Jefferies wants another happy away day

PAUL SINCLAIR
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4 Oct 1997

While talk of the Old Firm going out of Europe - gloriously and ingloriously - may be dominating headlines, Edinburgh can claim to be having something of a resurrgence.

This week it is folks whose hearts lie in Gorgie who are enjoying the leadership of the premier division.

Quietly Hearts, from the, and with a capital are the number one side domestically.

Today they will try to retain their leadership against a side who, by their recent standards, have had a remarkable start to the season, Motherwell at Fir Park.

Hearts have gone from mid-table to top, Motherwell from the bottom to mid-table.

Hearts can travel with added confidence.

They have not lost to the Lanarkshire team since Guy Fawkes night in 1994 and have since cobbled together a run of 10 matches unbeaten against them.

''Past results cannot help us in this match, and those statistics are consigned to history,'' Hearts manager Jim Jefferies said yesterday in a statement which will not further the philosophy of football management.

''Motherwell played very well at Ibrox last week and are always a difficult side to play against.

''But we have now won our last four league matches which is difficult to do in this division.

But what has pleased me is that we have played most of our matches away from home - this will be our ninth out of eleven - and we have still been winning." John Robertson, who was not even on the bench against Kilmarnock last week because of a groin injury, has trained this week and is back in contention for a place in the team.

But Jefferies is unlikely to stray far, if at all, from the eleven who played so impressively in the first-half at Rugby Park last week.

While Jefferies may not plan on shuffling his current personnel, he is looking to add to his squad.

Hamilton's Jose Quitongo trained with Hearts yesterday but no transfer to take him to tynecastle has been agreed.

''There is still a lot to discuss with Hamilton and the player himself before we decide whether or not to sign him,'' Jefferies said.

''We have offered him training facilities for a week or so to have a closer look at him." Motherwell are confident that their own run can continue.

Their manager, Alex McLeish, has been encouraged by last week's creditable 2-2 draw against Rangers at Ibrox.

However, he is mindful his team are playing the league leaders.

"Hearts have started the season exceptionally well and deserve their current position,'' Mcleish said.

''I had them watched against Kilmarnock last week and I was told it was a very comprehensive victory.

We didn't do well against them at all last season and that's something we all want to put right.

''The draw at Ibrox last week has done a lot for the lads and they showed a lot of bottle in the game.

One of the players who distinguished himself in that game, defender Brian Martin, has missed training this week with a heel injury, but McLeish is confident he will make the game.

Eddie May is also available again and that leaves the Fir Park manager with a selection problem.

''Kevin Christie did very well against Rangers, so it will be a tough decision whether to keep him in or bring back Eddie." McLeish also announced Motherwell will not be signing Nigerian keeper Emmanuel Babayaro, who had been on trial at Fir Park.

''We won't be taking it any further and the big lad is disappointed,'' he said.

''To take in a goalkeeper who requires a work permit, I would have to be sure that he was better than Stevie Woods.'' ''I didn't think he was and we'll continue to look for a keeper to provide back-up to Stevie,'' Mcleish said.

Taken from the Herald