Lomas’ dugout ban won’t affect players

Dec 2 2011 by Greg Christison, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

STEVE Lomas will join adversary Paulo Sergio in the stands at Tynecastle tomorrow after landing a one-match ban for an “offensive gesture” at Ibrox last month.

But the new St Johnstone boss, who led his side to an impressive 3-1 home victory over Hibs last weekend, insists his absence from the dugout will not have a detrimental effect on his players.

Hearts’ Portuguese gaffer Sergio also misses out due to a five-match ban incurred for an ill-tempered outburst during Hearts’ 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock on October 29.

Relishing his third match at the helm, Lomas admitted fifth-placed Hearts, who lie one point behind Saints, will prove tough opponents in tomorrow’s 3pm kick-off.

The Northern Irishman told PA Sport: “I’m going to be in the stand unfortunately.

“I’m a bit disappointed about it, because I thought it [the incident] was something and nothing, but it’s done now. So we’ve got to accept it and move on.

“Tommy [Wright] is more than capable on the sideline and the players are fully professional.

“It’s not ideal, but at the end of the day, when that whistle goes, it’s not about the managers. It’s about the players. That’s the show.”

He continued: “Tynecastle is a tough place to go. It’s what I’d call a proper football ground. There is a good atmosphere and good fans.

“Hopefully we go there and we silence them, that’s what we’re looking to do.

“We know it’s going to be difficult but if the lads show the same application they’ve shown in the past few games then we won’t be far away.

“They [Hearts] got a good result last week and, with both teams confident, it’s got the making of a decent game.

“It’s close, they want to get ahead of us, and we want to kick on and keep our run going.

“The lads shouldn’t go there with any fear, but you’ve still got to go about it the right way and not get too over-confident.

“A little bit of nerves and knowing that you need to perform is good.

“I can normally tell in training whether we’re going to have an adverse reaction but they all have looked good this week.

“We take heart from the fact that we’ve went to places and got results. We’re going there looking forward to it.”

Former midfielder Lomas, who enjoyed stints as a player at Manchester City and West Ham, revealed he almost joined the Tynecastle club in 2005.

He added: “I nearly signed for Hearts when George Burley was there, so I know all about it.

“They had good people there like Paul Hartley and Elvis [Steven Pressley] playing at the back and Rudi Skacel had just joined up too.

“But there were obviously things going on behind the scenes that I wasn’t aware of and it just never materialised.

“I actually ended up signing for QPR.”

A win for Saints, who defeated Hearts 2-0 at McDiarmid in September, would see them stretch their lead to four points over the Jambos, with the Perth side still having a game-in-hand.

Lomas will be without loan star Cillian Sheridan after the Irishman limped off with a hamstring injury during Saturday’s encounter with Hibs.

It is unclear whether the CSKA Sofia striker will return to the side before his short-term deal expires in early January.

Skipper Jody Morris, who missed Saturday’s match with a similar injury, is “touch and go” for tomorrow’s game.