HEARTS BROKEN
...but Neilson vows to go unbeaten for the rest of the season in response
ROBBIE NEILSON last night tipped Hearts to go unbeaten for the rest of the season despite watching his side’s 20-game streak without loss fall at home to Falkirk.
The Bairns put paid to Hearts’ record-breaking run — the longest still standing in British senior football — when Craig Sibbald snatched an 80th-minute winner to seal a thrilling 3-2 victory at Tynecastle.
With Rangers not playing, Hearts missed the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Championship to 16 points but
Neilson insists his side won’t see this defeat as a setback. ‘It was always a case of game to game and it was always going to happen,’ the head coach said.
‘On the positive side, to go this long in a league season undefeated is magnificent.
‘The players should take a lot of credit for that and we just have to bounce back from this and hopefully go another 18, 19 games undefeated.’
While Neilson admitted the defeat left his side ‘devastated’, he calmly told his men that the experience will only make them stronger.
I was very calm and just said that if you are going to win anything in football, you need to lose games as well,’ he added. ‘There’s very few teams who have gone through a season undefeated and, statistically, we probably weren’t going to do it.
‘It has happened today and it is disappointing to lose three goals because we pride ourselves on our defensive record.
‘You always lose games and it is how you react to your defeat. You could go in shouting and bawling but the players have been magnificent.
‘Their attitude in training and in games has been great and today we didn’t hit the standard we can.
‘Falkirk played exceptionally well.
‘They are devastated but it’s my job to try to keep them calm and level and use it as a catalyst to work doubly hard.’
Falkirk manager Peter Houston said. ‘I am bursting with pride for them because they put a lot into that match.
‘Hearts are a quality side and in many ways us winning the first time they have lost might be a monkey off their backs.’