Hearts assistant explains why Partick Thistle will be a much tougher test than before

Heart assistant manager Sean Burt has admitted Sunday’s final match before the SWPL festive break is a more difficult test that earlier in the season.

The Jam Tarts travel to Petershill Park on Sunday looking for a win against Partick Thistle in their final fixture before the Christmas break. Partick are one place below in fifth, but Hearts can extend the gap between the teams to nine points. Burt knows it will be anything but easy.

“It’s going to be a really difficult test for us”, he told the Edinburgh Evening News. “Partick are having a really good season. They have only been beaten outside of the top outside the top three by ourselves.

“We are both having good seasons and have come off good results. We had a win against Hamilton and they scored late equaliser against Motherwell. Both teams will be on a high.”

Hearts got their biggest win of the season last game with a 5-0 win over Hamilton. Picture: Malcolm Mackenzie

Hearts beat Partick 3-1 in the first game of the season at the Oriam, with several players in both teams making their professional debuts. Now that the season is well underway, Burt expects a different challenge.

“Eva Olid’s preparation is very particular, meticulous as well,” he explained. “At the start of the season it’s a little bit of the unknown, we don’t really know how teams are going to shape up. Both teams had different players, combinations and relationships. We had a far few players who were starting for the first time and they were the same.

“They have changed since then. Now that both teams have had a run of fixtures, the relationships are stronger in both teams. It shapes up to be a good game.”