Hearts top of the awards

PAUL KIDDIE

TABLE-TOPPING Hearts were today celebrating more success with George Burley and Rudi Skacel having been named the Bank of Scotland Manager and Player of the month respectively.

Burley has scooped the August award after making a sensational start to his Tynecastle reign, the former Ipswich Town and Derby County boss steering the Gorgie outfit five points clear at the top of the SPL after five straight wins.

Skacel was Burley's first signing for Hearts when he was snapped up on loan from Marseille and the midfielder has made a huge impression in his short time so far in the Capital.

The 26-year-old launched his career in superb fashion by scoring on his debut in the 4-2 win over Kilmarnock on the opening day of the season at Rugby Park.

He has since gone from strength to strength, finding the back of the net in each of his side's subsequent four league matches. He will now head to Almondvale on Sunday for the meeting with bottom club Livingston hoping to equal former Celtic star Henrik Larsson's record of goals in six consecutive SPL games.

The form of the former Slavia Prague midfielder for his new club has not gone unnoticed in his homeland, Czech Republic head coach Karel Bruckner handing him his first start for his country in this week's World Cup qualifier against Armenia.

It was his third international cap having also featured in friendlies against Canada and Sweden.

The pair were due to be presented with their awards at the Jambos' football academy at Heriot-Watt today. The goal-a-game midfielder was one of ten international stars Burley was hoping came through the World Cup qualifiers in midweek free of injury.

He had his first chance to assess them all at training today and admitted that the switch to Sunday to accommodate live television is something of a blessing.

"We are certainly not disappointed to be playing on a Sunday this weekend," he said.

"Most of the players who had been involved in the internationals were all travelling back yesterday and I can only hope they have all come through okay."

Czech front man Michal Pospisil suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury in the CIS Cup win over Queen's Park last month and looks set to sit out the trip to West Lothian.

Neil MacFarlane is another player whose chances of making the game remain slim, the midfielder still struggling with the knock picked up in the cup-tie.

Burley will go head to head with former Motherwell team-mate Paul Lambert at Almondvale.

While the length of the table separates the two sides, Burley will be expressing to his players the need to maintain the level of performances which has seen them blaze a trail as league leaders in the opening weeks of the campaign.

He added: "They will be looking for the points on Sunday and will be sure to make it tough for us. We have had to work hard for everything this season and this weekend will be no different."

Taken from the Scotsman