Santa Stevenson

Hearts star Ryan Stevenson proved his worth to the Jambos yet again as his double gave his side a Christmas present of three priceless points against Dundee Utd on Sunday.

The midfielder, in his second spell at Tynecastle, made it 3 goals in 3 games as he hit the goal trail in part two of his Tynecastle adventure.

Addressing the media in his post-match press conference, the ex-Ayr United man revealed his joy at finally getting back on the scoresheet.

"The talk for a while was my goal drought, which I wasn't pleased about! I've got the monkey off my back now and I'm just pleased to be scoring again".

Two-time Scottish Cup winner Rudi Skacel made his return to Tynecastle in Sunday's match, and - in an unusual moment for modern football - received a standing ovation in the 51st minute of the match in tribute to his display in the 5-1 trouncing of Hibs in the Scottish Cup Final earlier this year.

Admitting it was slightly odd to see an opposing player receive such a reception, Stevo admitted the Czech icon was worthy of it and joked it was the loudest the Hearts fans had been all day!

"Rudi's a legend here, what he's done for Hearts, for this club, is amazing", stated Ryan. "He deserved the reception he got. It was probably the biggest cheer of the day!"

Finally, Ryan took the time to discuss the issue of player bonuses which had grabbed the headlines last week.

"The boys were disappointed the stuff about our bonuses came out, and it sort of sounded as if the players were wanting their bonus payments ahead of the club surviving," he said.

"The players aren't going to defer wages, buy shares for the club to try and help them survive, and then suddenly demand their bonus payments. It doesn't make any sense.

"The players aren't really bothered about it. The main thing is we feel we've been in a poor position, sitting ninth in the league, and this result has catapulted us up there."

Hearts World