Hearts boss ponders stamp appeal

JIM JEFFERIES will today study footage of Craig Thomson's sending-off at Falkirk before deciding which course of action to take after the young defender claimed he did not stamp on Carl Finnigan.

The Hearts manager spoke with the player at the end of an unbelievable match which saw the Tynecastle side reduced to ten men and crash out of the Co-operative Insurance Cup 4-3, despite coming back from two goals down to take the lead in the second half.

Thomson was shown a straight red card for retaliation in 26 minutes after a late challenge from Finnigan but told his manager that he had slipped on the wet turf at the Falkirk Stadium – which had been heavily watered prior to kick-off – and that any contact with the Bairns player was unintentional.

Jefferies said: "I didn't see the incident, nobody did apart from the fourth official.

"Craig's explanation – and he might be right because they'd had the sprinklers on and there were players slipping about all over the place – was that he got up and his foot slipped.

"I will watch it on the video and if that is right then he has been very unfortunate to have been sent off.

"If it was deliberate then he has cost his team-mates dear."

Meanwhile, Jefferies admitted that he felt for the Hearts supporters who had turned out in such numbers to back their side in the third round of the League Cup.

The away stand was packed out with almost 2,000 Jambos but they began to pour out of the stadium in their numbers when Mark Stewart hit an injury- time winner for the Bairns.

Jefferies added: "There was not a seat to be had in the away stand, there was a fantastic away support who had travelled to Falkirk to see us get through to the next round and we served that up."