Craig Halkett has admitted that he’s still not over Hearts losing the league title to Celtic.
In the most dramatic circumstances possible, Martin O’Neill’s men denied Halkett’s side the ending that everyone seemed to want.
After they lost the final-day decider at Celtic Park, many at Tynecastle pointed towards refereeing decisions and the pitch invasion at Parkhead to fuel the narrative that things hadn’t gone their way.
Halkett, who missed the end of the campaign through a long-term injury which will keep him out for the foreseeable future, found it tough to take.
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Craig Halkett on losing the title to Celtic: ‘It was tough to take’
Halkett told Edinburgh News: “It was hard, because you felt like it was supposed to happen.
“The boys put in a great performance, but after the result there were so many different emotions.
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“We were angry, not just about the way that game finished but maybe about how the first couple of weeks leading up to it had gone.
“I think it was just a combination of loads of things not going our way. It was hard not to feel a wee bit angry and frustrated.
“That’s football, though. It was a hard one to take and it’s probably one of those runs that you never really get over.
“During that last week of the season, everything that could have gone against us did go against us. Things can go for the other team as well, but that’s football.
“That’s just what happens and you’ve got to take it on the chin. The injuries we got at the end of the season didn’t help.
“Even in the last game of the season, when we start the second half and Beni [Baningime] goes down, you just think that’s another thing that’s gone against you.
“It changes the outcome of the game. It was a tough one to take.”
🚫 He has an unserved ban from last season…
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Hearts reactions to Celtic penalty call vs Motherwell
Leading the disgruntled was Hearts boss McInnes, who blasted the decision as “disgusting” in a hot-headed interview after his side’s win over Falkirk.
Hearts hero Ryan Stevenson also wasn’t happy, labelling it a “disgrace” and “garbage”. Even Gary Lineker slated it.
The media fury reached such a temperature that referee John Beaton’s address was leaked, leading the official to need security around his home.
However, Chris Sutton has called out high-profile pundits for their hysteria, saying that their pro-Hearts agenda is clouding their judgement.
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