I’D BE FIZZER OF OZ IF YOB CAME AT ME ON PITCH
TEAMSHEET
HEARTS have major doubts over three key players ahead of tonight’s crunch Scottish Cup quarter-final replay against Partick Thistle.
Steven Naismith is out while Sean Clare is also a concern as he’s suffering from a hamstring problem, although his manager is optimistic he’ll make it.
Marcus Godinho is still struggling with a calf niggle while Jamie Brandon will sit out with a ban for violent conduct. Michael Smith and Demetri Mitchell remain long-term absentees.
Tam O’Ware continues to be a long-term absentee for Thistle who have no fresh injury worries. BEN GARUCCIO watched in horror as Rangers captain James Tavernier and Aston Villa star Jack Grealish were attacked by thugs in separate incidents over the weekend.
Hearts’ Aussie full-back believes both players deserve credit for showing remarkable restraint during the flashpoints.
The 23-year-old said: “I don’t know if I would have been as restrained as James Tavernier and Jack Grealish were in that situation.
“I have to take my hat off to Grealish though.
“To have that sort of reaction in that situation is top drawer.
“The situation on Sunday was just crazy.
“You can speak to any footballer and they’ll tell you they wouldn’t know what to do until it happened to them.
“It’s not something you think about when you’re playing.”
Garuccio revealed the atmosphere inside British grounds was what lured him here in the first place.
He said: “Part of the attraction of coming here is the passion of the fans but it’s that fine line.
“You want the atmosphere to be really, really good without overstepping that boundary.
“The players need to feel safe and people who bring their families to the game also need to feel safe and believe it’s a nice BY ANTHONY HAGGERTY place to come to. You want to have the competitive atmosphere everyone loves but you need to get it right.
“As a player you want to feel safe on the field.”
Despite the two shocking incidents Hearts boss Craig Levein insists football is now in a much better place than it was in the past.
Levein, whose side face Partick Thistle at Tynecastle in their Scottish Cup quarter-final replay tonight, said: “The two incidents at the weekend were shocking but it’s certainly not a new thing.
“I remember in the past, it happened to wee John Robertson when someone ran on to the pitch trying to get him.
“Our tolerance for these things is now almost zero and that’s a brilliant thing.
“There used to be a lot of violence around in football in the 1970s and 1980s.
“I remember the running battles that used to take place outside stadiums and things like that.
“It’s great where we’re now in a position where one, two or three incidents become massive talking points.
“We’re in a much, much better place than we were but we still need to do much more.”