No need to panic, says Neilson, as focus stays on Europe

Published on Friday 8 May 2009 23:12

HEARTS captain Robbie Neilson has rejected any talk of panic in the camp at Tynecastle after a run of four games without a win and identified the match against Dundee United on Saturday week as the showdown game in the race for third spot in the SPL and a place in Europe next season.

Hugely disappointed to lose 1-0 to Hibernian in an Edinburgh derby which lacked a cutting edge on Thursday, the defender insisted Hearts won't implode over the closing fixtures and predicted an improved display against Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Tuesday.

"I don't think we'll blow up," he said. "We are a strong team and we will go to Pittodrie and get this out of our system by, hopefully, picking up three points. It just makes the Dundee United game here even bigger. United play Celtic on Tuesday, but no matter the result of that match, when they come here a week on Saturday it will probably decide who will finish in third place.

"There is no panic at all. We still have three games left and Dundee United and Aberdeen, who are not out of the ball game either, have three difficult games left as well. We hope to go up to Pittodrie and win and that Celtic will do us a turn at Parkhead against Dundee United.Then we can look after ourselves here against Dundee United and if we do that I think we will be almost certain to qualify in third place.I am sure that two wins will get us there."

Neilson didn't agree with manager Csaba Laszlo's opinion that Hearts had paid the price for underestimating their rivals and reckoned the home team need to show more up front.

"We didn't think it was going to be easier because they had players out," he insisted. "A lot of our players don't know a lot of players in Scottish football, so you are just going out to play a match.

"We had a lot of possession, just as we did against Rangers, but we didn't create any chances apart from getting a few crosses into the box. It was the same for them. They had Derek Riordan's shot from the edge of the box in the first half and then the penalty incident. It was one ball over the top. Marius Zaliuska must have won 50 headers but the one he didn't has gone through and Riordan got in to be brought down for the penalty.

"We didn't pass it in behind and anything we had was mostly in front of Hibs. We weren't attacking balls that got into the box. We are just lacking the killer ball or somebody getting across the defender to nick the goal. It's something we'll work on. We will take it on the chin."