Hardie luck on new boss

Dec 4 2007

NEW manager Derek McInnes will have to plot the Perth club’s progress over the next six weeks without last term’s player of the year.

Martin Hardie, the top scoring midfielder in the First Division, yesterday underwent groin surgery at a Bradford hospital in a bid to end his injury woes once and for all.

Hardie played for 90 minutes at Firhill, setting-up the last-gasp equaliser, but McInnes revealed the operation had been plotted in advance.

He stressed: “Martin has missed most of the season so it is really disappointing that we’ll be without him again. But the surgeon knows exactly what is required to get Martin playing pain free again.

“He has operated on guys like Steven Gerrard, Bobo Balde and Stephen Pearson and has a 100 per cent success rate.

“We expect him to be out for about six weeks. He is suspended for the cup game with Raith in January so it will be after that he is available again.

“Martin was a talisman for us last season and is a big, big player. But it is important he gets this sorted out once and for all. It has been dragging on too long. He is taking confidence from the surgeon’s analysis.”

Somehow, McInnes now has to replace 10-goal loan star Kenny Deuchar, who has been summoned back to Gretna.

The striker was keen to stay but will go into a higher profile shop window in the SPL if, as expected, he goes into the toiling Raydale team.

McInnes said: “Kenny has been great for us and was popular with the fans and the players. He liked it here and has even asked about going on the Christmas night out with the lads. That tells its own story.

“I have told him there will be interest from us in January if circumstances change again. We will keep in touch but we could have a fight to get him. He knows us and that is one thing in our favour. It’s good to have a bigger type of striker in the squad but Kenny has gone now and we have Steven Milne coming back in. He is in my thoughts for the weekend game against Morton. He is intelligent, sharp as a tack and a great finisher.”

McInnes, who listed highly regarded teenager Kevin Moon on the bench, admitted he was relieved to dredge up a point at Firhill and praised the team’s endurance and determination. But with Hamilton opening up an ominous 14-point gap, he added: “It was a really flat game and I was disappointed overall with our performance.

“It was a fantastic finish and a good point in the circumstances. But we have drawn too many games and it is killing us.”

Long-term absentee Milne made a crucial impact from the bench, securing a spot-kick and setting-up the equaliser. He said: “I feel I am ready to start games now but that it down to the manager. My last start was back in January. It was great to be back and I enjoyed the half hour run. There is a space up for grabs with Kenny away.”

Milne has missed out on a chance to forge a partnership with a taller hitman, recalling: “I haven’t played alongside a big striker since my time at Dundee with Juan Sara.

“We felt good initially getting back to 2-2 but we wouldn’t have been happy with that at the start. Hamilton haven’t been dropping points and are a long way ahead. We have to get a run of wins going and we play them in a couple of weeks.”

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FORMER boss Owen Coyle has landed a plum FA Cup tie, with Burnley at home to Arsenal. With wins in London over title favourites Watford and Charlton, he has got off to a great start at Turf Moor. Two former Perth managers will go head to head this term when Paul Sturrock’s Plymouth face Burnley.

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FORMER Saint Simon Mensing scored twice for Hamilton in their win over Stirling after clinching an emergency loan move from Motherwell.

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KEVIN Rutkiewicz has got another gig lined-up after impressing at Perth Concert Hall. The Perth defender will be appearing at Stirling’s Albert Hall on Sunday night unveiling several of his own songs and longer term he’d love to land a support slot for Elton John at McDiarmid!