Source: FOOTYMAD
Never say die
Jim Jeffries has instilled a belief in his side and it is paying dividends. Ian Black insists Hearts have never stopped believing they could finish above Hibs this season - even when they were 18 points behind them in the league. David Obua managed to get the last-gasp winner in Saturday's final Edinburgh derby of the campaign which moved the Jambos to within three points of Hibs with two games remaining. The 2-1 win keeps alive the hopes held in Tynecastle of leapfrogging their rivals into fifth place and snatching a possible Europa League spot in the process. That was something which appeared impossible back on December 19 when Hibs were being tipped to split the Old Firm and the Jambos were in danger of sinking to the foot of the table. But the Leith side's miserable run of two wins from 15 league games - including an ongoing sequence of six straight defeats - means there is all to play for going into the final week of the SPL season. Midfielder Black, who joined his boyhood idols last summer, said: "Everybody has their ups and downs and we never say we're out of anything until it's finished. We've worked hard, we've got results - been grinding them out. We're always positive." Black is desperate to make amends for this term's brief Europa League campaign, which saw Hearts fall to Dinamo Zagreb at the first hurdle. He said: "I got a wee taste of it at the start of the season against Zagreb and I really enjoyed it. It's great for the club, the fans and the team. It'd be great to bring it back. We came here to get three points to give us that chance. We've done that. We've got two games left and if we can pick up maximum points there, we've definitely got a shout." Black believes Hearts' never-say-die attitude was also in evidence yesterday as they staged a late fightback to steal the points at Easter Road. Substitute Suso Santana and Obua capitalised on defensive errors in the final 12 minutes to send the Gorgie fans into raptures. Black said: "We knew if we worked hard, we'd get a chance. When the chances came, we took them. We got the rewards at the end."
