Hearts ready to ‘rip up script’ in title showdown

Derek McInnes has faith that Hearts can “rip up the script” and prevail in a “pure box office” final-day showdown at Celtic Park with the Scottish Premiership title on the line.

The Edinburgh side will be champions of Scotland for the first time since 1960 if they can avoid defeat at the defending champions on Saturday.

“It’s a perfect ending to a season for the league, for Scottish football, for drama and excitement,” said head coach McInnes.

“It’s pure box office. I felt for a while it would go the full way, and we’ve been preparing for that.

“We knew we’d have to get good wins, and obviously Celtic in the last wee while have shown improvements. Fair play to them and to our boys for making this the situation.

“It’s important now that we have that one big performance in us to try and get over the line. The confidence I feel in the players is so strong. We have to go there with courage, with belief and be bullish.”

Hearts will have the backing of fewer than 800 supporters at the 60,000-capacity stadium but McInnes is sure his players can rise to the occasion, having been out in front since September.

“It’ll be bedlam, it’ll be an unbelievable atmosphere,” he said. “There might be people out there who think everything’s back on script – ‘Celtic win their home game, they win the league’.

“But we’ve ripped the script up so often this season, and we’ve got one more in us I think, and it’s up to us to try and make that happen.

“There’s been a lot of pressure on our lads for a long time now, but the players have dealt with it brilliantly.

“Of course the game’s huge, and it’ll be different in so many aspects, but it’s also exciting. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, it has been a brilliant campaign, but it could be the most special campaign.

“It’s up to us to try and create our own history and our own legacy with a big performance.”