Injured Levein faces a month on sidelines

RAY HEPBURN

1 Oct 1993

HEARTS' darkest fears were confirmed yesterday when captain Craig Levein underwent surgery in Dunfermline for a depressed fracture of his right cheekbone.

The Scotland player will be out of domestic football for around a month and also will be missing when the Scots meet Italy in a World Cup qualifying tie in two weeks' time.

Levein collided with goalkeeper Henry Smith after 11 minutes of Tuesday night's UEFA Cup, first-round, second-leg defeat by Atletico Madrid in Spain.

The 28-year-old played on with the injury despite being in intense pain.

Manager Sandy Clark said: "Apart from his personal absence, the big pity is that he, Alan McLaren, and Graeme Hogg have played magnificently as a unit in the games against Atletico and Celtic in the last week.

Taken from the Herald