The return of the King was far from the august occasion Steven Pressley might have wished for. An emphatic chorus of boos and catcalls provided the accompaniment as �Elvis� made his homecoming, but he struck the final note.

The return of the King was far from the august occasion Steven Pressley might have wished for. An emphatic chorus of boos and catcalls provided the accompaniment as Elvis' made his homecoming, but he struck the final note. A clenched-fist salute towards the Celtic fans inside Tynecastle at the final whistle, a look of defiance etched across his grizzled features as he embraced his new team-mates in victory and then up the tunnel - job done.

This was a day for professionalism, for concentration and determination. All the qualities Pressley has in abundance. While the Hearts supporters delivered their damning verdict on the sight of their former captain in a Celtic strip, he remained impassive throughout - marshalling the backline expertly, bellowing at team-mates, nipping away in the ear of referee Kenny Clark - different strip, same Pressley.

"I enjoyed it today," he grinned afterwards, clutching the man-of-the-match champagne, and you believed him. After his on- and off-field travails recently, it was hard to grudge him his moment.

While the 33-year-old may not have been anticipating an avalanche of goodwill, the hostility of his reception was eyebrow-raising in its intensity. Not even the mitigating circumstances surrounding his enforced departure from Hearts could offset the reaction from the stands over his move to Celtic last month. As the vitriol poured down, so the banner declaring Steven Pressley - Hearts legend', restored to its rightful place after being blown down in a gale last month, billowed in the breeze. It's a fickle old game.

Even to the neutral observer, there is a surreal quality to seeing Pressley in a Celtic shirt. The very idea would have been dismissed as nothing short of fantasy just a few months ago when he was happily entering his ninth year at the club and looking forward to a testimonial. Then came the public criticism of Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov and his eventual departure in December.

Gordon Strachan's offer of an 18-month contract provided him the possibility of opening up another intriguing, and unexpected, chapter in his career. The enmity between Celtic and Hearts made the move a controversial one and not even Pressley's legendary status was enough to shield him from the criticism of fans who used to worship him.

Not that it does to be judgmental about these things. Fans retain the right to express their displeasure at players, particularly former heroes who pop up in the colours of their rivals. That is the nature of football rivalries. If Henrik Larsson can be booed on his return to Celtic Park with Barcelona, then surely no-one, not even Pressley, is immune. Perhaps it was the sight of him emerging from the tunnel, not only in the green and black Celtic away kit but sporting the yellow captain's armband, which tipped the Hearts fans over the edge.

Such was the din as the two teams emerged that it was impossible to gauge the reaction to Pressley's presence, but we did not have to wait long for their verdict to be delivered.

After exchanging a few words with referee Clark, the teams swapped ends and the former Hearts defender trudged past his erstwhile colleagues without a flicker of acknowledgement. Not one word passed between them all afternoon. His first touch, after 90 seconds, set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

A simple pass-back to goalkeeper Artur Boruc, to restart the game, was roundly booed.

The jeering reached a crescendo soon after when he hauled down Roman Bednar near the touchline but Clark allowed the advantage to be played. After an innocuous opening quarter, he was a spectator at the opening goal. "Pressley, Pressley what's the score," bellowed the home fans, moments after Saulius Mikoliunas' dipping shot had nestled in the bottom corner of the net.

A few anxious moments towards the end of the half saw the Celtic defence at sixes and sevens, but they raised their game in the second half. Pressley enjoyed a intriguing tussle with Bednar and honours were just about even when the striker was withdrawn in the second half. A warm embrace between the two at the end reflected the affection in which he is still held among his former colleagues.

At the winning goal, Pressley ran forward to offer Jiri Jarosik, whose 81st minute strike sealed the points, a pat on the back before returning swiftly to his central defensive station. Home and dry.