NEILSON: SCANS COULD SHAPE TRANSFER PLANS
HEARTS manager Robbie Neilson is sweating on the outcome of scans for injured trio Liam Boyce, Kye Rowles and Nathaniel Atkinson. Boyce looked in distress as he was stretchered off having hurt his knee late in the first half of yesterday’s 3-2 win over St Johnstone. Fellow goalscorer Rowles had earlier been forced off with a foot issue. Atkinson then hobbled out of action during the second period, leaving Neilson crossing his fingers for good news. The Tynecastle boss, who yesterday signed German midfielder Orestis Kiomourtzoglou (left) on a threeyear deal, is already without Craig
Halkett, Stephen Kingsley and Beni Baningime though injury. ‘We will need to wait and see — they will get scanned tonight or tomorrow and then we’ll get the feedback,’ he said of yesterday’s casualties. ‘It could be a day, it could be nine months. We are speculating on what it could be. ‘Liam felt pain in his knee but the good thing for me is he is walking about on crutches, so fingers crossed it’s not as bad as first feared. ‘For any player, particularly Liam having had that injury before on his other knee, you fear the worst. But we are just speculating and he will get it scanned and it could just be jarring. We just have to hope it’s fine. ‘Kye has a problem with his metatarsal that will have a scan. Atkinson felt his groin go tight, so until we get the results back we won’t know.’ Neilson’s desire to do more business before Thursday’s transfer deadline could obviously be influenced by the scan results. ‘We know we need to get a couple in,’ he added. ‘We got Kio in just there but maybe we need another one or two. Today might mean we are a bit more aggressive in chasing them.’
An undisclosed fee has been paid to Dutch side Heracles to bring 24-year-old midfielder Kiomourtzoglou on board, pending a work permit. ‘It’s down to the Home Office,’ continued Neilson. ‘We need to get his visa sorted. He has been training and playing with his club and is ready to go, he just needs his visa. He is away back to Holland just now to try and get it.’ Saints took the lead when Graham Carey latched on to a misplaced clearance from Craig Gordon to finish well. Rowles and Boyce then turned the scoreline around before Andy Considine levelled on 54 minutes. However, Lawrence Shankland struck a penalty winner for Hearts after Liam Gordon felled Barrie McKay, leaving Perth boss Callum Davidson angry at how his team handled that phase of play. ‘It was our free-kick, we go long, and we get done on a counter,’ said Davidson. ‘It’s basic football. ‘I’m furious. My team gave me so much but when you make basic, basic mistakes like that, don’t organise and don’t do the right things, it’s unacceptable. ‘If we’d been beaten by a goal into the top corner, fair enough, but that wasn’t the case. ‘It was a penalty all day long. Graham (Carey) brings it down for him and Gordy has to stay on his feet. We’ve got to organise better.’