Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink praised Steven Pressley for guiding the champions through a difficult Bank of Scotland Premier League clash with Hearts at Tynecastle.

The veteran Scotland defender was made stand-in skipper in the absence of the suspended Neil Lennon on his first return to Tynecastle since signing for the Parkhead side at the beginning of the year.

The Hoops also had Bobo Balde, Gary Caldwell, Shaun Maloney and Mark Wilson out injured for the trip to Edinburgh.

However, Pressley, given a mixed reception from the Gorgie fans, marshalled the visitors impressively in the face of some heavy artillery from the Jambos as Gordon Strachan’s men restored their lead over Rangers to 17 points with a 2-1 win.

Vennegoor of Hesselink, who equalised after Saulius Mikoliunas’ first-half opener before Jiri Jarosik scored a late winner, believes Pressley’s performance was indicative of the spirit and character in the Parkhead dressing room.

He said: “Steven did a great job. He is a great professional and a great character.

“I’ve know him two or three weeks and I find it a great pleasure to work with him. When some players are out injured or suspended, there are players who can take over and it’s good to see that.

“It doesn’t matter who it is, we are a team and that is the most important thing.”

Not for the first time this season, Celtic did not begin to play until after the break.

Mikoliunas’ spectacular drive from 30 yards after 24 minutes brought a dull game to life and the champions were on the ropes by the time the half-time whistle sounded.

However, Vennegoor of Hesselink struck from close range 14 minutes into the second half and, in the 81st minute, Jarosik’s powerful drive from the edge of the box gave the visitors three points that had looked unlikely at the interval.

Vennegoor of Hesselink admits the Parkhead side were tested to the full by the enthusiastic Jambos.

He said: “All compliments to Hearts, they played well and created some good chances.

“But we showed that we have a great spirit and we did well to come back and win 2-1.”

Hearts passed up the chance to leapfrog Aberdeen into third place behind Rangers but midfielder Neil McCann insists a Champions League spot is still attainable.

He said: “I’m still confident that we can get second spot.

“It hurts when you lose games but I think, for long periods against Celtic, we were the better side.

“But that’s how the Old Firm grind out championships, they keep going and, with the quality they have in their team, they are always going to come into the game at some point.

“And if you don’t take your chances against them, sometimes it can come back to bite you. Celtic had two chances and took them.”