The process of integrating more Riccarton Academy graduates into the Hearts first team remains a gradual one midway through Steven Naismith’s first season in charge. Aidan Denholm has established himself at the age of 20 and earned a new three-year contract, with 18-year-old Macaulay Tait making his first two senior appearances this month.
Naismith wants more. He sees the issue as a high priority but won’t simply flood his team with inexperienced teens. Denholm’s learning curve has been steep this season as he flits in and out of the midfield. The latest lesson came at Easter Road on Wednesday, when he found himself substituted at halftime.
“Denholm comes off tactically,” Naismith explained to the Evening News. “At halftime, we need to make a sub, and I thought that was the right one, but he could start on Saturday [against Ross County]. There is competition there, which breeds confidence and pushes players to be at the top level. They need to be at the top level every day, or they are not going to play.
“I think Denholm has learned a lot from moments like that. Earlier in the season, he came out of the team for about a month or so. Dealing with that can be hard, but I speak to him regularly to give him that understanding. Wednesday was a bit different because he did come off for tactical reasons.
“I remember it as a player. He will still be feeling: ‘Oh no.’ He maybe won’t fully understand it, but Denholm is in a great place. He has contributed in the last two or three games, and I’m sure he will have more big moments this season.”
The size of Hearts’ first-team squad is excessive, with several experienced figures recently returning from injury. That makes introducing academy players all the more difficult, but Naismith will continue working to address the situation. “We’ve got a good squad with a fair amount of players below their peak in terms of age and experience. With that comes inconsistency,” he acknowledged.
“All our players will play a part this season in getting us results and getting us to where we want to be. On top of that, you have the youth players we have tried to bring in. You have seen Macaulay in the last couple of weeks; you’ve seen Denholm, and I hope that will be consistent. That’s another area I want to make much better here because we do have good young players.”
Wednesday’s victory continued Hearts’ momentum as the winter break approaches. They have now won seven of their last 10 matches and sit third in the Premiership, eight points better off than the sixth-placed Hibs after Lawrence Shankland’s stoppage-time winning goal. “The fans went home happy, and that was brilliant,” said Naismith.
“They will have seen loads of derbies like that where the quality dips. That’s just because of what is at stake locally and around the city. It takes experience to understand that and have a calm head, and I think the game lacked that. It’s another three points, another away win, and another clean sheet. Those are the bigger things that we will take away from it. We didn’t play brilliantly, but we found a way. When you have that, it’s a really good place to be.
“It helps momentum, but I know how this league can be. If you switch off for a minute, you can concede a sloppy goal, which changes the dynamic of a game and the result. We need to keep focused on what we’re doing. Defensively, we are really good and strong.
“Going forward, we can still be better. We can be quicker with our attacks. When we are in control, that final moment and final pass can make things more comfortable. That’s the next stage we need to get to.”
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