Hearts winger Driver eyeing return to first team after lay-off

HEARTS today received a major boost with the news that talented winger Andy Driver is closing in on a return to the first team after almost two months on the sidelines. Big things were expected of the 18-year-old Englishman this term after he dazzled in pre- season but he has been limited to just one top-team outing so far in the campaign.

Initially he found himself excluded from boss Valdas Ivanauskas' plans after stalling on signing a new contract with the Jambos but after agreeing a five-year deal he was brought back into the fold.

He made an immediate impact when he grabbed a stunning goal in a 4-1 rout of Inverness Caley Thistle at Tynecastle but just days later he limped out of a reserve team match against Rangers with a thigh injury.

Since then he has had one failed comeback bid when he again broke down in training although he is now on course to put his injury agony behind him.

"Andy trained with the first team for the first time yesterday and that's good news," said assistant coach John McGlynn.

"He's not going to be available for selection tomorrow as he needs to get more training under his belt but he's getting there.

"He picked up a knock in the reserves against Rangers and then just as he was almost recovered he had a wee setback which is why it's taken so long for him to come back.

"It's been very frustrating for him because he did really well in pre-season and looked really sharp. He fell out the scene a wee bit but his displays meant he forced his way back in and he scored a good goal against Inverness. That's more or less when he picked up his injury , but he has time on his side and there's no doubt he's got a lot of potential. He doesn't turn 19 until November so I'm sure he'll come through."

Meanwhile, Hearts have received a further boost today as Edgaras Jankauskas and Neil McCann returned to the first-team squad for tomorrow's visit of Kilmarnock. Jankauskas has played only four times and has been troubled by a persistent thigh injury.

McCann suffered a recurrence of a knee problem and last played in the 3-1 victory at Aberdeen, however he came through a comfortable 90 minutes in a reserve match with Dundee United in midweek.

Taken from the Scotsman