Cathro demands Jambos victory

HEARTS boss Ian Cathro has told his team defeat is not an option when they take on Raith Rovers again tomorrow night.

The Jambos f ace t he Fifers for a second time in four days after letting victory slip through their fingers during Sunday’s William Hill Scottish Cup fourth-round 1-1 draw at Stark’s Park.

Cathro gave a stark warning to his team, saying: “We don’t have a choice now.We must win tomorrow, there’s no alternative as far as I’m concerned.”

Cathro handed debuts to new signings Aaron Hughes, Malaury Martin, Lennard Sowah and Andraz Struna.

But despite a disappointing result against t he Ladbrokes Championship outfit, he was happy with what he saw.

“There were good bits down to our work,” he said. “The addition of the new players added to the side, in terms of quality, and we had to defend a lot of set pieces, but we didn’t defend all of them well enough.

“The new players will show their qualities in the next weeks and months as they get used to each other, and the way we want them to play.”

Rovers boss Gary Locke will now return to a ground where he has served as both club captain and manager.

And he hopes his side can t urn t he famously hostile Ty n e c a s t l e atmosphere against the hosts.

“I’m well aware of how it can be there — I’ve been on the end of it a few times,” joked Locke.

“It’s a great place to play when things are going for you but, when things are not going for you, it can be difficult.

“We’ve got to go with the same belief we had on Sunday and, if we do that, we’ll have a chance of winning.”

Hearts head coach Ian Cathro.