Winning in style is not important

IT IS beyond question that Steven Pressley, a Scottish Style Awards nominee in the category of the country's most stylish male, would forego elegance in favour of Hearts scratching out a result on Thursday night.

The captain knows odds are stacked against his side in the Czech Republic. Two-nil down from the first leg in Edinburgh, Pressley is seeking to inspire his colleagues past Sparta Prague and into the UEFA Cup group stages. Improbable, perhaps, but not impossible, is the defender's attitude.

Three consecutive victories on the road, against Motherwell, Alloa Athletic and Aberdeen, have contributed significantly to a feel-good factor within the Hearts squad that will be carried with them when they board the Czech Airlines Boeing 737 tomorrow morning. But, for Pressley, an additional and unexpected source of cheerfulness has been the recognition of his personal panache.

The Scottish Style Awards aim to showcase the nation's best design talent, and one of the most fiercely-contested categories is that of Most Stylish Male. Nominees must be Scots-born individuals who display an "inspirational and iconic personal style".

There can be little doubting Pressley's influence in the dressing room at Tynecastle in recent years but perhaps even the man himself would have been taken aback at learning how his ragged and rugged look had found favour among image-makers.

The other nominees for an award that was taken by Trainspotting actor Robert Carlyle last year are Dario Franchitti, the Armani-sporting Indy Cars driver of Italian stock, Jim Lambie, a conceptual artist from Glasgow who was last year nominated for the Turner Prize, David Tennant, below, who plays Doctor Who, and food critic AA Gill.

Time for the quick-witted among the Hearts squad to shunt their minds into overdrive, you might think, and continue the increasing camaraderie among the players by exploiting a rare opportunity to mock their sophisticated skipper. "No, no, no. I'm absolutely milking it," laughs Pressley.

"The boys brought it to my attention on Sunday morning and it's actually perfect timing. I cleared out my wardrobes several days ago to get rid of some of my older clothes. I put them in bin bags to take to the charity shops but after hearing of my nomination I phoned my wife straight away and said: 'Cancel the bin bags, we're having an auction!"

Paul Hartley, himself no stranger to a designer label, revealed his own disappointment at being ignored for the award. He had, after all, adopted a clean-shaven look supplemented by a fresh haircut for the journey to Pittodrie on Sunday. "I'm gutted, to be fair," said the midfielder.

The light-hearted sentiments at least back-up Pressley's assertion that there is an air of quiet confidence presently surrounding the Hearts camp. Come Thursday in the Toyota Arena, the players will be required to deliver a performance more forceful and assertive than perhaps any previously given by their club on the continent. At the same time, composure and assurance will be necessities.

Pittodrie on Sunday provided the ideal platform for practising such a gameplan. Aberdeen took a dominant grip of the early proceedings to force Pressley and his defensive partners into a retreat but, with the vital aid of Craig Gordon, the visitors' goal remained intact despite some alarming openings appearing at the back.

In the second half, Hearts' confidence was cultivated by better movement of both players and ball and when Christophe Berra put the side ahead there was an instant transformation in the visitors' posture, allowing them to spring forward almost at will to score two more excellent goals for a 3-1 victory.

"Aberdeen started the game extremely well and put us on the back foot, but I thought we showed a great deal of resilience," opines Pressley. "Although they pressed us back we defended as a team really well. There were a couple of big saves from our goalkeeper but we produced great character and slowly but surely began to get a foothold in the game.

"We had better possession of the ball in the second half and the game had opened up slightly. We were showing more composure and, although Aberdeen put us under some more pressure, they never really looked like scoring after the break.

"Some of our breakaways were fantastic and I think we have answered our critics now. The only way you can do that is getting results. It's okay talking the talk but you have to deliver and over the past week or so we have certainly done that."

The assignment in Prague, though, is an altogether different proposition. Sparta have recovered from the erratic early-season form which cost head coach Stanislav Griga his job and currently sit third in the Czech Gambrinus Liga under new coach Michal Bilek, seven points behind leaders Mlada Boleslav after eight matches.

Last Thursday they annihilated lower division club Dosta Bystrc 6-0 in the Czech Cup before another demolition took place in the Toyota Arena on Sunday as Ceske Budejovice were dispatched 3-0 in the league. For Hearts to overhaul the two-goal first-leg deficit on Thursday, titanic performances from recent UEFA Cup campaigns in places such as Bordeaux and Basel will have to be superseded.

"I think going through on Thursday would do that," admits Pressley. "When we go out there, and I know this from my own experiences in Europe, if we were to score an away goal then they will become very nervous. The game could change in an instant, it could change on one set-play. If we do manage to score first, the pressure changes and we have a real chance. Sparta's stadium is very similar to Tynecastle and maybe that will suit us. I don't think we've got anything to lose, people have written us off but we believe we can progress. The game will change with an all-important away goal."

So would progress by virtue of some more classy opportunist strikes appeal to one of Scotland's best-dressed men? "Oh, yes," says Pressley. In truth, he would graciously accept any result that was sufficient to propel Hearts into the next stage of the UEFA Cup. Stylish or stuffy, Pressley couldn't care less.

Taken from the Scotsman