HEARTS and Hibs continue to make headlines for the wrong reasons.

The Tynecastle club have been accused of lying over the reason Scotland keeper Craig Gordon was on the bench as they defeated Dundee United 1-0.

And Hibs manager John Collins has been accused of launching a verbal volley at captain Kevin Thomson.

The clubs faced each other at Tynecastle today and it's still unknown if Gordon will return to the Hearts team, after being replaced by Steve Banks at the weekend.

Hearts boss Valdas Ivanauskas claimed Gordon - who warmed up before the game in a T-shirt - was not fit enough to start because of illness.

But SPFA chief Fraser Wishart insisted that was not the case and that the Scotland No.1 must have been axed as part of the fall-out over the statement slamming Vladimir Romanov's running of the club.

Steven Pressley was left out the team before being freed and Paul Hartley was also dropped, although he has since returned to the side.

Gordon attended a disciplinary hearing last week accompanied by Wishart, and the SPFA secretary said: "I spoke to Craig on the morning of the game and he was not ill. That is a blatant lie."

At Hibs, manager Collins is having a spat with Thomson and Kevin Brown over demands for new deals.

Both players are represented by agent Willie Mckay, who claimed Collins told both players they wouldn't face Hearts as punishment for their conduct.

The Hibs boss denied those claims but Mckay added: "He definitely told them they would not play against Hearts.

"You can ask the eight or nine players who were present about the incident in the treatment room on Friday.

"Kevin was on the treatment table and was blasted by the manager about being there, to such an extent veins were sticking out in his neck."