Kello ready to fight for his place

Kello has been out of action since being forced out of the Edinburgh derby win over Hibernian on 28 August with a shoulder injury. The problem has sidelined him for longer than first anticipated but the Slovakian hopes to be back in contention soon and is preparing to battle MacDonald for the jersey.

He said: “Jamie got an opportunity and did well. But I definitely want to fight for my position and I will do everything I can to get back in my position.”

MacDonald impressed during Sunday’s 2-0 win over Celtic in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and Kello added: “We played really well. We didn’t have any big faults at the back and Jamie made a couple of good saves. I think we deserved the victory.”

Kello revealed he is now finally on the road to recovery after having injections a week ago in a bid to cure the problem and he hopes to be involved in a friendly this weekend.

He told HeartsTV: “Now it’s five weeks from the injury and after four weeks it was very difficult. There was pain all the time and I was not getting better. Last Monday, I got some injections to the shoulder and I have started to do strengthening stuff and getting my fitness should be fine.

“On Thursday, I could be with the team and that would be great for me. It’s good to have some time to train.”

Kello admits the length of time he has spent on the sidelines has been a shock. “I remember straight after the game I went with the national team and even the doctors were thinking just a couple of days. It was a really frustrating time,” he added.