NOBODY would expect a coach as undemonstrative as Valdas Ivanauskas to salivate over Hearts' victory over Hibernian, but the quiet Lithuanian's delight would be diluted in any case by the news of injuries to central defender Steven Pressley and left-back Jose Goncalves.

Both players will be unavailable for Wednesday's Premierleague match against Celtic in Glasgow, but, in the case of Goncalves, there would be relief that earlier fears that he had a broken neck were later dispelled.

Goncalves was treated by a team of medical staff for a full ten minutes behind the Hearts goal after a second-half collision with his own goalkeeper, Craig Gordon and was wheeled away on a trolley wearing a neck brace.

He was taken to hospital for a precautionary scan, but a Hearts spokesman said that the injury was thought not to be as serious as had first appeared.

Pressley, too, sustained a head injury in a collision with Abdessalam Benjelloun, Hibs' Moroccan striker, towards the end of the first half. Having suffered what is believed to have been a mild concussion, he did not reappear for the second half, his place taken by Takis Fyssas.

The nature of the damage sustained by both players suggests that they may be missing for a number of matches, possibly over a period of two or three weeks.

What also remains uncertain is the prospect of Ivanauskas being given the head coach's job at Hearts on a long-term basis.

The Lithuanian has been the caretaker since the dismissal of Graham Rix two weeks ago and, with yesterday's victory added to the 2-1 win at Falkirk in the league the previous week, he now has a 100 per cent record.

When asked if he believed that winning the Tennent's Scottish Cup - Hearts will meet Gretna in the final on 13 May - would be enough to persuade the club's owner, Vladimir Romanov, to give him a lengthy contract, Ivanauskas was predictably inscrutable. He also appeared, curiously, to be quite indifferent to the entire issue.

"I have no idea if winning the cup will give me the job next season," he said. "It's not my decision, so I have no feeling on the matter. Whatever Mr Romanov decides, I have no control over it. I think I have the qualities to be a success, but the decision is up to the owner.

"My only concern now is the match at Celtic Park on Wednesday. This is the next important game for us, as we wish to make sure of a place in the Champions League next season. These are the results that will help Mr Romanov make his decision about the next manager.

"There is always pressure when you are trying to achieve things and that will be the case again on Wednesday. It was there today in the cup, too, but it was... nice pressure. It was a great day for the club, the players and the supporters. The players did a very good job, the played with their heart and with discipline and scored good goals.

"But we have to look ahead to the next match now. There will be no partying tonight, no celebrations. We have work to do, starting again tomorrow."

Clearly having a fondness for understatement, however, did not prevent Ivanuaskas from expanding on the contribution from Paul Hartley in yesterday's 4-0 victory over their city neighbours. Hartley's hat-trick, exceptional skill at set pieces - free kicks and corner kicks - and all-round exhibition of offensive midfield play made him an unchallenged man of the match.

"Paul Hartley is a big player," said the coach. "Every game, every season. What he did today was an excellent performance, one of the best I've seen. But we know we have quality players here and we are always confident. Okay, today was a cup semi-final, but the pressure was no different from any other match.

"It's the same with expectations of winning the cup final. There will be no added pressure. Today's good victory may give us a lift in terms of the matches we now face in the league to try to get second place and into the Champions League. But we still have a lot of work ahead of us."

It seems obvious that Ivanauskas, in common with most continental Europeans, places more emphasis on the championship than he does on the national cup competition, even if the Scottish version is the oldest of all.

But, with Rangers now on Hearts' coat tails in the contest for the runners-up place behind Celtic in the league, he has a legitimate reasons in any case for stressing the importance of the latter competition. Winning the cup will bring Hearts a handy windfall, but admission to the Champions League has the potential to become the equivalent of an unshared lottery win.

Taken from the Scotsman