Hearts on the right route to happy ending

By PAUL SINCLAIR

23 Oct 1996

THE closest Hearts have come recently to ending their famine of 34 years without a trophy was the Scottish Cup final in May.

The 5-1 hammering they took from Rangers that day is a painful memory for all at Tynecastle, but manager Jim Jefferies believes tonight's semi-final against Dundee at Easter Road will give them a chance to erase it.

"I always felt after the Scottish Cup final at Hampden that the best way to wipe out what was a bad day for us would be to get to another final as quickly as possible," Jefferies said yesterday.

"The Coca-Cola Cup offers us the shortest route to that, and we'd love to get through again." Hearts will have striker Stephane Paille up front alongside John Robertson for tonight's match.

The Frenchman has impressed Jefferies since he arrived on trial, and has signed a three-month contract.

Jefferies' only major doubt is over winger Neil McCann, who has missed the last two games with a muscle injury.

If the former Dundee man does not make it, 20-year-old Stuart Callaghan, who had a good match against Celtic on Sunday, is likely to take his p lace.

Italian Stefano Salvatori will also be fit to play.

"The good thing is that we now have a strong pool, and if we have to bring anyone in, they will know the standards that are expected of them," commented Jefferies.

One man relieved to be in the 20-man squad that the manager has named is Alan McManus.

He was instantly a hit when he came into the Hearts side last term, but this season fell out of favour with the Tynecastle management.

"I thought all I had to do this season was to go out and play the way I did last and everything would be all right," McManus explained.

"But the manager warned me that would not be good enough.

"He told me opposition players would know me better this time around, so he would be looking for a lot more from me.

I knew that would be hard, but not as hard as it turned out to be." Jefferies felt that McManus was not giving enough and dropped him to the reserves, with some not so friendly words of advice.

"Some of what the boss said to me could not be repeated, but it was a real boot up the backside and the best thing (To Page 33) Continued from Page 34 that happened to me," McManus confessed.

"I knew it was up to me and that it was time to get the finger out, so I lost a bit of weight and tried that bit harder in training." His chance to return though, did not come until Jefferies' hand was forced by referee Gerry Evans, when he wiped out an entire Hearts defence, sending off four players in their match with Rangers at Ibrox.

"I was playing in the reserves that day and it is claimed my smile got bigger and bigger every time I heard of another sending off," McManus recalled with a wry grin.

"That's not really true, but it was the break I needed, and now I'm in the first team, I know I have to play at the top of my form every week to stay there." McManus hopes his change of attitude will also see him playing in another cup final after tonight, but he has respect for his opponents.

"It would be great to get to another final, but Dundee have a good cup record and are top of the first division, so we know it won't be easy." Manager Jefferies hopes that his team's performance last time they were at Easter Road will be an inspiration for tonight and is confident Hearts will get through.

"We played really well last time we were at Easter Road for the Edinburgh derby and we're going into this game with a good bit of form behind us.

Taken from the Herald