INJURED BEDNAR FACES ANXIOUS WAIT

Hearts striker Roman Bednar faces an anxious wait to discover the extent of the damage to his knee.

Bednar helped Hearts maintain their 100% league record when he netted the only goal of the game against Rangers on Saturday.

But joy quickly turned to agony when he limped out of the action with suspected lateral ligament damage.

Bank of Scotland Premier League leaders Hearts are enjoying their best start to a league campaign for over 90 years but Czech star Bednar fears he could be forced to miss out on weeks of action.

He was due to undergo a scan later today, before seeing a specialist tomorrow to determine just how long he can expect to be sidelined for.

The 22-year-old described how he heard a "cracking" sound when he made contact with Rangers defender Marvin Andrews.

Speaking to Czech daily Sport, he said: "He had both legs together and my knee twisted.

"It looks pretty bad. When I was falling down I heard a little cracking sound.

"I realised that there was a problem. I never lie on the pitch for no reason. I wanted to try it and return to the pitch, but after the first header I knew I had to be substituted.

"But I still believe it will not be serious, even though I cannot step on the leg just now."

Bednar believes the win over Rangers, which leaves the Scottish champions 11 points adrift of the SPL leaders, means Hearts will finally be taken seriously as championship contenders by the Old Firm.

But manager George Burley still claims a third-place finish would be a success this season, despite their emphatic start to the campaign, and Bednar backs the views of his boss.

He added: "They probably feel in Glasgow that we present a threat for them.

"I hope we will be ahead of one of them at the end of the season.

"But it is still too early for any big plans and we would be happy with the third spot ensuring the participation in the UEFA Cup."

Taken from sportinglife.com