Familiar faces on Irish tour

HEARTS boss George Burley today admitted there will be no new faces on the club's pre-season tour to Ireland.

The Jambos were due to fly out of the Capital today with the new Gorgie chief using the two friendlies in Dublin to assess the current first-team squad for the first time.

He confirmed today that he is keeping tabs on Steve Lomas' situation, the West Ham midfielder having been linked with a move to Gorgie as one of the first signings in the Burley era.

The 31-year-old is also interesting Crystal Palace, who are thought to be the favourites to win the race for his signature.

While attempts to bring in fresh talent are ongoing, Burley will run the rule over the players currently at his disposal in the clashes with St Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park tomorrow afternoon and the meeting with Bray Wanderers on Tuesday.

"There will be no new faces in Dublin," said Burley, who has spent the last week assessing Polish internationalist Marciej Murawski. "Steve Lomas is a player I am aware of and someone who has played at the highest level. He is still at West Ham and it's something we will continue to look at. We are currently inquiring about a number of players.

"We have got a squad here, though, and I haven't seen them play so it is only fair that I take the chance to have a look at them over the next few days in Ireland."

Burley has thrown down the gauntlet to the crop of young stars at Tynecastle, urging them to make the most of their chances in the upcoming games, the former Derby County and Ipswich Town manager revealing he intends to rest his international stars as much as he can.

With skipper Steven Pressley, Craig Gordon, Andy Webster and Paul Hartley all appearing set for minor roles, the spotlight will fall on the club's highly-rated youngsters as Burley weighs up just where he needs to strengthen the most.

"There is a clean slate for everyone here," he said. "We're taking a squad of 21 and there will be a lot of young boys included in that."

While he has been happy with the players' response to the first full week of training, the Jambos chief acknowledges that it is in match situations where he will learn most about his new charges.

"We have done a lot of ball work and have kept things sharp in training," he said.

"But the key is watching the players in games and it will be interesting to see how they go.

"I am looking forward to these two matches as it's the ideal opportunity for them to show what they can do."

The Under-19s were also on their travels today, Stevie Frail taking the squad to the north of England for a game against Liddesdale in Newcastleton, the match being played to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the amateur outfit.

Taken from the Scotsman