Livingston a 'must-win' for Europe, says Burchill

MIKE AITKEN

SIX points shy of Aberdeen in third spot and five points behind Hibs, striker Mark Burchill has described today’s SPL match against Livingston at Tynecastle as a "must-win" fixture for Hearts if they want to enhance their chances of playing European football next season.

Still struggling with the lingering effects of a virulent flu virus which has forced head coach John Robertson to wait until an hour before kick-off to assess the fitness of his players - Paul Hartley and Saulius Mikoliunas are both suspended - Hearts expect to be able to name a stronger side than the one which lost to Inverness Caledonian Thistle last week, but won’t be at anything like full strength.

A former Celtic player who once commanded a transfer fee of nearly £1million from Portsmouth, Burchill has yet to start a league game for Hearts and is conscious he needs to make an impact on the coaching staff if he wants to be offered a contract to play with the club next season.

"This is a big, big game for us against Livingston," said the 25-year-old.

"We’re chasing both Aberdeen and Hibs and are desperate to make up the ground between them and us.

"We have a tough game coming up soon at Celtic Park so it’s vital we win this one. In fact, we’re looking at it as a ‘must-win’ because it will be very tough for us if we don’t.

"I’m really enjoying being back in Scotland and like the training we get from John Robertson. I’m still looking for a bit of fitness and while I’ve come off the bench five or six times I’ve only started one match. I want to get more starts, score more goals and, hopefully, stay here next season."

Although he took the unusual step of naming his side a day in advance of the Inverness match, Robertson will wait until the 11th hour to pick his healthiest XI against Livingston.

"I won’t know who I’ve got until an hour before the game," he said. "We’ve still got boys who are coughing and spluttering in training. The doctor will examine them at 2pm and we’ll decide from there. It should be a slightly stronger team than last week but again we could have people on the park who are not 100 per cent."

Taken from the Scotsman