PLAYERS DESERVE CUP REWARD - RIX

By Ronnie Esplin, PA Sport

Hearts head coach Graham Rix is hoping a first Tennent's Scottish Cup triumph since 1998 will help him remain at Tynecastle beyond the summer.

The former Portsmouth and Oxford boss, who took over from George Burley in November, has a contract until the end of the season but wants to stay with the club.

Rix's men, who play Bell's Second Division side Partick Thistle in their quarter-final tie, are favourites to win the cup following the exit of Celtic and Rangers.

And the Jambos boss admits leaving Hampden Park on May 13 with the trophy could strengthen his hand in future discussions with Hearts' majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov.

"What I can't control I don't worry about," Rix said. "Firstly, I want us to beat Partick and play well, and then what happens at the end of the season, happens.

"There's so much football still to be played, but winning the cup probably wouldn't do me any harm."

Rix, who played in the Arsenal side which won the FA Cup in 1979, was more concerned about his players experiencing cup success at least once in their careers.

He added: "If you are lucky enough to be a footballer, and you are playing for a decent side, you've probably got 10 or 12 opportunities to win a cup.

"And each time you get knocked out, it's another opportunity gone.

"I can only speak from personal experience but it's great to win the cup.

"To walk out in the national stadium and perform for your club with 50% of that stadium filled with your fans, and then lift the trophy is a great feeling.

"It would be fantastic for the players to win it this year but there's a long way to go.

"However, I would like the boys to get something out of this season.

"They've worked hard from day one and for them not to get any reward at all would be a travesty."

Rix is not in favour of the match being brought forward to lunchtime to suit television schedules.

"It means we have got to change our routine," he added. "Everything is brought forward three hours and we have to eat a little bit earlier.

"That can be a bit of a problem because chicken and pasta at 9.15am takes a bit of eating.

"But you've just got to make sure that you're tuned in, focused and get on with the job."

Hearts defender Robbie Neilson has urged Gorgie fans not to turn up expecting an easy passage through to the semi-finals.

He said: "We need to make sure that we're not complacent. Partick will see it as a cup final and we have to see it as a cup final as well.

"But there may be a danger of complacency among our fans. I think they may expect us to roll them over but it's not going to be like that.

"I'm sure they will sit in, defend resolutely and try and get the fans on our backs.

"So hopefully the fans will be patient, as we might have to be.

"But the pressure is a good thing. The fans expect and we have to deliver, that's part of football.

"With the team going so well, it doesn't matter who comes to Tynecastle, we are expected to beat them."

Taken from sportinglife.com