Hearts' Wallace now hungry for a shot at Rangers

LEE WALLACE has emerged unscathed after returning to first-team duty in Hearts' victory over Kilmarnock and stressed he is now eager to get at Rangers this weekend.

The Scotland left-back played for the first time in four months at Rugby Park, lasting the full 90 minutes after recovering from knee ligament damage sustained on international duty last September. He offered thanks to Jim Jefferies, the Hearts manager, and club physio Rob Marshall for their faith as he strove to overcome the injury. Now, having cleared the first hurdle and helped Hearts to a vital win over Kilmarnock, Wallace is itching to face Rangers at Tynecastle on Saturday.

"It was great to be back involved after so long on the sidelines," he said. "It hasn't been easy watching the lads every week but I was delighted to start the match. Being out for so long has been frustrating but I had to be patient and make sure everything was okay when I did get back on the pitch.

"I felt good and thought I did okay against Kilmarnock. I was a little surprised to start but at the same time grateful to the manager for giving me the opportunity. I'd also like to thank our physio Rob Marshall and his team for all the work they have done with me. It was an important victory for us and has opened up a decent gap over Killie. We can go into Saturday's game against Rangers with confidence and want to keep our good league form going. It's too early to talk about where we can finish. The target has always been to finish as high as we can."

Jefferies also praised Wallace for his contribution at Rugby Park. "It's fantastic to have him back," said the manager. "There's no doubt he is a quality player. He's recognised as Scotland's left-back and I think he showed that at Kilmarnock."

Meanwhile, the Scottish Football Association has waived a 10,000 fine imposed on Hearts last summer for poor discipline. The Edinburgh club were ordered to pay 50,000 up front for incurring too many yellow and red cards last season, with 10,000 suspended until January pending good behaviour.

As a result of fewer cautions and dismissals for Hearts, the club have avoided having to pay the additional 10,000.