Levein is backing Tierney

PAUL KIDDIE

HEARTS boss Craig Levein today backed teenage defender Gary Tierney to bounce back from his disappointing first-team debut.

The raw youngster was handed his first taste of the big time when he was named in the starting line-up for the Jambos’ last game of the season at home to Motherwell on Sunday.

However, the starlet was hauled off at half-time after an uncertain opening 45 minutes, Patrick Kisnorbo coming on as the Gorgie outfit recovered from a 2-1 half-time deficit to triumph 3-2.

Levein later conceded that perhaps he had asked too much of the young left-back - but insisted the young stopper would make the grade at Tynecastle.

"I thought Sunday was the day to give Gary his debut but I put a little bit too much pressure on him," he said.

"A couple of things didn’t go his way, we were behind and needed to win the match. It will be a test of character for the boy but I have great faith in him.

"It is a test for him to see how he responds to this now but rest assured he will be back in the team sooner rather than later."

With Levein having little money to bring in new faces - Ramon Pereira and Jamie McAllister may be his only summer purchases - the club’s youngsters are poised to play a more prominent role in the forthcoming campaign.

"I have lost 14 players this season and will only bring in five or six under-19s so it doesn’t take a genius to work out we will be eight players down," said Levein.

"Hopefully I will be able to bring in a couple of players before the start of the new season but we will be going into the new campaign at least six players down on last season.

"Christophe Berra is going to be a big players for us and we also have Joe Hamill, Neil Janczyk and Robert Sloan who will all be better players next season.

"Underneath them it is also looking good with the likes of young Tierney, Craig Sives, Andrew Driver, John Neill and Jason Thomson, who I can guarantee will all play first-team football."

Taken from the Scotsman