Bhoys bounce back from Heart-stopper

CELTIC manager Gordon Strachan reiterated the need to stop conceding the first goal against Hearts after the Hoops stormed back to restore their lead at the top of the SPL to 17 points.

On Friday the Hoops’ boss had lamented his team’s recent history of giving the Jambos a goal of a start in Edinburgh.

Midfielder Saulius Mikoliunas fired the home side into a first-half lead at Tynecastle with a spectacular drive from 30 yards as the champions struggled to make an impact.

The visitors rallied after the break and Hoops striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink equalised from close range 14 minutes into the second period before Jiri Jarosik’s powerful drive from the edge of the box gave the visitors three points which looked unlikely at the interval.

Strachan said: “It’s not a nice thing to develop, that’s for sure and at one nil, it could have gone to two. But there was the bravery of people like Paul Telfer and Thomas Gravesen getting back and getting blocks in as if to say, ‘it’s one but it’s not going to be two’ which kept us in the game.

“I thought it was an all-action game. Everybody was testing the water for the first half hour but when they scored, everyone threw off their shackles and went for it and it became a better game.”

Strachan was reluctant to go overboard about Steven Pressley’s performance as stand-in skipper for the suspended Neil Lennon in his first return to Tynecastle since signing for the Parkhead side.

Pressley was given a mixed reception from the Hearts fans, although the majority appeared to respect the eight-and-a-half years’ service he had given to their club.

But Strachan continued: “I thought Steven and Darren (O’Dea) were excellent. The decision-making of both of them was good, they got knocked about and stood up to it, especially when we needed them.”

HEARTS: Gordon, Barasa (Tall 23), Zaliukas, Berra, Fyssas, Mikoliunas, Hartley, McCann, Driver (Elliot 51), Velicka, Bednar (Pospisil 75).

CELTIC: Boruc, Telfer, Pressley, O’Dea, Naylor, Nakamura, Gravesen, Jarosik, Sno, Zurawski (Beattie 54), Vennegoor of Hesselink.