MARTIN O’NEILL believes it would be a huge boost to Scottish football if Hearts were to win the league title in the near future.Hearts were top of the league for much of last season and came within minutes of making history and clinching a first title in 66 years.They were ultimately denied on the final day by O’Neill’s Celtic on what proved to be the most incredible – and controversial – finish to the campaign.Hearts investor Tony Bloom spoke earlier this week and reaffirmed his belief that the Tynecastle club should win the league within the next 10 years.Now into their second season working with Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics firm, Hearts have once again made a good start to the campaign.They sit third in the table ahead of tomorrow’s grudge match with Celtic which sees them return to Parkhead for the first time since that infamous day last May.O’Neill insists he is full of admiration for what Hearts are doing – and agrees with Bloom that they are likely to be champions at some point in the next decade. O’Neill hoists the Premiership trophy aloft after beating Hearts on the final day of last season Callum Osmand completed Celtic’s turnaround to spark wild celebrations at ParkheadAsked whether he felt it was possible, O’Neill said: ‘I do, yeah, I do. I think their recruitment is really good. I think that what they’ve done has put pressure on Celtic and Rangers. They’re a definite challenge.’They kept going all last season. That was a big, big effort. They kept going and they took it right to the last couple of minutes. Are they capable of doing it? Yeah.’I think that they’ve got a certain system in place at this minute, which has been used down at Brighton. They used it there and they’re scouring the European scene for these things.’I thought in the opening game of the season against Aberdeen there might have been just a bit of a hangover from last season.’I think they’ve put that to bed and I think they’ve come roaring back. I think they’re capable of winning the league even before that.’If you’re looking at it from a neutral viewpoint I think it’s only a great thing for Scottish football, that the Old Firm is being challenged in a big, big way.’Rightly so. So it should be as well. Hearts have taken on that and I think they’re here to stay.’I have a lot of admiration for it. I really do. I have a great admiration for the way they stuck at it last season, the whole way through.’Considering that they were up there all that time. You’re up there, you’re looking down, you feel as if: “Oh gosh, could it happen”. They kept it going right to the end.’Okay, so they’ve lost the manager (Derek McInnes) and lost a couple of players as well. But I genuinely feel that they’re a strong challenge. I think that can only be good.’They went so, so close. I think inevitably they were going to lose a couple of players. If you’re thinking about the big centre-forward (Lawrence Shankland) that has gone to Rangers and things like that.’But I think they’ve recruited really well and I just think they’re physically very strong, again, which they were last season. Yeah, they are definitely challengers.’ Tony Bloom’s investment and analytics have helped make Hearts into title contendersFollowing Celtic’s title win on the final day last season, O’Neill came under fire for comments he made about the subsequent pitch invasion.He and Bloom were locked in a war of words at one point over allegations that some of the Hearts players had been assaulted.O’Neill was asked whether his views on it all had changed in the months that have passed or whether he stood by what he said at the time, despite the widespread condemnation of the pitch invasion.It was confirmed last month that Police Scotland had charged a man over an assault that took place at the match, with another Celtic fan also handed a two-year ban for accosting Shankland.Asked for his own reflections on it all, O’Neill said: ‘I’ve often said about how it finished and the answer is I’m happy how it finished. Listen, we won it. We won it.’And Derek’s comments when the sound thing was picked up, he said he told the referee to blow it up.’So I was asked by Jim White “did it tarnish things?” Well, not for me. It didn’t, honestly. I thought it was fantastic.’We cleared the pitch. People thought it was half an hour before we cleared the pitch but it was in less than three minutes at the end of it all.’If I turn around and say to you one more time, if this is the last time that the crowd invades the pitch for a moment like that, anywhere in the world, I’ll be really surprised.’ Celtic fans invaded the pitch at full time but O’Neill defended them afterwardsPressed on the fact he took criticism for his comments on the pitch invasion, O’Neill replied: ‘I don’t care. I couldn’t care less.’I think I say too much at the end of the day. But absolutely not. If Hearts had won and their fans had come onto the pitch – I’m telling you now, and it’s easy for me to say this – I would have accepted that.’Because it’s the first time they would have won the league for years and years and years and the euphoria of doing that there would have been there. Of course.’And would we have been disappointed? Absolutely, to lose on your own pitch as well. All of those things.’But if you take the bigger picture at the end of the day, if they had won – and they were very, very close to doing it – and their crowd had come on to celebrate with their players that is something I would have accepted. It’s easy me saying that, but that’s how I feel.’I think it was one of the great days. Listen, whatever happens this year, you can’t take that away. It was fantastic and to me it was up there with any moment in my managerial time.’Celtic will be wounded on the back of a 4-1 thrashing against Benfica in the Europa League in Lisbon on Thursday night, with Hearts drawing 1-1 at home to Nordsjaelland in the Conference League.O’Neill was determined to take the positives from an improved showing in the second half, despite the fact his team were 3-0 down after little more than half an hour.O’Neill insisted he has no concerns over Kasper Hogh’s form after the £11million striker endured another difficult night. Hogh hit the post from close range against Benfica as his struggles continuedHogh has been a disappointment so far and missed a glorious chance at the back post against Benfica when he hit the post from barely a yard out.’It was always going to be a difficult game,’ said O’Neill. ‘We could have crumbled and we didn’t. I take encouragement from that.’I really do, genuinely, from the way the side played in the second half. It was more like us. It was tough. I knew it was going to be a tough game.’It’s not bravado, I just feel as though we can still make it, if we win our home games.’It would have been nice if he (Hogh) had scored that goal. Because at the end of it all centre-forwards or strikers live or die by goals. They really do. And if you’ve not scored for a while and you miss the opportunity…’That was a good chance to score on Thursday night. But overall, over the course of the season, I think he’ll be absolutely fine. At this minute, he just needs a goal because it does give you a big boost of confidence.’