JANKAUSKAS OFF THE MARK

Edgaras Jankauskas opened his goalscoring account for Hearts with a double against Queen's Park - now manager George Burley is hoping there will be no stopping him.

The Jambos have enjoyed a great start to the season and boast a 100% record, which sees them sit top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League.

But Burley knows Jankauskas - one of his summer signings - could have let his lack of goals affect his confidence if he had waited any longer to get off the mark.

Instead, it was his brace which ensured a comfortable 2-0 win over the Bell's Third Division outfit and allowed Hearts to book their place in the third round of the CIS Insurance Cup.

Burley says the Lithuanian striker was a happy man.

He said: "I am very pleased for Edgar - he hasn't been on the scoresheet this season despite the number of goals we have scored.

"Strikers need to score goals for confidence and he has a big smile on his face after scoring two."

Burley made eight changes from the side who defeated Aberdeen in the SPL at the weekend, partly through necessity and partly to allow fringe players an opportunity to show what they can do.

And he admits he was not entirely convinced by what he witnessed.

He added: "We had four players with knocks so we didn't take any risks, while people like Paul Hartley and Steven Pressley have been on international duty and will be next week as well.

"So it gave me a chance to look at the squad.

"I was a little bit disappointed with our performance after we gave a number of players an opportunity to show what they can do."

The hype surrounding Hearts' unlikely lead at the top of the SPL means some people are already tipping them to win the championship against all odds, while others hope they can at least split the Old Firm this season.

Queen's Park manager Billy Stark believes their success will last for months to come but says it would be unfair to heap too much pressure on the new Jambos boss just yet.

He said: "It's a difficult situation for George because you can't control the hype and expectation.

"He is doing his best and they deserve great credit to glue themselves together so quickly.

"They have a great support, which can lift you when you get a bit of momentum going, but it's early days.

"I wouldn't get carried away but I wouldn't say it's impossible for them the keep the challenge up after the turn of the year."

Taken from sportinglife.com