HEARTS caretaker manager Stevie Frail has challenged teenage striker Gary Glen to "hit the ground running" next season after making his first-team breakthrough in recent weeks.
The 18-year-old has scored twice in his only two starts for the Tynecastle team, with a vital strike in the 3-2 victory over St Mirren being followed by the winner in the 1-0 win against Inverness last weekend. The one-time Manchester United trialis
t has been rewarded for his fine form with a new four-year contract that keeps him at Tynecastle until 2012.
Frail has high hopes the youngster will make an even bigger impression next term. "Time will tell how he'll handle it," he said. "From his point of view he'll want the season to continue now, but it might not be a bad thing, in the bigger picture, that he only has three games left and he has the summer to rest.
"Then hopefully he'll come back and pretty much be involved straight away with the first team in pre-season and everything we do. That break could help him and hopefully, like everyone, he'll hit the ground running. But it's been a great end of season for him, he's just shown what we knew he always had."
Glen has benefited from Hearts' failure to make the top six this season, with Frail deciding to blood some of his fringe players in the less meaningful matches so far against St Mirren and Inverness – and they are likely to get another chance at Falkirk tonight. But after watching Glen develop in his previous role as under-19s coach, Frail insists the teenager had been edging towards a first-team call-up anyway.
He added: "It has helped putting Gary in when there's not so much pressure on us, but he wasn't far away even if we had been playing in the top six."
Hearts look set to welcome back Andrew Driver to their squad tonight after the winger recovered from a thigh tear. Striker Christian Nade could also return following a head injury. Laryea Kingston has shaken off illness to put himself back into contention for a starting place, but Robbie Neilson will miss out with a pelvic problem.
Falkirk manager John Hughes will be without the suspended Arnau Riera. The club lost an appeal against the midfielder's red card from last week's match against St Mirren.
On-loan goalkeeper Shane Supple is expected to keep his place, but Jack Ross could be omitted from the squad after signing a pre-contract agreement with St Mirren.
Falkirk are looking to record their first post-split victory against Hearts following a draw with Gretna and defeat to St Mirren.
Midfielder Kevin McBride said: "Not getting into the top six was a big blow to the players and the club. There are still points at stake in every game and we want to try and finish seventh, you are playing for win bonuses as well."
The full article contains 505 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
