Jim Jefferies plans appeal if ban is more than two matches

• Jim Jefferies: "I don't expect to be reported for anything that happened at half-time (at Celtic]"

The Hearts manager hopes that his acceptance of the automatic punishment, along with his apology for his words and actions, will help put an end to the matter. However, if the Scottish Football Association decides to impose heavier sanctions on Jefferies for his treatment of match officials, he is prepared to launch a robust defence, pointing out his relatively clean record during more than two decades in management.

Jefferies reacted irately at Celtic Park when he thought the first of the home side's three goals against his team should have been flagged offside by assistant referee Francis Andrews. He was sent to the stand by Willie Collum, and later complained the referee had spoken to him as if he were an infant.

Although he still insisted after his team's 3-0 defeat that Jim Forrest's goal had been offside and that Hearts winger David Templeton should have had a penalty in the second-half, Jefferies later watched footage of the goal from different angles and accepted that Andrews' decision had been correct. Yesterday, he suggested he had done nothing to merit anything more than the two-match ban, which will take in the forthcoming league games against Motherwell and Rangers.

"I've had the letter (from the SFA] and replied, and now we wait and see what happens," he said. "I admitted I was wrong and I was out of line. It was done in the heat of the moment and I apologised through (SFA head of referee development] Hugh Dallas. I was told it was clearly offside and everyone in the dugout thought it was offside, but other angles suggested it was on-side so it must have been marginal. I complained about the second one and that one was more offside than the first one.

"I never criticised the performance of the referee. He only has to go with the linesman's decision. He got called across after what I said to the linesman so I'm not blaming him for that.

"I've been in trouble a couple of times, but in 23 years that's not a bad record. The last time I was sent to the stand was an offside with (Peter] Lovenkrands and Andy Davis was the linesman. But that's a while ago now - Alex McLeish was the Rangers manager at the time."

The SFA letter has charged Jefferies with excessive misconduct, a charge which often leads to no more than the ban he has already received. He explained why he thought the matter should indeed end there.

"I don't expect to be reported for anything that happened at half-time, and I don't think I brought the game into disrepute.

"My understanding of bringing the game into disrepute is when you go in the press and publicly slaughter the referee, which I've not done.I said exactly what I did about the situation, but I never criticised his performance.

"I said we felt we were hard done by, but that was more the linesman. I don't know if reporting the referee through the proper channels is bringing the game into disrepute, but if it is then I'm guilty. But how else can I do it if I'm not happy? And if I don't mention it to the press, they'll get hold of it anyway."

Meanwhile, Hearts opponents tomorrow, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, are to offer Adam Rooney a new and improved contract after he took his impressive Irn-Bru First Division goalscoring record into the top flight. The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international struggled to make an impact in his first season in the SPL but has already netted five times this season following his 27-goal haul last term.

Terry Butcher said: "We'll be sitting down with Adam to discuss a longer contract and the progress he has made at this club is something that should weigh in his favour. He's a vastly- improved player from his form when he was in and out of the side in our last SPL campaign."