CRAIG GORDON handed the league on a plate to Celtic yesterday with the biggest blunder of his career.

But sympathetic Hoops boss Gordon Strachan reckons it will be another 10 YEARS before the Hearts keeper makes another mistake like it.

Bookies paid out on Celtic after the Scotland No.1 palmed the ball into his own net in the 95th minute to gift the never-say-die champions a 2-1 comeback win - and a massive 13-point lead at the top. Bookies arepaying out ALREADY on the Parkhead side retaining the trophy.

For long spells it looked like Hearts were set to cut the gap to seven points after Andrius Velicka gave them a deserved 72nd-minute lead.

But an 85th-minute leveller from sub Jiri Jarosik set up a nerve-shredding finish. And Gordon's howler, clawing Stephen McManus' spinning shot past Robbie Neilson and in off his own post, capped the fightback.

Strachan admitted: "I just saw big Mick taking a swipe at it from the corner and turned away thinking: 'That's life!' I'd settled for a point and couldn't get a good view of what happened after that.

"But it'll be another 10 years before the keeper does anything like that again.

"I'm a big admirer - Gordon, Paul Hartley, Steven Pressley and Robbie Neilson have been brilliant for Hearts and are probably the reason Scotland have done so well as well.

"But that win says everything about our character. We were disappointing and Hearts were technically better than us at times. But we're 13 points ahead."

Strachan (right) refused to admit the league was done and dusted, though, even if some bookies have raised the flag.

He said: "You never quite know what the pivotal games in a season are until it's over. This might mean nothing.

"But our personalities stepped up when it mattered and even though I might have been ready to take a draw, they had the bit between their teeth."

Hearts full-back Neilson was another who refused to blame the normally outstanding Gordon.

The Scotland ace shrugged: "It was just a mix-up. I was on the post and he seemed to scoop the ball between me and the woodwork. But there's NO way I'm blaming Craig as he's won so many games for us over the years. The goal wasn't his fault.

"He's the best keeper in Britain and won't let it affect him. I could maybe have just put my foot through and cleared the ball as well. So we have to share the responsibility.

Neilson also refused to concede the title - despite the massive chasm.

He insisted: "It LOOKS bad from the outside but we'll keep hoping we can draw it back.

"We're still ahead of Rangers and have to keep it that way."

Taken from the Sunday Mail