Celtic's Lead Cut To One As SPL Split Approaches

Hearts 1 Celtic 1

Celtic's lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League was cut to just one point on Saturday after they were held to a draw by Hearts at Tynecastle.

Despite an excellent start that saw Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink plant the ball in Hearts' net in the first minute, and a strong finish from the visitors, they were unable to gain more of an advantage - an edge that was lost when Bruno Aguiar's long-range free kick sailed past Artur Boruc and into the goal with 13 minutes left in the first half.

Vennegoor of Hesselink's goal within 30 seconds of the kick off after Andreas Hinkel took advantage of a poor clearance from Andrew Driver.

His cross was volleyed by Vennegoor of Hesselink and Hearts' 'keeper Janos Balogh could not get to the ball before it crossed the goalline.

Vennegoor of Hesselink was again in action in the 17th minute, but his shot was wide.

Hearts won a free kick in the 32nd minute and Portuguese midfielder Bruno Aguiar fired the ball past a helpless Boruc from 29 yards out.

Celtic came out for the second half minus captain Stephen McManus who was replaced by Marc Crosas after picking up an injury.

Both teams continued to attack, Boruc making a vital save in the 50th minute, tipping a shot from Zaliukas past the post.

Despite some good chances though, Celtic were unable to get the ball in the net again and had to be content with sharing the points.

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan was upbeat despite the draw, explaining that, "It was a good game, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed what the players did.

"On chances and opportunities to score, we had the better ones. We just didn't have our shooting boots on today. On determination and character, the two sides were equal.

"At free-kicks, they are the land of the giants and you have to plan accordingly. "In the last half hour, we were terrific.

"We're going to have a say in the championship, we determine where we go, not Hearts.

"You can only ask the fellows to perform and it might be the biggest point of the season, you never know"

Last Friday, striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink told the press that he wishes to stay at Parkhead when his current contract expires at the end of the season.

"I'd love to remain at Celtic. You always think about going home one day, but it's not on my mind now," he told reporters. "Hopefully it's coming and we'll see how that goes in the next couple of weeks."

"The main focus is winning the games, then the championship, and then we'll see what happens to my personal situation."

On Tuesday, the Scottish Premier League announced that the final Old Firm game of the season will be played at Ibrox on Saturday May 9th at 7.30am EST.

The decision comes after the SPL held meetings with Strathclyde police and club officials from both teams.

The full fixture list for post-split SPL action will be released after this weekend's last game and Celtic's schedule will appear on these pages in next week's paper.