REF WAS HEARTLESS

HEARTS star Paul Hartley last night blasted ref Kenny Clark for sending off Robbie Neilson and questioned whether a Rangers player would have seen red in the same situation.

Neilson picked up two yellow cards for fouls on Gers loan kid Lee Martin in the dying moments of the 2-0 defeat at Ibrox.

And the Scotland star was last night accused of breaking the finger of a carer for the disabled when he kicked the ball away in frustration.

But Hartley reckons his team-mate should have been given some leeway by officials as the Jambos were out of the game by that stage.

And the midfielder reckons Clark could have been influenced by the capacity Ibrox crowd.

He said: "There was only a minute to go and I thought the referee might have let it go.

"We weren't going to win the game so I don't see the point. Maybe the supporters had something to do with it.

"They were getting on at the referee a bit and if it was up the other end I don't know if he would have given it."

Hartley made his first top-team appearance since the Scottish Cup Final in May when he came on for Saulius Mikoliunas with the Jambos already trailing to Kris Boyd's double.

The Scotland international has been out with a groin injury but insists he will be ready for the second leg of his side's Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens on Wednesday.

His only other run-out before yesterday was a 45-minute bounce game against Gretna but with Hearts trailing 2-1 from the first leg at Murrayfield, Hartley is badly needed.

And he will be hoping for better luck after crashing against Rangers and being sent off in the Cup Final on his last start.

Hartley said: "I've only played 65 minutes in the last three months so I'm well short of match fitness and match sharpness. But if I'm asked to play on Wednesday it won't be a problem. I'll go out and give it my best shot.

"It has been a while since I played so it was nice to get back into the action - although it was disappointing to come on when we were already two goals down."

Hartley was disappointed with the manner of Hearts' defeat yesterday as they rarely threatened Rangers' goalkeeper Lionel Letizi.

But despite slipping behind Paul Le Guen's men in the title chase Hartley is confident the Jambos will be challenging at the top of the SPL come the end of the campaign.

He said: "It's going to be a hard season. We made a great start last year and it's not looking that way at the moment but I'm still confident.

"With the players we have in the dressing room we will be up there challenging.

"It just didn't happen for us against Rangers. We couldn't get our passing going and we had no rhythm to our play.

"However, there's only four games gone and we're a point off the top of the table."

Hearts never looked like scoring but Hartley insists boss Valdas Ivanauksas didn't head to Ibrox looking for a point.

He said: "The manager played a different system from the way we started the season.

"We went three at the back in a 3-4-3 - which was very attacking. But we didn't get started at all.

"We just didn't get out the blocks and I don't think their goalkeeper had a serious save to make. He came for cross balls comfortably and that's disappointing because we have been creating chances."

Taken from the Sunday Mail