making and taking of scoring chances.

How many Hearts goals this season can you remember that didn't feature Hartley's involvement? Not too many.

He's the club's top scorer with 17 goals from midfield having overtaken Rudi Skacel with the midweek penalty against Aberdeen that sealed second spot in the SPL for the Tynecastle team.

Hartley's Hampden hat-trick that condemned Hibs to a 4-0 hammering in the Scottish Cup semi-finals takes star billing but his performance last Sunday in the crucial defeat of Celtic can't be far behind.

Then there's his goal creation. From any dead ball situation he's a major threat.

Whipped in at pace, Paul's deliveries from corners and free-kicks are often impossible to defend.

He was named last Thursday as Bank of Scotland player of the month for April.

But I'm baffled why he wasn't a serious contender for player of the season.

I suppose he suffered a mid-season dip in form and maybe his frustration showed in the caught-on-camera kick at Celtic's Ross Wallace on New Year's Day that earned him a suspension.

But Hartley was a huge influence as George Burley's team set the early pace and no player has done more in the last couple of months to make sure Hearts hit the finishing line ahead of Gers.

I'm not saying he should have beaten team-mate Craig Gordon to the football writers' top award.

I stand by what I wrote long before the big goalie won the big prize. His consistency of excellence deserved recognition.

But Hartley should at least have been one of the four nominations for the Players' award. Come to think of it, Gordon, incredibly, didn't make it either.

Both should have been in there ahead of Skacel whose form tailed off dramatically after the turn of the year.

And Celtic's Stilian Petrov was a strange choice too as he's had better campaigns.

I have no problem with Petrov's team-mate Shaun Maloney picking up the Scottish PFA prize. His emergence this season is a football fairytale.

And Kris Boyd deserved his place on the short list too after finishing top scorer at Kilmarnock AND Rangers this season.

I keep hearing he's not the complete player. If I was a 22-year-old with 35 goals to my name I'd be happy to stay incomplete.

Hearts' top two performers were noticeable by their absence from the honours list. Maybe the votes were collected too early in the season.

In fact, skipper Steven Pressley could have been a contender as well. Hearts wouldn't be where they are without his leadership.

But you tend to take his outstanding performances for granted. He's been doing it for so long.

For me though no-one has done more than Hartley to get Hearts to the promised land of the Champions League qualifiers.

He's been a constant driving force in midfield while all around him has been changing.

Some 34 different players have been used. Hartley has played under four different managers this season.

Nothing has deflected him from his pursuit of success.

His drive and enthusiasm have been infectious to the players around him.

It's unbelievable he has not been quoted for either player of the year awards - because he's ending the campaign as the country's top performer.