HEARTS boss Jim Jefferies will cast another eager eye over Burnley striker Kurt Nogan tonight.

The Tynecastle boss will be in the crowd at Edgeley Park when Nogan is expected to play for Burnley Reserves at Stockport.

Jefferies travelled south today keen to pursue his interest in the unsettled Turf Moor star.

Nogan has spent the last 48 hours in Edinburgh training with the Premier League club-and Hearts liked what they saw.

Hearts assistant manager Billy Brown confirmed: "The manager has gone to England to watch Kurt Nogan play tonight.

"We are impressed enough to follow our interest up and we want to see him in a match situation.

"Obviously, we are quite interested, but it is not possible to say at this stage whether it will go any further."

Burnley would be sure to want at least £400,000 for the troubled striker - with a player-exchange deal an option that Adrian Heath may pursue. But Heath today dismissed any approach for Wales international Jeremy Goss-a summer target for Burnley before the experienced star joined Hearts.

The signs are, though, that Hearts are ready to step up their interest, although the Scottish side have yet to make a concrete bid.

Burnley, meanwhile, were licking their wounds today after last night's miserable Auto Windscreens Shield exit at the hands of fierce rivals Stockport County.

The Clarets were booed from the field at the final whistle after a first half goal from Martin Nash clinched second round victory for County. To add to Burnley's woe, David Eyres missed a second half penalty after Stockport went down to 10 men after Damon Searle's sending off.

Disappointed Clarets manager Adrian Heath said: "We didn't play at all well. We missed a penalty and that was probably on par with the rest of the performance.

"I tried a new system (4-3-3). But I think it showed we are far stronger playing the way we have adopted so far this season.

"We gave one or two players a run in different positions but it just didn't work out.

"We started quite brightly and I thought we knocked it about well, but we didn't have much of a cutting edge.

"It's disappointing to go out of this competition because I really felt we could have had a good run and tried to get to Wembley." "It wasn't to be and now we will have to concentrate on our league position.

"We were short of players and we certainly missed the presence of Paul Barnes."

And Barnes faces a fitness fight to line up against his old club York City at Turf Moor this Saturday.

The Clarets record-signing and leading marksman missed last night's AWS action with a knee injury.

Heath, though, praised the contribution of rookie striker Colin Carr-Lawton, who made his Clarets debut in the second half.

He added: "Colin did well and looked bright. We think he is going to become a good footballer.

"Perhaps it was not the ideal circumstances for him to come in, but he did really well."

Kick-off at Edgeley Park tonight is 6.45 pm.

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