Hearts' newfound depth to push them through fixture congestion

Fixtures in the SWPL1 are already coming thick and fast. After beating Dundee United 3-0 last Sunday, Hearts took on former top-tier champions Rangers on Wednesday before travelling up to Aberdeen this weekend. It can be a gruelling task for any squad, especially one where many of the players aren’t on full-time contracts. However, with the Jambo’s making multiple new additions over the summer, Burt is hopeful the added depth to the team with help see his side through.

“[Olufolasade Adamolekun] came on on Wednesday and contributed heavily in attack which was really nice to see,” he told the Edinburgh Evening News. “It is going to take a bit of adjusting for her to come into a new country, a new style of play and new coaches, things like that. It’ll take a bit of time but the new signings are certainly adding to the depth. Danni Findlay coming on Wednesday is another example. This season, we certainly have a depth to the squad that we didn’t have last season and that will contribute to us winning additional points.”

The added depth to the team has already come in handy so far this season. Monica Forsyth and Lizzie Waldie both picked up injuries since the start of preseason, but Hearts haven’t suffered without the pair on the pitch. Since the Rangers game, Burt confirmed that the squad have faced no fresh injuries and could even see one of their players return by next week.

“There are no fresh injuries from the Rangers game,” he added. “Obviously, Lizzie Waldie was injured against Dundee United, but this game will probably come too soon for her, she should be back next week. Apart from that, everyone is fine and fit; the players who didn’t play on Wednesday have played well and popped themselves back into contention. We will assess the squad again when they come in on Saturday.”

This Sunday will provide a different test for Hearts in comparison to recent weeks. Aberdeen appointed their first full-time manager in the summer as Clinton Lancaster joined the club. The Englishman has enjoyed a fantastic start to life at the Dons, winning two of his first three games. After Hearts fell to a 2-1 defeat to Rangers on Wednesday, their next task will be to make sure that they bounce back in style, but it will not be an easy ride. The Jambo’s did the double over the Dons last season with Burt hopeful of that trend continuing on the weekend.

“It’ll be a good game; Aberdeen have started the season well,” he explained. “They had a competitive performance against Rangers where they brought the game back to 1-1. It’ll be a tough game, be it will be one that we look forward to. We will go through our usual preparations after the midweek game. Hopefully, we will be able to go up there and be able to take three points.”