THERE are not many footballers that can say they’ve been promoted and relegated in the same season. 

But that’s the proposition that faces former Rangers striker Steven MacLean in this current campaign.

The frontman was this week crowned a League One champion while on-loan at Raith Rovers, but he still faces the dreaded drop from the Scottish Premiership with his parent club Hearts.

The SPFL are still hopeful of playing out the remaining fixtures in the top-flight, but if the league season cannot be completed before UEFA’s summer deadline, then standings will be determined on a points per game basis.

This would see Daniel Stendel’s Jambos consigned to the Championship, with league reconstruction looking like their only hope of survival.

MacLean, who dropped out of the Tynecastle starting line-up when Stendel took over from Craig Levein, admits he had mixed emotions when he heard the news that the SPFL’s proposal had been passed.

Speaking to Herald and Times Sport, he said: “It’s almost a bittersweet feeling for me at the minute because I’m delighted for the guys at Raith, for the club itself, but then you are like ‘jeez Hearts could get relegated’, so you are gutted in a sense.

“I obviously don’t want to see Hearts going down, but it is looking more and more likely that that is going to happen.

“Everyone is just hoping that there is some way that we can get back playing or at least have fate in our own hands. We are trying to stay positive, but it is a strange time.

“This season I’ve only played a few games for Hearts but it’s been a really disappointing one from a players’ point of view.

“There were so many things that have gone wrong and I think everyone has to hold their hands up and say they let the club down. It has been a nightmare season for everyone at the club.”

MacLean is out of contract in the summer and with negotiations on hold due to the uncertainty surrounding the Premiership, the 37-year-old confesses his time at Tynecastle could well be up. 

But after a brief successful spell at Raith, the former St Johnstone hero has not closed the door on a possible return to Starks Park as the Kirkcaldy based side look to kick on after gaining promotion.

He said: “It was a short and sharp time at Raith but I obviously just went there to try and help them get promotion. I really enjoyed it and it was good to be playing regularly again.

“They are a great bunch of lads and the coaching staff were great too. A big congratulations to the boys, I’m delighted for them.

“Hopefully I maybe end up there next season, you never know, we’ll see what happens. I’m going to play on hopefully if someone is willing to take me. I want to get into the coaching side of things as well.”

He continued: “Obviously I’m still a Hearts player, but I’ve not really heard much from them. 

“I spoke to Ann Budge a few weeks ago but there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes there just now so I’m just waiting to hear what is going on. I’m out of contract in the summer, so it looks like that will be that. There’s a lot of things Hearts have to worry about before dealing with contracts. 

“My time at Tynecastle started off like a house on fire, ten games in we were in the semi-final of the league cup and top of Premiership. We were flying.

“But then after the semi-final it kind of went downhill from there. We got to the Scottish Cup final and we were so close to causing an upset, I think if we held on for another ten minutes we would have won the cup.

“I got on well with the gaffer, I had no issues with him whatsoever. I liked the guy and we never parted on bad terms or anything like that.”

MacLean is trying to keep himself ticking over from home during the Scottish football hiatus but he admits nothing compares to being out on the pitch.

On life in lockdown, he added: “I’m getting bored now to be honest with you, it is crazy times.

“I would play down the local park if I could that’s how much I’m missing it. We obviously have to go with the guidelines just now as well as it is all about our safety.

“It would have been perfect if we could just say ‘look we’ll play our games in August then finish them and have a couple of weeks off before the start of the new season’.

“To be honest I think whatever decision was made by those at the SPFL you are going to upset so many people. Whatever they did was going to be harsh on certain people, it doesn’t seem fair either way.

“I honestly can’t see games being played in Scotland at all and I think that is the reality unfortunately.

“It’s awful what is happening around the world, but everyone is in the same boat so you can’t feel hard done by. You just have to get on with it.”