Jefferies has a point to prove

Dundee United's 2-0 defeat by Rangers last night ensured that the Gorgie club qualified for European competition while a home victory in Edinburgh this evening will end Celtic's title hopes and hand the championship to their Glasgow rivals.

Hoops boss Neil Lennon criticised Jefferies' men for a lack of competitiveness during a 4-0 reverse against Rangers at the weekend, an accusation that the man in the home dugout tonight says will inspire his team to do their utmost to win.

"Well, would it fire you up?" Jefferies asked rhetorically with regards to Lennon's comments.

"I'm not going to get into a war of words with Neil, but he's made reference to the last two games being easy for Rangers, and I think that's disrespectful to the players who played on Saturday. The one thing I couldn't accuse them of was effort. Until Rangers got the first goal we looked like the team more likely to score. We didn't have our strongest team available, and they didn't help their cause because they lost their match at Inverness.

"What we're more concerned with is (the complaint] that we gave Rangers an easy time. With the players that were available to me, if anybody else had pulled out we'd have had one less on the bench because that's all we had available. Those players gave everything and shouldn't be accused of lying down and not trying.

"I'm not trying to beat Celtic to do Rangers a favour - that's what seems to be coming across. We want to do that for ourselves, for our supporters at home. It's the last game (at home]. We didn't go to Ibrox on Saturday to do Celtic a favour. We went there to get the point or win to get the third place."

Jefferies pointed to paranoia as the source of Lennon's outburst, saying that had the same persecution complex pervaded the Hearts camp in recent weeks he could have asked all manner of questions of the teams beaten by Dundee United as the Arabs, until their loss at Ibrox last night, maintained pressure on the third-place Jambos.

"Have I got any conspiracy theories on Motherwell? They played their strongest team against us a couple of weeks ago (a 3-3 draw] and then go to Dundee United and leave four in the stand (losing 4-0]. Quite rightly, they're preparing for a cup final and they're trying to manage their squad. We never complained about that. They played a lesser side against (a team] challenging us for third place."

Jefferies expects to be able to welcome back Marian Kello and Marius Zaliukas tonight. The first-choice goalkeeper and the club's Player of the Year has been deprived of first-team action due to an unresolved "private matter", while Zaliukas was controversially omitted from Saturday's squad to face Rangers by Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov, who cited the reason that match official Iain Brines would be likely to send off the centre back.

Kello is likely to replace Jamie MacDonald between the posts, with Jefferies delighted at the prospect of the return of the Slovakian, who has enjoyed international recognition and plaudits for his SPL performances this season.

"It can't drag on," said Jefferies of Kello's absence. "I think it's at the stage now where it will be resolved and I think this would be the time to put it to bed and get him available. It's no reflection on Jamie MacDonald, who has done fantastically well. He knows that whenever Marian is clear to play (he will start]. Hopefully before the game we can get (the situation] sorted out."

Meanwhile, the Tynecastle supremo was keen to set the record straight on rumours from the weekend that he had parted company with Hearts in the aftermath of Romanov intervening in team selection. Jefferies accepts that his current role is carried out in an environment alien to most other managers in the country and he insists he has learned to expect - and accept - the unexpected.

"I don't get upset about it - what I do is just put the record straight. The fact I was (at Rugby Park to watch Kilmarnock take on Celtic] on Sunday night quashed any rumours. I will continue in the job and if I ever get into that situation (again] I'll manage it differently," said Jefferies who added that he was unsure about whether or not Romanov would continue to have a say in matters of team selection.

"They work differently to other clubs - that's their prerogative," continued Jefferies. "It was the right job at the right time and it was a situation where you try and work through it. The club has given their reasons.

"I thought about it, and the decision is that that's one thing that I'll learn from and handle differently if it ever happens again. It's up to me, how I handle that situation, if it happens again. It's never ever been a problem for me up until Saturday because we were a little bit short. He's given his reasons for passing that message."