Hearts duo are ready to return

PAUL KIDDIE

HEARTS boss Craig Levein is set to welcome back top scorer Mark de Vries and Phil Stamp for Sunday’s showdown with champions Celtic.

The Dutch striker missed the weekend visit of Livingston with a throat infection while the former Middlesbrough midfielder was sidelined by the calf injury sustained after recovering from a back problem.

Both players, though, were able to train yesterday after Monday’s day off and have been pencilled in for involvement against the Glasgow giants in Sunday’s live televised clash in the Capital.

Levein revealed that he is "hopeful" both will be available and there is no doubt the duo’s experience will be vital to the Jambos’ attempt to repeat last season’s dramatic Tynecastle victory over Martin O’Neill’s outfit.

"Mark de Vries and Phil Stamp are both better and were back on the training ground yesterday," he said.

"They are the type of players who need to keep training and cannot afford to miss games and I am hopeful that they will be okay for Sunday’s match."

Scott Severin, who was only fit enough for a place on the bench on Saturday, played the 90 minutes of Monday’s under-21 victory over Livingston at Almondvale and could also earn a recall against the Hoops.

With Steven Boyack also in contention having suffered no adverse reaction to his first start in seven months against the Lions and Paul Hartley free of suspension having served a one-game ban after his red card at Firhill, Levein has a number of options for the middle of the park. "Both Steven Boyack and Scott Severin are looking okay for Sunday, while Paul Hartley is also available," he said.

"To be honest, we don’t really have that many problems at the moment ahead of the game and we will be going into it with a reasonably fit squad.

"We will be trying to win the match, that’s for sure. We want to clinch that third spot and while we have been stuttering along a bit recently, so has everyone else, so I suppose it hasn’t been too bad."

Full-back Alan Maybury, meanwhile, has kept his place in the Republic of Ireland squad for next week’s friendly away to Poland.

The former Leeds United star was a late call-up for the recent victory over the Czech Republic in Dublin but sufficiently impressed boss Brian Kerr to retain his place and will be hoping to earn his fourth cap in Bydgoszez on Wednesday night.

Taken from the Scotsman