Frustrated Hughes says his team were too scared to win

"I felt we were the much better side in the first half and unlucky not to be in the lead at half time, although Hearts hit the post. I told the boys if they did the same in the second half we'd win the game.

"We got off to a good start with the penalty and that's when the whole game changed and turned on it's head. I think it scared us. I think we were scared to go on and win the game.

"We sat back too deep, we stopped doing the things that had worked in the first half and we were hoping to see the game out. That's a recipe for trouble. I've seen it happen in other sports, boxing and so on. You need to show a spirit and a character to keep going and influence things. We didn't do that and the inevitable happened."

His opposite number, Jim Jefferies, was far more satisfied, saying his players had felt aggrieved at the spot-kick decision and used it to inspire them to a win that now gives them an outside chance of European football next season.

"I think our sense of injustice at the penalty drove us on. The good thing for me was we didn't feel sorry for ourselves. I've seen the penalty on the monitor and it was a very, very soft award. You've got to be 100 per cent.

"I know the Hearts fans and a lot of them would rather take a win here today rather than go for Europe. But the fact we've done both gives us an outside chance."

The winning Hearts side did not include club captain Michael Stewart, who was denied the armband in his return from injury lay-off last week and was then substituted at half-time.

Refusing to add to the speculation that Stewart, who is out of contract in the summer, has played his last game for the Tynecastle team, Jefferies did admit that there was residual ill-feeling from last weekend.

"Something happened after he was substituted last week that I wasn't happy about. I told him I would keep that between us. He's the captain of the club, nobody has taken that away from him. He just wasn't made captain for that day. But the reaction I got from him afterwards shouldn't have happened. That's why I have to be fair to the players and let them see I'm the manager and what standards I expect here.

"You send the message out to the rest of the players when he (Stewart) doesn't start. If anyone thinks they can get away with anything, they won't. That goes for anyone, it doesn't matter who they are."

However, despite the fact Stewart did not train with other members of the first team squad at the end of the week, Jefferies said he would be involved tomorrow. "I don't know if he will play in the final two games, I just looked at the squad for this game."

MOIRA GORDON