Robbie Neilson, the Heart of Midlothian head coach, is certain his side will continue to thrive at the summit of the Scottish Championship, despite senior figures in the Rangers dressing room seemingly queuing up to question their resolve.

Darren McGregor, Kenny Miller and Ian Black have all cast aspersions on their rivals' mental strength in recent weeks by suggesting they may wilt under the pressure of a fraught title race.

McGregor, a boyhood Hibernian fan, stated last week: "My question would be when the pressure starts tightening and the points deficit gets down, can Hearts handle it?"

That query proved rather ill-judged, with Rangers proceeding to draw at home with Alloa hours before Hearts claimed a 2-1 win at Falkirk to extend their lead at the top of the table to six points.

And the man who plotted his side's course to victory on Sunday contends he is happy for Rangers to do their talking in public - as long as Hearts do theirs on the pitch.

"It's up to Rangers [players] what they say," said Neilson. "Last week they could have gone within a point of us. They didn't. We then had a chance to go six clear, and we took it.

"Mind games are something that they can play if they want. You can talk and talk in papers or on TV and say whatever, but things get done on the pitch. You can sit there all day saying 'we're going to do this or that'. But if the boys do the business tomorrow, that says it all.

"We knew that the intensity would crank up the longer the season went on. We're ready for it and I am sure we're going to handle it."

With the Tynecastle side only recently emerging from administration following the Vladimir Romanov reign, Neilson is adamant the club must retain a sense of humility - even if others are questioning their ability to cross the finish line.

"We try to make sure everyone stays dignified in what they are saying," Neilson added. "We realise that the club, a year ago, was in real financial difficulty. The fans backed us to the hilt and we were struggling in the league.

"So we are not going to turn round within the space of the year and start shouting our mouths off. We need to be dignified in what we do."

Nevertheless, Neilson's typically understated manner should not be mistaken for a lack of confidence, having seen his side claim a 2-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox in August.

"To go to Ibrox in the first game of the season and win, then win against Hibs the following week - that really set us off on a great start," said the 34-year-old. "The belief was there that we could do something this year.

"I think it matters that we've beaten Rangers. I think there is a belief that, this week, we can do it again."

Meanwhile, in-form winger Billy King believes last week's victory at Falkirk - particularly following the statements from McGregor in the build-up - amounted to a "big statement" from the league leaders.

King, who has scored five goals in 14 outings, is one of several young players in the Hearts ranks, but he says that does not mean they can't handle a fight for the title.

"Rangers questioned our bottle last week," the Scotland under-19 international said. "But they drew at home to Alloa and we went to Falkirk and won, so that was a big statement from us. This will be the biggest game of my career and we'll be looking to keep the unbeaten run going."