Walker injury fears as sloppy Jambos slip up
glenavon 2 Murray (37), Ferguson (61) hearts 1 Clare (86)
CRAIG LEVEIN has vowed not to take any risks with the fitness of Jamie Walker after the Hearts ace was forced to drop out of their clash against Glenavon.
The 26-year-old was set to make his first appearance since re-joining the Jambos from Wigan last week but felt a tweak in his thigh just minutes before kick-off.
Levein revealed that Walker offered to play through the pain but the Hearts gaffer drafted Ryan Edwards into the starting line-up instead.
Walker has not played since last December and missed the second half of last season after undergoing knee surgery and, although he could feature against Inverness tomorrow, Levein is inclined to err on the side of caution.
Levein explained: “Jamie felt his thigh just before kick-off and I didn’t want to take a chance.
“He feels like it wasn’t major. He didn’t tear or pull anything – but there was a little discomfort.
“We’ll see what happens. If it is very minor then he might play on Monday night. If not, then I have a decision to make regarding where he is in his quest for fitness.
“It happened so close to kick-off that we’ve not had the time to explore too much further.”
Meanwhile, an irked Levein is adamant several players blew an opportunity to stake their claim for a jersey as Hearts slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Mourneview.
Stephen Murray and Matthew Ferguson fired Glenavon into a 2-0 lead before Sean Clare halved the deficit in the dying embers, leaving Levein questioning his side’s lack of dig against the determined hosts.
He said: “I’m slightly disappointed. I felt Glenavon were more up for it than we were.
“Being the underdogs gave them a reason to roll their sleeves up and we didn’t react. We didn’t do enough.
“What I am interested in is: who wants to play in that League Cup game against Dundee United and some of the players didn’t do themselves any favours.
“This time of year is always difficult – some players are behind, you are trying to get minutes in legs – but I’m still disappointed.”