Jambos Chasing Hampden Big Two

Jan 20 2008 By Euan Mclean

Motherwell V Hearts Tues, Kick-Off 7.45pm

STEVIE FRAIL reckons Hearts can repay their suffering support with two big cup final days out at Hampden to make up for their dreadful SPL season.

The Jambos boss insists Tuesday's Scottish Cup fourth round replay with Motherwell is just as big a priority as hauling themselves out of the relegation dogfight.

Hearts got back on track in the league with a derby win over Hibs yesterday but Frail believes a good cup run can hold the key to climbing up the table.

And with a CIS Cup semi-final against Rangers looming a week on Wednesday, Stevie reckons a good run in both cups will go a long way to putting the smiles back on the faces of fans and players.

He said: "The Scottish is right up there in our priorities. We want to progress as far as we can and by the end of May be walking out at Hampden.

"We experienced it a couple of years ago and want to do it again. To get there you need to win games, winning gives you confidence so it can tie up with everything we are hoping to do in the league. I'm not prioritising the cup any less than the SPL.

"We are in a league situation we have to get out of and move forward but hopefully we will do it running alongside a successful cup campaign.

"It helps when there are other big games coming up and means the players are not just worrying about getting out of a situation in the league.

"We also have a semi-final to look forward to in a week or so which is a fantastic incentive but the Scottish Cup is the showpiece at the end of the season so you want to be involved.

"We need to give a bit of payback to the fans. No club has a divine right to win games and cups but the Hearts supporters expect you to.

"They are the only constant at any club and have stuck by the players.

"I'm sure when we go to Hampden for that semi we'll have great backing and if we win? We saw what it was like when we went to the final against Gretna and the support they gave us.

"The fans carry you along then everything just snowballs and it gives people a target to aim for. That's why we want to progress as far as we can in every cup competition."

There is a fresh sense of regained confidence slowly building in the Hearts ranks.

Yet there is still one player Frail admits is struggling.

Keeper Eduardas Kurskis, who was dropped for yesterday's derby, has had a torrid time since his shocking mistake at Ibrox all but threw Rangers' winner into the net in mid-December.

And things only got worse when he stupidly got sent off against Inverness to cap a dreadful performance strewn with basic errors. It has got so bad even his own fans sarcastically cheered him for catching simple crosses.

But Frail reckons it's time people laid off his keeper and paid tribute to his contribution in last weekend's 2-2 draw with Motherwell.

He said: "It would be wrong to say Eduard as wasn't nervous.

"At one stage he came out of his box 10 or 12 yards and cleared the ball and someone said he flapped at it. But he punched it 40 yards up the park! I was delighted when he did that."

Meanwhile, derby goal hero Andrius Velicka is desperate to help Hearts to another Scottish Cup Final after his team-mates told him stories about the last time they won it.

Velicka said: "I have spoken to Saulius Mikoliunas, Deividas Cesnauskis and Edgaras Jankauskas about the final and heard their stories of fans lining the Edinburgh streets.

"Listening to their memories makes me want to win the cup even more."