Hearts Fury Over Barry Ferguson Handball

Jan 31 2008 By Hugh Keevins, Daily Record

HEARTS boss Stevie Frail last night claimed blunder ref Mike McCurry handed Rangers a place in the CIS Cup Final.

McCurry failed to spot Barry Ferguson's handball as the Rangers skipper volleyed his side into the lead at Hampden.

And Frail insisted that mistake changed the course of the semi-final as Rangers went on to win 2-0.

The Jambos caretaker boss looked like a man who had been robbed when he said: "It was definitely hand ball against Ferguson. That infringement changed the direction of the ball and although he still had a lot of work to do to score it was the moment that changed the course of the game."

But Rangers boss Walter Smith also had a moan about the ref despite his side reaching their first national final for three years.

Smith felt Charlie Adam was wrongly ruled out of the Final on a dubious suspension.

Adam, booked in an earlier round against East Fife, was yellow-carded after getting involved with Hearts' Robbie Neilson after 82 minutes and joined Jean-Claude Darcheville, Lee McCulloch and Steven Whittaker in the ref's book.

Smith said: "I thought it was the hardest of all the bookings to understand. Charlie could have gone over the ball when Neilson went in with a two-footed tackle but tried to play fair and ended up a victim.

"It's very disappointing that he'll now have to miss the Final."

Rangers' appearance against Aberdeen or Dundee United on March 16 will be their first in a national final since they took five goals off Motherwell in the CIS Cup Final in 2005 - and last night's win was a fitting way to celebrate Smith's first year back in charge of the club.

He said: "We deserve to be there. The pitch was awkward but we imposed ourselves.

"It was a good goal from Barry after the interval and I was delighted for everyone when the second one went in.

"Hopefully, we'll now do as well in the Final as we have done in the earlier rounds."

Smith teased his audience at Hampden when it came to discussing what activity, if any, Rangers had planned for today's final 24 hours of the transfer window.

He said: "I don't know if there will be any. I don't think so but you never know."

Hearts' defeat leaves them with little to play for but Frail bristled at any suggestion their season was over.

He said: "If anybody in our dressing room thinks they're no use to me.

"I want us to get into the top six and the rest of our games this season are cup finals."

The match was watched by the Tynecastle owner Vladimir Romanov at the end of a costly day for the Jambos.

An independent commission had decided Hearts were only due £150,000 for the loss of Andy Webster, on loan to Rangers and now likely to join the club permanently from Wigan.

Hearts had originally asked for compensation totalling £4.6million.

Meanwhile, former Rangers Egil striker Ostenstad, who is now director of football at Viking Stavanger, was checking out Andrius Velicka.

Ostenstad has £1million to spend on a forward and is keen on Hearts' Lithuanian star.

Taken from the Daily Record