Zander Clark admits Hearts got Rangers levels lesson as keeper makes Edinburgh derby demand

Zander Clark reckons Rangers’ five-star performance to break Hearts showed the levels the Jambos must strive to reach. The goalkeeper was helpless as the rampant league leaders smashed five goals into his net without reply on Saturday to end their impressive 12-game unbeaten run.

But Clark - who ended the game with the captain’s armband after Lawrence Shankland was substituted - insists Steven Naismith’s side can rid themselves of their Glasgow horror by proving they’re still kings of Edinburgh on Wednesday. The Tynecastle no. 1 knows there’s no better chance to get back on track than the visit of Hibs to Gorgie.

Hearts won the last meeting of the sides 1-0 in Leith in December and currently stand 21 points ahead of their rivals. And Clark said: “Saturday was a tough one to take. We knew it would be a fast start from Rangers, being top of the league, but to lose a goal so early gives them an extra lift. We were backs against the wall from that.

“Listen, we knew the crowd would be right behind them after going top of the league last week and with them playing the day before Celtic, we knew they would be right at it and we needed to try and silence them.

“Conceding so early on gives them an added lift and it’s a difficult one to try and get a foothold in the game. They were relentless and as I say we did not stand up to it in terms of a defensive collective as a team in terms of getting pressure on them.

“But that’s the level we as a club need to strive to get to and be able to turn in those performances week in, week out and I think we are almost there.

“The manner of the goals we conceded are disappointing. It’s not been like us. We need to get ourselves on the training pitch and back to doing what we’ve been doing for the