Hearts get a break from boss

PAUL KIDDIE

HEARTS boss Craig Levein has given his players extra time off this week after insisting the surprise defeat from Partick Thistle was a "game too much" for his tired squad.

The Jambos crashed to their first reverse in 12 league games as Andy Thomson’s second-half strike gave the basement club a rare victory.

The clash marked the culmination of a hectic period on the road, the Gorgie outfit having faced six away games in their last eight matches.

The players will not report back for training until Thursday ahead of the weekend visit of Livingston, with Levein hoping the break will help his men recharge for the league run-in. It’s the first time I have done something like this but I think Saturday was a game too much for us.

"The fact that many of the players didn’t perform near their best suggests the game are catching up on them. We have played an awful lot of games recently and it has been a hard slog mentally.

"The few days off won’t do the guys any harm, particularly the ones who have been on international duty.

"The plan is they will all come back refreshed from this and ready for the final six games of the season. We will have four of them at home and that will be good as we seemed to have been on our travels almost continuously."

The defeat means Hearts failed to increase their nine-point lead over nearest rivals Dunfermline, who have two games in hand. The Fifers, though, face a hectic schedule in the forthcoming days, with three league games this week alone before next Tuesday’s Scottish Cup replay with Inverness Caley Thistle. "They have an incredible schedule," said Levein. "The fact they have still to play us after the break means it is all there for them and it will be a tall order for them to catch us."

Taken from the Scotsman