Hearts v Celtic
Tynecastle - CBSPL
Saturday 1st December

Welcome back to Tynecastle for this afternoon's meeting with Celtic in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

Our last match here was a comprehensive victory over Aberdeen, the 4-1 win sending us all into the international break in positive mood. It could be argued that the enforced lay-off came at the worst possible time for us, however, as we had built up some decent momentum with encouraging results against today's opponents in the quarter-final of the CIS Cup and against Hibs at Easter Road.

The draw with Gretna, therefore, was a huge disappointment for us as we had travelled west to Fir Park confident of making it a fruitful day on our travels.

It was not to be, however, with the first-half sending off of Michael Stewart having a significant bearing on the way the game panned out. Despite playing the majority of the match a man down, I thought the players applied themselves well in difficult circumstances and demonstrated the kind of attitude and resolve which we will need for the remainder of the season if we are to exert pressure at the top of the table.

Celtic will arrive here intent on making up for their CIS Cup exit last month, a game I thought we thoroughly deserved to win at Parkhead.

It's a lunchtime kick-off today for the purposes of live television and it's vital we show we have the hunger and appetite for a demanding 90 minutes. From past experiences Celtic know what a tough place Tynecastle Stadium is for them to visit. With a capacity crowd in full voice, the famous old ground is a huge asset for us and with your help this afternoon, we can help make it an even more intimidating venue.

Finally, I would like to congratulate midfielder Eggert Jonsson on his first full international cap for Iceland in the recent Euro 2008 qualifier against Denmark. Eggert is another shining example of the work being done at our Football Academy and why the future is bright at Hearts.

Let's hear some noise - again!

Anatoly Korobochka
Sport Director