HEARTS' veteran defender, Dave McPherson, talked yesterday of how the experience gained by the club's young players in their last cup final appearance against Rangers two years ago would be vital for their upcoming encounter with the Ibrox club.

McPherson said that, since the 5-1 Scottish Cup final defeat by Rangers in the 1995/96 season, players like Paul Ritchie and Gary Locke, who is in a race against time to be fit for the final, had matured well. It was such maturity by the younger team members that had, according to McPherson, been the basis for such a successful season this time round.

''Maybe, in the early days, some young players were just happy to be in the team and wanted to play their own game,'' said McPherson. ''Now they are taking more responsibility and playing in a more professional way, although that asset has been instilled in them by both Jim Jefferies and Billy Brown.

''There has been a number of times since the final against Rangers that the young players have played in big, big games and come through them with flying colours. They have gone to places like Ibrox and Parkhead and stood up and been counted in matches there.''

McPherson said that the club was disappointed that their league challenge had petered out but felt they would come again in the cup final. ''A lot has changed since we lost so heavily to Rangers and I believe this cup final will be nothing like that,'' he said.

''I wouldn't say our players froze on the day, but we did have an inexperienced team and came up against a Rangers side on top of their game. Despite all that, I believe things will be different this time round.''

McPherson said he hoped to improve on his own rather poor Scottish Cup final record. He has played four times so far, twice with Rangers, twice with Hearts, winning only once in 1993 when Rangers beat Aberdeen 2-1.

Meanwhile, striker John Robertson said he believed that supporters should put any superstitions aside and believes that, this year, it was Heart's turn to win the trophy. ''Maybe people come up with these daft wee asides to put their minds at ease, but we have to earn a victory on the day against Rangers,'' said Robertson.

The little striker, who was loaned out to Dundee earlier in the season, said it was nonsense to suggest that, since the club had slipped from the league championship race, their games had become meaningless.

''Hearts still have their competitive edge,'' said Robertson. ''We have 20 players in our squad who are all playing for cup final places.

''Already people are talking about the cup final, but before that we will be focused on the Dunfermline game on Saturday.''

Manager Jim Jefferies faces a difficult decision for that game as, although he will be tempted to play his strongest side as preparation for the final, he will want to guard against some of his players picking up injuries.