New deal for Hearts hero

PAUL KIDDIE AND MARK BONTHRONE

HEARTS hero Joe Hamill is set to complete a memorable 72 hours by signing a new contract tomorrow.

The Tynecastle youngster blasted the second-half winner against Rangers at Ibrox last night to give the Jambos their first victory in Govan since January 1996 - and he is set to see his form rewarded with a 12-month extension to his current deal which expires in the summer.

Boss Craig Levein has been in talks with the 20-year-old winger for some weeks and the Evening News can reveal that formalities are due to be concluded tomorrow afternoon.

There was further good news for the Gorgie faithful with midfielder Neil Janczyk and Robert Sloan - the pair were also involved in last night’s triumph which saw Hearts end a 22-match winless streak against the Glasgow giants - also set to join Hamill in pledging their futures to the club.

With Levein having initially targeted the lower wage earners at Tynecastle as he builds for the future against a depressing backdrop of further cost-cutting, he has been in talks with a number of the club’s most promising youngsters and Janczyk and Sloan are also set to sign on the dotted line tomorrow.

Janczyk was farmed out to second division Alloa Athletic last year and has forced his way into Levein’s plans after his six-month stint at Recreation Park. The three young stars look set to play a more prominent role in the new season with the club’s decision to remain at Tynecastle for another 12 months meaning Levein faces yet more summer cuts in his first-team squad.

"We have agreed terms with Joe Hamill, Neil Janczyk and Robert Sloan and they will be signing tomorrow and will each be getting one-year deals," said Levein.

While the trio can look forward to an extended stay in Gorgie, Scott Severin’s Hearts career appears to be drawing to a close.

The midfielder took over the captain’s armband in the absence of the injured Steven Pressley last night and stood out as a stand-in centre-half alongside Andy Webster. Levein conceded he was "gutted" at the prospect of losing the midfielder at the end of the season with the club unable to offer him a new deal.

"Scott Severin was great last night," he said. "He has been absolutely brilliant for me in the last three-and-a-half years. I am gutted to be losing him. The team will miss him but there’s no point moping as I just have to concentrate on who is staying."

Taken from the Scotsman