No time like present for Cesnauskis

THEY came, they saw and they plundered and there are many at Hearts who have not forgotten it, let alone forgiven it. It was the match that Vladimir Romanov claims turned the season in favour of Celtic and, ultimately, cost his club the Bank of Scotland Premierleague title.

A modicum of revenge for that January 1 defeat came in the final head-to-head of last term when Hearts tore the league champions apart 3-0, but while the Gorgie club's owner may still be looking for more, according to Deividas Cesnauskis, the players do not permit the past to influence the present.

For them it's the here and now that matters, the opportunity to prove that this year they are a force to be reckoned with and no one-hit wonders.

"Yes, that [New Year's encounter] was an important game for us and for Celtic, and Takis [Fyssas] was sent off and they got two more goals and it was a big win for them. But we are not angry about it now. Maybe, if we had won it might have been different, but this is a new season and we are looking forward to this season. I'm not nervous about it. It will be interesting. Interesting for me and the other players and interesting for everyone else."

Interesting only as an early indication of form, not a way of predicting the outcome of the season.

"I do not know what other people will think but it is only the start of the season. If we lose to Celtic or we win, that won't matter because it is a long season and a lot more games to come in the future."

Last year, the first meeting came in October and by that stage Hearts had accumulated a nine-game unbeaten run in the league, eight of them victories, including one against the other half of the Old Firm.

Celtic by contrast had been forced to overcome a shaky start thanks to their Artmedia Bratislava collapse and an opening-day draw with Motherwell before notching up their own series of victories which were tarnished only by a defeat to Rangers.

Hearts, though, defied predictions of bursting bubbles to take a draw from Parkhead to stake their claim to greater credibility and a serious league title challenge.

It all started to come unstuck on that first day of 2006, though. And if memories of last year do not fuel the desire for revenge they do serve as a target to aim for. By the end of the latest campaign 17 points separated the two teams, who had been nip and tuck going into the New Year's Day game. The void had been four points prior to kick-off, it was seven by the conclusion of play and, once Hearts had lost their grip of Celtic's coat-tails, it was a gap that just kept growing.

"I believe in Hearts and in my team. I hope everything will be okay and the 17 points are not important. I know it will be Celtic, Rangers and Hearts again competing for the places.

"But it will not be easy. Rangers have changed their coach they have a good coach I think and they have new players and they have a good chance but Hearts, Celtic and Rangers are three good teams so I don't know."

The fact Hearts beat the Parkhead side the last time they travelled to Tynecastle is as irrelevant as any other old result, according to Cesnauskis. "This is a new season and a new game. Okay we won that one but that won't make this one any easier."

The Lithuanian winger, who was afforded a starting berth in three of last year's four head-to-heads with Gordon Strachan's men, is especially wary of the talents of Stilian Petrov and Maciej Zurawski, and with Edgaras Jankauskas and Paul Hartley both expected to be missing from the Hearts ranks, the magnitude of the task is heightened.

"This is a big test for Hearts and hopefully for Celtic but this is the first of two big games for us." The second comes on Wednesday against AEK Athens, as they attempt to move one step closer to joining Celtic in the group stages of the Champions League. But it is that task which will add to the difficulty factor this afternoon. A tough game in Bosnia on Wednesday night will have taken its toll, as will the extended overnight journey home. Far from ideal preparation for a major domestic clash, but something they will have to ready themselves for should the upcoming European tie go to plan.

In this instance at least there is some solace in the fact that Celtic too have been clocking up the miles. Only back from a trip to Japan on Friday morning, there will be tiredness in that camp too.

Just as they did last term, though, Hearts hope to serve up a wake-up call to all. Having had to settle for second best last term, they want to be challenging for the title again. The only difference this year is that they want to ensure they are applying the pressure well past January 1.

Taken from the Scotsman