Alex Cochrane's Celtic red card WON'T be appealed as Hearts 'decide against it' after reviewing footage

Hearts have reportedly decided NOT to appeal Alex Cochrane's red card against Celtic - meaning he will miss their next two games against St Mirren and Rangers.

The left-back was initially booked by on-pitch whistler Nick Walsh for bringing down Daizen Maeda but Willie Collum on VAR recommended a review at the monitor and Walsh upgraded it on second viewing. The decision sparked widespread debate over whether Cochrane denied a clear goalscoring opportunity and boss Steven Naismith slammed it after the game.

But now it is being widely reported that Hearts have decided not to appeal it and will allow him to serve a two-game ban instead. Speaking after the game on the decision, Naismith said: "I don't agree with it. The referee's original decision was a good one.

"He was up with play and he was in the right area of the pitch, and I think there is a lot of work to do as a forward. I know myself as a forward there is a lot of work to do before he gets a chance on goal. The two players near the ball are in very similar positions, which would indicated they would get there at similar timings.

"It's not a clear and obvious error, for me. The ref is up with play. It has a big impact on the game, and it's so frustrating that I am standing here after the game talking about it."

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