Gary Mackay: Victory shows we have the spirit to get a result at Ibrox

Given what happened against Celtic on Wednesday, the game against St Johnstone was always going to be about the result first and foremost and not necessarily the performance.

But the fact Saturday's display was as dominant as it was for long periods shows that everything in the dressing room at the moment is spot on.

I was hugely disappointed that the players didn't do themselves justice at Parkhead on Wednesday. But as a squad, they showed tremendous character to bounce back so well against Saints, having also made four changes to the starting line-up.

As far as the changes were concerned, the one that really caught the eye was the inclusion of Craig Thomson, who set up the goal and provided good legs up the right-hand side. As his agent, I speak to Craig a lot and I know just how much he wants to succeed as a professional football player.

The fact he set up the goal will give him a huge confidence booster and his display also shows the management that he's someone who can be relied upon. We also had Suso back in the starting line-up and Andrew Driver returning to the squad, so there were plenty positives to take from Saturday's game.

It was all doom and gloom after the Celtic game, but to pick up nine points from four really tough games against Kilmarnock, Rangers, Celtic and St Johnstone is a superb return.

We now go to Ibrox where we will be facing wounded soldiers because Rangers will be really disappointed about losing to us last week. There's nothing more dangerous than a wounded Old Firm team, as we found out last Wednesday, because I think Celtic looked fired-up to take revenge on us for their 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle. It goes without saying that you have to show your mettle against the Old Firm and we're going to have to start a lot better at Ibrox than we did at Parkhead.

Speaking of the Celtic game, I thought Rudi Skacel and David Templeton looked jaded that night, but there's no embarrassment in that because the only way you get jaded is if you're giving it you're absolute best shot. We've had so many players over the last few years who've been happy just to pick up their salaries without offering much in return, whereas the likes of Rudi and David have been giving everything for the cause this season. That goes for Rudi in particular because David should have that enthusiasm anyway as he's just a young lad.

Rudi has what I consider to be an old-fashioned attitude - he just wants to play football. He wants his salary obviously, but, unlike some who have left the club over the past few years, Skacel has a genuine enthusiasm and a great attitude which is rubbing off on the younger players at the club.

Attitudes like Rudi's all help towards the cultivation of the team ethic. Hearts haven't got where they are because they've had players producing a nine out of ten performance one week and four out of ten the next. It's been because they've had a core of players producing seven and eight out of ten performances on a consistent basis - that's what makes you a successful unit.

Having rested so many players and still picked up a good victory at the weekend, the management have a few decisions to make for Ibrox because they now have lots options.

After this Wednesday's game we have a nice break before our next game, so the players can really go out and give it their all. After that I'm sure the management will give them a wee bit of time off to themselves to recharge their batteries as it this has been a really intense period of games. I also think the players can go through to Ibrox and relax a little and try and express themselves, because after what happened against Celtic last week, I don't think there's many people out there who still truly believe they can split the Old Firm or win the league.

The pressure is off now to an extent so I would urge the players to enjoy the occasion.

I remember sitting on the subs' bench beside John Robertson when Allan Johnston scored his hat-trick through there in 1996 and it was memorable because those type of results don't come along often for Hearts in Glasgow.

That day we had a player in the team who grabbed the occasion of going to Ibrox with both hands, and, aided by his team-mates, he inspired what remains an incredible victory. Hopefully there is someone in the ranks - maybe Templeton, Skacel, Suso or Driver - who might be thinking 'I want to go through there and turn in the type of display Magic produced' because that game is still vivid in the memory of most Jambos some 15 years on.