Desire returned for the Jambos

Last updated : 02 May 2010 By TwoTonTed

Jeffries celebratesJim Jefferies accused referee Dougie McDonald of jumping the gun when he pointed to the spot in Saturday's early kick-off game against Hibs. John Rankin went down under a challenge from Marius Zaliukas which looked very dubious and Anthony Stokes scored the opening goal. Jeffries said: "It was a very, very soft award. For a game that tight, you've got to be 100%, and he never hesitated for a minute. I was worried about that before the game." However, despite the players being aggrieved by the decision, Jeffries was pleased to see how they reacted. He went on: "The good thing for me is that they didn't go and feel sorry for themselves."

The players wanted more than ever to win the game after the penalty award and this display of desire was one of several factors that led to Hearts' comeback, another being Jefferies' substitutions. Jefferies was "raging" with his side after last weekend's defeat to Motherwell but hailed their "desire" here. The Tynecastle manager said: "I went virtually 4-2-4 the last half-hour. It came up trumps for us because Suso's chipped in with a goal. But you've got to say the other substitute made a contribution as well, because Calum Elliot had a really good spell when he came on."

despite sitting on Hibs shoulders in the race for Europa league football, Jeffries insists the Easter Road side, who are in freefall after losing their last six matches, are still favourites to finish fifth and seal a possible European spot. He said: "A lot of fans out there would probably rather take a win here today on their patch than go for Europe. The fact that we've done both today has given ourselves an outside chance."

Jefferies revealed he had a bust-up with Michael Stewart  after stripping him of the captaincy before, and substituting him during, the Motherwell game. While there is still a chance for Stewart to return to the side for the final two matches of the season,  Jefferies said: "Something happened last week after he was substituted that I wasn't happy about. Nobody's taken the captaincy away from him. He wasn't made captain for that day but the reaction I got after it shouldn't have happened. If anybody thinks that they can get away with anything, I can tell them that they won't."