Ready for anything now

Last updated : 21 July 2011 By TwoTonTed
Jim Jefferies is confident Hearts will be ready for the start of the SPL season at the weekend against Rangers after a 1-0 win over Royal Antwerp at Tynecastle. Jamie Hamill's 85th minute penalty, after substitute Arvydas Novikovas had been tripped by Marvin Peersman, was enough to win the trophy put up to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Tynecastle Stadium. The Gorgie manager will be without Hamill, who is suspended, for the game with Rangers and while defender Andy Webster came off at the interval with a groin injury he is confident that the former Rangers defender will be fit for a return to Ibrox.

Jefferies will take into consideration those who were part of a strong Hearts XI who lost at Livingston on Saturday before he begins working on his line-up for the trip to Govan, but he is happy with the way his players have shaped up over the pre-season. He said: "
We will be ready, no doubt about it. We have had two games this weekend, so I will give them their break tomorrow. I can sit down and work out what we are going to do and see what players are best to use. There are one or two who have a bit to find but that will come shortly. But the team we pick, we will work on them Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We will work on when we have the ball and when we don't have the ball. Pre-season is all over now and we will be ready for Saturday."

Jefferies insists he will know later today whether midfielder Rudi Skacel, who is out of contract, will sign another deal. He said: "
I think it will be resolved on Monday. I don't know the ins and outs totally and I hoped it would be sorted out over the weekend but I have been made aware that we will get it sorted out one way or the other on Monday."

The game against the Belgian Second Division side started at a decent tempo but the visitors were more direct and had a couple of attempts on goal before Kevin Oris came close in the 20th minute with a curled shot from 25 yards which just cleared the bar by inches. There was little threat from the home side until the 34th minute. John Sutton had been bundled to the ground by Thomas Phibel and Danny Grainger's left-footed free-kick from the right of the box sped just past the near post. The former St Johnstone and Dundee United defender had another effort two minutes from the break, this time dragging his shot from 16 yards past the far post.

Royal Antwerp started the second half strongly and five minutes in Tossin Dosumbu's goal-bound drive from 12 yards appeared to be blocked by the arm of Jambos' substitute Ryan McGowan, who had replaced Webster at the break, but referee Steven McLean ignored the penalty claims. The Gorgie side woke from their lethargy and in the 55th minute Ryan Stevenson's low drive from 16 yards was well saved by Antwerp keeper Theo Defourny down low to his right side. In the 67th minute the keeper had an even better save when he dived to his left to push Ian Black's 25-yard drive clear, after the midfielder had taken a short free-kick from Mehdi Taouil. The constant stream of substitutes disrupted the game but in the 85th minute Peersman fouled Novikovas and Hamill drove the resulting spot-kick past Defourny. Jefferies said: "
As a workout, getting the players on the ball, it was a decent workout. It was a different type of game to playing a Scottish team."