A shive shot through every nerve-ending in Liam Boyce’s body as he lay on the Tynecastle turf – and he immediately knew his cruciate had gone.
Last August’s agonising breakdown against St Johnstone wasn’t the first time he’d suffered a horror ACL tear after all. Weeks later, when the diagnosis was confirmed and the prospect of a ruined season set in, that shiver turned to cold fear that in the final year of his contract his future had been plunged into jeopardy.
It’s no wonder the Northern Irishman feels like he owes Hearts big time. Owes them for their belief and support in handing him a new deal just 14 weeks into his 11-month absence. Now it’s payback time. And Boyce is determined to show he’s lost none of the magic that made him a first pick a year ago – and convinced Jambos chiefs and former boss Robbie Neilson to tie him down on that new deal. The 32-year-old is back in full training as Hearts go through the pre-season pain in the unforgiving heat of southern Spain.
