DON'T CALL US DIVERS

VALDAS IVANAUSKAS last night told the critics to lay off Hearts and denied his team are a bunch of divers.

The Jambos head coach leapt to the defence of his players ahead of tomorrow's Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Hibs at Hampden.

Tynecastle stars such as Rudi Skacel and Roman Bednar have come under the spotlight in recent weeks for their on-field theatrics. Hibs manager Tony Mowbray even called for referee Stuart Dougal to be strong amid fears he could be taken in by unsporting antics by his Edinburgh rivals.

Ivanauskas admits he has warned Skacel this week to stick to what he does best but denied his players are cheats.

Asked if recent criticism was harsh, he said: "Yes. We have very many foreign players in our squad with different mentalities.

"These players need time to adapt to the Scottish players and fans and I can understand what they are going through.

"It's very hard for the guys and although they need time to adapt, a big plus in our favour is that we have players from lots of different schools with many things to offer.

"I've had a good chat with Rudi and he understands the situation. He did not have his best game at Falkirk last week but he is a big player and his experience is vital.

"Yes, he made mistakes but Rudi is an emotional player and that is good for the team. We need him against Hibs because he is a big player who has enjoyed a big season.

"He can cope with the pressure. We have a lot of important games coming up and we need him at his best." Hearts are minus banned pair Bednar and Julien

Brellier and Ivanauskas revealed Neil McCann was in line for a recall until he broke down in training this week.

The Scotland winger had a scan on a knee yesterday and faces a few more weeks on the sidelines.

Ivanauskas added: "Neil was in the squad but two days ago he was injured again. Hopefully, if we reach the Final he will be fit."

Ivanauskas has already got the better of Mowbray in his career, when FC Vetra knocked the Easter Road side out of the InterToto Cup two years ago.

But Ivanauskas added: "It was Tony's first games as manager and Hibs have changed since them.

"They have many players who can cause problems but hopefully so do Hearts."

A small number of tickets remain for the derby and are on sale at the Hibs and Hearts ticket offices.

Meanwhile, Graham Rix will watch Hearts in action for the first time since being axed by Vladimir Romanov when he analyses today's game on Sky TV.

Taken from the Daily Record