USE HAMPDEN HURT TO DRIVE US TO THE FINAL,SAYS GERRARD

STEVEN GERRARD has urged his players to feed off the hurt of last season’s Hampden failure when they face Hearts in tomorrow’s Betfred Cup semi-final. Rangers lost 1-0 to Aberdeen at same stage of the competition 12 months ago, a result that stands as one of the bitterest blows during Gerrard’s reign. The Ibrox boss wants that memory to act as a spur for those still in his squad as he seeks to reach his first final since moving into management 16 months ago. ‘I’d be delighted for the players if we get through,’ said Gerrard. ‘There is no one on this planet that wants to see these players be successful more than me. ‘I will be really proud if they manage to get the job done and get into a final. ‘That’s what we’re preparing for. We felt the feeling of not achieving that last season and the players need to tap into how it felt getting on that bus at Hampden when we were knocked out by Aberdeen. ‘It wasn’t so much our performance but our game management and maybe a lack of quality in the final third. I want the players to tap into that but focus on the job in hand.’ Rangers were held to a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle 13 days ago, with Gerrard (right) criticising the mentality and approach of his side. Craig Levein’s sacking means Austin MacPhee will be in charge of Hearts this weekend. Asked about the possibility of a new manager ‘bounce’ for the opposition, Gerrard added: ‘We are well aware of that but this is a semi-final and we just need to focus on what we do. ‘The challenge for the players is can we find the best Rangers? Can we be Rangers on the day? ‘I think everyone has seen how good that can be, both in and out of possession. If we find that, I’m sure we’ll get the outcome we want. ‘These players should be well aware that Hearts come as a massive challenge, with good players. Austin knows his stuff, I have had some really detailed conversations with Austin about coaching and tactics and he knows his stuff. I am sure Craig will still be in the background as someone for Austin to lean on. ‘Nothing changes. We are fully expecting the biggest threat Hearts can pose. ‘In the last game against Hearts, we got caught cold in the opening stages. We were lucky we weren’t 2-0 down, so I’m sure the players will want to put that right.’ Gerrard said keeper Allan McGregor had a ‘better than 5050 chance’ of playing against Hearts after sitting out the midweek win against Ross County.