Inside view of the great disaster

By RAY HEPBURN

22 Nov 1996

AIRDRIE striker Alan Lawrence believes Hearts can win Sunday's Coca-Cola Cup final despite their Hampden humiliation at Rangers' hands in May.

He is certainly qualified to judge the Celtic Park clash, having played for 83 minutes of the Scottish Cup devastation against Walter Smith's team.

The former Meadowbank and Dundee player came off the bench, with only seven minutes played, when teenage skipper Gary Locke was stretchered off with a knee ligament injury.

Lawrence is able to rationalise that dreadful scoreline and sees a way for recovery that could land Hearts their first trophy for 34 years.

"The final outcome at Hampden was horrendous, but I felt we did well enough while it was 1-0 and always had a chance of equalising," he insisted.

"But once Rangers scored their second, we were forced to chase the game.

The whole thing just slipped completely away from us then.

"So although Rangers will be clear favourites, and rightly so, I feel Hearts have a better blend in the team six months down the line." The pacy 33-year-old striker spent last season with the Tynecastle club, sandwiched between spells at Airdrie, and missed only six league games, two through injury.

Although not yet ready to start contemplating a move into management, he was happy to put himself in Jim Jefferies' shoes for the final pre-match moments.

"I would tell the lads individually to concentrate on winning the battle against their direct opponents and hope to build on that," explained Lawrence.

"I don't see the Hearts players having a psychological problem for the match.

They must take confidence from beating Celtic in the quarter-final with half their team missing, and they will recall beating Rangers 3-0 at Ibrox last season.

"The goalkeeper will be an important figure for Hearts on Sunday.

If he gets a good early touch of the ball, that will send a positive signal to the defence.

"Outfield, I feel Gary Mackay is the key player for Hearts.

After more than 600 games for the club, he is playing his best football ever.

He and John Robertson link up so well, having been together so long, and I would want to see Gary push his passes in to John and then get forward in support." In May, Brian Laudrup and Gordon Durie were the players who inflicted most damage.

"These two were on fire in the 5-1 game, and although Paul Gascoigne is an influential player for Rangers, Laudrup is the man who makes them tick," praised Lawrence.

"Against Celtic last week he took on the lone role up front and did the job superbly with a willingness to work not always associated with foreign players.

"Rangers proved again in that match they are a great big-game team, and in Laudrup and Gascoigne they have players who have dropped down a level to play in Scotland." Lawrence will be at Celtic Park to cheer on his former team-mates.

"Players like Mackay and Robertson deserve to take something out of the game and time is not on their side, so I would be delighted if they could do it," he said hopefully.

"Winning in Glasgow is not easy, but if they succeed in stopping their opponents and then create an early break or two, it can be their big day." Lawrence and his Airdrie mates have a big promotion day against Partick Thistle tomorrow, having watched a 10-game unbeaten run end against Falkirk last Saturday.

"The goals have dried up a little in the last couple of weeks, but we've got ourselves in contention and who knows, I'll maybe be back at Tynecastle next season," he grinned.

Taken from the Herald