DONS HAVE SCOT THE LOT AS RIVALS FACE HOME TRUTHS

SCOTT SEVERIN savoured a tartan triumph over Hearts and admitted Aberdeen are reaping the benefits of having an all-Scottish line-up.

The Aberdeen skipper was one of 11 home players who started for Hearts at Tynecastle against hosts who could boast only a couple - and he insisted it made a difference. Former Hearts midfielder Severin said: "We had 11 Scots starting and I think they had only two. That shows the progress we are making with home-bred players.

"I think it helps to have so many Scots. Everyone is very together and working hard for each other. If somebody makes a mistake you know your team-mate is right behind you with the next tackle."

Severin - whose 87th-minute effort on goal led to Steve Lovell's winning tap-in - admitted to some sympathy for the plight of his old club but was delighted the Scottish starting contingent did not reach three with the inclusion of his international team-mate Paul Hartley.

He added: "It's a difficult time for Hearts. Mr Romanov is trying to do it his way and a few people don't like it.

"But there are still a lot of good players there. It's just a matter of getting the balance right.

"It was a big bonus for us that Paul wasn't playing from the start and when he came on he had a terrific game.

"He makes late runs into the box and you can see by the reception he got when he came on that the fans love him here. We knew if we kept a clean sheet we could sneak one and that's what happened.

"I just tried to hit the target and there was a bit of movement on the ball. Although Craig Gordon saved it I was delighted it fell to Stevie and he put it away well.

"Our record isn't the greatest at Tynecastle. We'd only scored one goal here in our last nine visits so we are delighted with the goal and the win."

The victory keeps the heat on Rangers - who travel to Pittodrie on Saturday - in the race for second spot and the Champions League qualifying place that goes with it.

Severin said: "It's a big game against Rangers next week and if we can get a result we can carry it on into the New Year.

"Hopefully we can split the Old Firm as Hearts did last year. In the past our home form has been the problem but we've got it right this season.

"We know we are difficult to beat away from home and we proved that again at Tynecastle.

"We haven't thought about the Champions League because we are trying to take it a week at a time. But we know it's a massive game against Rangers and hopefully we can get the points."

Taken from the Daily Record