Locke upbeat despite financial worries

Hearts were yesterday the subject of a Scottish Premier League sub-committee meeting which imposed a seven-day deadline relating to overdue wages, only for the club to pay the December salaries hours later.

The SPL had made a series of demands – including ordering the payment of the overdue wages as well as interest owed by 11 January – in order to halt the financial uncertainty surrounding the club, with further disciplinary proceedings and unlimited sanctions possible should Hearts fail to meet the deadline.

Since Hearts first suffered delayed payment of their wages in October they have won four of 11 games – three of the wins coming in the current four-match unbeaten run.

It is a sequence of results which has taken Hearts to fourth in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and provided encouragement for Locke.

He said: “We’ve got through a difficult period. Hopefully we can look ahead now. Things are looking positive on the pitch. Hopefully we can get through January, keep a hold of all our good players and, if we can do that, hopefully we’ll go on to have a good season.” Hearts’ most recent win was Monday’s 3-1 Edinburgh derby success over Hibernian at Easter Road. Mehdi Taouil limped out of the victory with a hamstring injury and was due to have a scan today. Locke added: “Hopefully it’s not too serious and Mehdi will be back in the next two or three weeks.”

Hearts play Ayrshire junior side Auchinleck Talbot in the William Hill Scottish Cup fourth round on Saturday, with Locke having grand ambitions for the competition. “It’s a chance to win a trophy and it’s certainly something we’ll be taking very seriously,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hearts under-19 players Jamie Walker and David Smith have extended their loan deals at Raith Rovers by another month.