Miko stays on at Tynie

HEARTS today revealed they have renewed the loan contract of Lithuanian winger Saulius Mikoliunas, ensuring that the player remains at Tynecastle until the end of the season.

Mikoliunas had spoken to the Evening News earlier this month to relay his fears that he would be shipped back to his club, FBK Kaunas, with his loan deal in Gorgie due to expire on January 31.

However, Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov found time during the most frantic day of transfer activity in the club's history yesterday to agree a new deal for Mikoliunas, who joined eight other players in signing deals on transfer deadline day. Bosnian winger Mirsad Beslija completed a three-and-a-half-year contract to move for £800,000 from Belgian club Racing Genk, and the Finnish striker Juho Makela also signed until the summer of 2009 from HJK Helsinki at a cost of £500,000.

Oxford United winger Chris Hackett joined on a two-and-a-half year deal for £20,000, and the Portuguese defender Jose Goncalves cost £700,000 from Swiss side FC Thun.

Goncalves has officially signed for FBK Kaunas, who are heavily financed by Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov, for three and a half years and been loaned to Tynecastle. Midfielder Bruno Aguiar has done the same after being secured on a free transfer from Benfica. Slovakian full-back Martin Petras and Czech Republic forward Ludek Straceny have arrived from Sparta Prague and Viktoria Zizkov respectively, and they have also been loaned by Hearts from Kaunas initially. French goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi has also been secured until the end of the season after being released by Marseille.

Jim Duffy has been recruited to assist Graham Rix with coaching duties, an agreement that will suffice until the end of the season before being reviewed along with Rix's own contract.

Meanwhile, Hearts defender Robbie Neilson was expected to sign a new three-year deal with the club today.

However, it wasn't all good news for the Jambos as it was revealed that midfielder Paul Hartley will be forced to sit out three of the club's matches due to suspension. The Scotland internationalist was hauled before the SFA's disciplinary committee at Hampden yesterday where a video review panel decided that his off-the-ball kick at Celtic's Ross Wallace was worthy of a straight red.

That punishment carries a one-match ban which also takes him through the disciplinary points threshold adding a further two games to the suspension.

The influential player will now sit out this Saturday's Tennent's Scottish Cup fourth-round clash with Aberdeen and Hearts' SPL fixtures at home to Motherwell on February 18 and away to Livingston on March 4.

• HEARTS have announced that their Cup clash with Aberdeen at Tynecastle has sold out along with their SPL game at home to the Dons on February 11.

Taken from the Scotsman