Football: Wallace strikes fear in Hearts

THE HEARTS goalkeeper Gilles Rousset fears a torrid afternoon at Tynecastle today when the Edinburgh side play host to Rangers and, in particular, their powerful strikeforce of Rod Wallace and Michael Mols.

Last week's emphatic 4-1 victory over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park was just the start the Hearts manager Jim Jefferies was looking for after his side disappointed last season, but Rousset knows that Rangers will pose a formidable threat, especially with Mols and Wallace starting the season in flying form. "Their attack is very strong," said Rousset. "They can score from anywhere. But it is not just going forward that they have good players, it's in defence as well."

Jefferies is likely to resist the temptation to recall Paul Ritchie to face the team who are keen to secure his signature, while Tony Vidmar is on stand-by to replace the Rangers full-back Artur Numan, who may miss out with a hamstring strain.

Aberdeen travel to Kilmarnock with the wounds from their 5-0 home drubbing by Celtic last Sunday still gaping.

Their captain, Derek Whyte, takes solace from the fact that his team will not be the last to suffer a heavy defeat at the hands of the Old Firm. "There will be a few teams hammered by them this year but we have to be realistic and learn from our mistakes. We have to get our heads up and try and be the best of the rest," Whyte said.

Kilmarnock's 2-1 defeat by Rangers last week with a team ravaged by injury at least allowed them to retain their respectability. However, the injury problems which accompanied them to Ibrox have not gone away and their manager, Bobby Williamson, has been forced to recruit the former Aberdeen goalkeeper Michael Watt as cover for Colin Meldrum.