Rangers will punish us again if we repeat errors, warns Jim Jefferies

HEARTS manager Jim Jefferies is determined his players should not be overawed against Rangers tomorrow but cautioned that a repeat of the wayward defending which characterised the clubs' last meeting will guarantee defeat.

Most of the damage incurred by Hearts in Rangers' 4-1 victory at Tynecastle last month was, by Jefferies' own admission, self-inflicted. Defensive errors and poor marking too often left goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald exposed, and the manager has demanded his squad atone tomorrow.

Jefferies retains a portion of confidence from his team's outfield play in the aforementioned match and believes that alone should prevent his players feeling overwhelmed at Ibrox. "The one thing you learn from the last game is that, if you make mistakes against Rangers, they will punish you," he told the Evening News.

"Sometimes you'll get away with it against other teams but you won't get away with it very often against Rangers. They deserved to win because, from the mistakes we made, they cashed in. The third goal was a big blow for us right after half-time. If we'd brought the scores level at 2-2, then who knows what would have happened. But 3-1 was difficult and then we got caught again with bad marking at the fourth.

"There is nothing to be overawed about. It's just making sure we cut out the mistakes and defend properly. We have to make sure we don't make it as easy as it was last time."