Gordon boost for Jam Tarts

HEARTS assistant boss John McGlynn today insisted keeper Craig Gordon would be fit and raring to go for the Tynecastle side's Champions League opener next week.

The Tynecastle stopper missed Saturday's match against Preston at Deepdale because of a groin injury. However, McGlynn and head coach Valdas Ivanauskas are both confident that he will be back between the sticks when the Champions League qualifiers kick-off a week on Wednesday.

The Jambos will face either Siroki Brijeg of Bosnia or Belarussian outfit Shakhtyor Soligorsk at Murrayfield and McGlynn said: "He should be fit for the start of the season. He had the same problem over in Austria and missed a couple of games, he was back for the last game of that trip but it has recurred and that's why we left him out of the Preston match.

"We didn't want to risk playing him and making the situation worse, but we don't think that it is going to be something that will keep him out for long. Obviously you want all of your best players available for the start of the season and we're working towards that."

Injuries to Edgaras Jankauskas and Deividas Cesnauskis, who are both suffering from hamstring strains, and Nerijus Barasa and Neil McCann will also be assessed before Wednesday's friendly match against Osasuna, although McGlynn revealed that the winger is likely to take some part in either the Champions League match or SPL opener three days later.

One man who won't be rushed back in time for the start of the SPL campaign though is Paul Hartley. The former St Johnstone man enjoyed an outstanding season as the Jambos cruised to second spot in the league but suffered a groin injury during the club's tour of Austria and is now facing a race against time to be fit for the club's Champions League qualifiers later this month. However, McGlynn insisted there is no pressure on the midfielder to make a speedy return to action, maintaining that it was better to be fully fit than risk returning to the first team too soon.

He added: "Paul is a lot better. For a time there wasn't an awful lot of improvement but now there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

"He has stepped up his training in the last few days, although he's still doing most of that on his own, but there's no point in putting pressure on him to come back sooner than is sensible. As long as he keeps improving, we are happy with that."

"We had a lot of games in the space of ten days over in Austria and then when we came back we were straight down to Preston.

"It was a good game though, a good workout for us, although we had two or three injuries and I think we let Preston do most of the pressing.

"It was a good result for us and we are really starting to see a sharpness return as the fitness improves. Hopefully we can continue in that vein with another good result on Wednesday night."

Taken from the Scotsman