No place for fear at Tynecastle

Ian Paul

8 Apr 1996

HEARTS manager Jim Jefferies and his assistant Billy Brown spent their second afternoon in 24 hours at Hampden yesterday and then drove home looking forward to the great day when they will try to do better than Celtic did against Rangers, this time in the cup final.

Jefferies, who played a quick round of golf on the morning after his team's 2-1 semi-final win over Aberdeen, evidence that his celebrations had been temperate, came away from the last Old Firm contest of the season impressed, like most people, by the performance of Stuart McCall.

"I thought he was terrific in the middle of the park," he said, "and of course Laudrup and Gascoigne always do something special.

I felt Rangers were worth their two-goal lead but they took their foot off the pedal and Celtic kept going right to the end.

They might have snatched a draw if Simon Donnelly had taken one of two chances he had." However impressed he was with the Rangers win, the Hearts leader will not be quaking in his boots come May 18.

"The final is a one-off game and we will go into it long outsiders which will suit us just fine." Jefferies had said after his own side's win that he would like to meet the league title winners in the final and thus qualify for the Cup-winners' Cup, win or lose at Hampden next month.

Now that Rangers are the opponents, some people might see him having a quandary when Hearts face the Ibrox side on league duty at Tynecastle on Wednesday.

If they win and Celtic take advantage to go on and win the championship, theoretically Hearts could have reduced their own chances of European football next season.

You will not be surprised to hear that Jefferies rates such thinking as nonsense.

"I can assure you we will want to win as many games as we can to qualify for Europe by our own efforts.

There are too many players bursting to show what they can do in our squad, and with a cup final coming up and a third place in the table a possibility, they will be desperate to do well in every game." Whoever came through at Hampden yesterday, he knew his team would be underdogs in the final but the fact that they beat Rangers 3-0 at Ibrox a few weeks ago will not do the Tynecastle morale any harm.

"I know Rangers will be desperate to wipe put that memory, but at least we know that we have done it once and therefore it can be done again.

There are too many games between now and then to think about the final yet, however, as injuries and suspensions could make all the difference.

"Airdrie did give Celtic a good game last year and we would like to think we could do that well at least."

Taken from the Herald