Tynecastle support urged to enjoy loan striker to the full

CRAIG Levein, Hearts’ head coach, yesterday urged the club’s supporters to appreciate Ricardo Fuller for as long as he stays at Tynecastle rather than fret over losing the Jamaican at the end of the season, writes Mike Aitken.

While chants of "Fuller must stay" rang around McDiarmid Park after Hearts defeated St Johnstone 2-0 in what the coach hailed as the team’s best away performance of the season, Levein made it clear there was no prospect of the Edinburgh club finding the cash needed to sign the striker on a long-term deal.

"Nothing has changed on that topic and really I don’t know what more I can say," confessed Levein.

"We’re very glad to have Ricardo and he’s now forming a terrific striking partnership with Gary Wales. But it’s important to remember that one player doesn’t make a team."

St Johnstone boss Billy Stark, agreed that Fuller’s ability to make something out of nothing was decisive.

"There wasn’t much between the teams in this game until Hearts scored the first goal," he recalled. "Fuller set up that one for Wales and then scored the second himself which killed us off."

Taken from the Scotsman