Hartley stays, Burchill checks in

DARREN JOHNSTONE

HEARTS appear to have won their battle to keep Paul Hartley at Tynecastle, while at the same time adding more firepower to the squad with the signing of Mark Burchill.

According to Hearts chairman George Foulkes, Celtic have "intimated" they will not be submitting a second offer for midfielder Hartley.

Parkhead chief executive Peter Lawwell and Foulkes held lengthy discussions yesterday afternoon and it was the latter who emerged the happier of the two, insisting he did not expect Celtic to table an increased offer.

The Gorgie club have already rebuffed a "derisory" £200,000 bid for the Scotland squad member, who is playing the best football of his career this term.

Hartley has been valued at £1 million by Hearts and unless Celtic increase their initial bid significantly, the 28-year-old is unlikely to leave Gorgie during the current transfer window which closes on Monday.

"Celtic have intimated to me that they will not be making another bid for Paul Hartley, which, at the moment, is great news," said Foulkes. "We have told them all along that we would not welcome any bid for Paul and that he wasn’t for sale.

"We see Paul as a very important part of our set-up and we want to keep him at this football club. They have indicated they are going to respect that.

"I also think they respect my comments that all the speculation surrounding their bid has been unsettling for the player and that’s why they have intimated they won’t be making another offer."

Ironically, injury has ruled Hartley out of today’s clash with Aberdeen at Tynecastle after he strained a hamstring, but manager John Robertson is hoping to have him available for Tuesday’s CIS Cup semi-final against Motherwell.

Robertson made his second foray into the transfer market yesterday by signing former Celtic striker Mark Burchill on a contract until the end of the season.

Burchill, who has been capped six times for Scotland, joins fellow-January recruit Lee Miller at Tynecastle after enduring an injury-plagued three year at Portsmouth.

The 24-year-old joined Portsmouth from Celtic for £600,000 in August 2001, but damaged cruciate knee ligaments less than a month later, keeping him out for a year.

The striker, capped six times by Scotland, scored eight goals in 26 appearances for Portsmouth to help them win the 2002-3 Division 11 title.

Burchill has not made a first- team appearance for Portsmouth for the past two seasons after falling out with former manager Harry Redknapp. He moved to Dundee on a four-month loan deal at the end of season 2002/03, was farmed out to Wigan Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday last season, and had a one-month stint at Rotherham United this season.

He sees his move to Hearts as an opportunity to revive his rollercoaster career, and even has aspirations of earning a Scotland recall. "This is where my career kick-starts," said Burchill, who scored eight goals in nine league starts at Portsmouth. "I am fully fit now and ready to go, and I feel it’s a great time to be coming to the club. I’m 24, so I’m still young.

"I just want to be back playing football and hopefully get in and around the national squad. I don’t really feel I have something to prove, I just really feel I have something to do in the game. I want to have a good career, I want to play week-in, week-out.

Hearts’ lack of a proven goal- scorer has been well documented, but Robertson reckons the arrival of Burchill will remedy any problems his side have in front of goal.

Speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Aberdeen, he said: "The pressure is on Lee Miller and Dennis Wyness to produce, they are the guys with the shirts at the moment, but they will have to be at their best to keep out the guys below them."

Patrick Kisnorbo and Phil Stamp are ruled out of today’s match through injury.

Taken from the Scotsman