I know horrible Hearts feeling that players could be left with but they OWE Neil Critchely something – Ryan Stevenson

I was in the players’ lounge at Hampden after the League Cup Final in 2013 and I looked over at Gary Locke and Billy Brown and had tears in my eyes.

Losing to St Mirren was devastating but it wasn’t the personal heartache that got to me. It was seeing what the manager and his no.2 had put in and feeling we’d let them down. We owed them that trophy and we’d come up short.

That was a painful experience and it’s something I hope the current Hearts team can avoid this season.

But the squad is in the same position right now. They have four games that will make or break their season and the OWE it to Neil Critchely to do the business.

I admit I was skeptical when the manager came in. It was a case of wait and see but you have to look at where the club was when he came in to where they are now.

He’s done a sensational job. Yes, the last couple of derbies have hurt badly. But, bigger picture, Hearts can seal their place in the top six in the remaining matches to the split and then claim a spot in the Scottish Cup Final.

A campaign that could have been a total nightmare could turn out to be something special. If Critchley can bag top six, finish above Hibs and get into Europe and then win the cup, there will be a statue outside Tynecastle.

Whether or not they get the chance to shoot for those targets depends on the next couple of weeks.

An entire season boils down to these next four games. Celtic at Parkhead, Dundee United and then Motherwell before the split, then Aberdeen at Hampden in the Scottish Cup.

This is what it’s all about. It’s make or break time but everyone at Hearts shouldn’t be daunted – they should be excited.

A few months ago they were staring down the barrel at a relegation battle. Now it’s all to play for.

The