HE may only have been permitted an eight-minute debut, but suffice to say Chris Hackett's cameo performance at Almondvale on Sunday will have done much to endear him to the Hearts supporters.

"C'mon ref, blow the whistle and put us oot wur misery," came the cry from a visiting fan after Roman Bednar had restored Hearts' lead over Livingston with just three minutes remaining. The travelling army couldn't handle any more tension, but Hackett was in his element after finally receiving first-team exposure.

The Oxford-born winger, signed for £20,000 on January 24, made his maiden appearance for Hearts almost six weeks after the ink dried on his contract. And, brief though it was, the impression created by Hackett hints at genuine potential for a prosperous career in Edinburgh.

Maroon-clad observers had been ruminating for weeks on the extent of the player's pace, and as he bore down on Livingston full-back Jason Dair several times it was evident that Hackett was every inch the Oxfordshire sprint champion he had been rumoured to be.

Dair opted for the cynical approach in chopping the 23-year-old down not long after he entered the fray. But a sweeping move, probably the best of the entire match, involving a stoppage-time one-two between Hackett and Bednar put the Englishman in behind Dair and one-on-one with Roddy McKenzie, only for the goalkeeper to repel the attempt at a debut goal.

"The keeper had come out and I was thinking about going round him or trying to dink the ball to the right," said Hackett. "He went down early but he caught my shot with his right hand which was a shame because I was desperate to score with a chance like that."

Graham Rix, the Hearts head coach, pictured, was nonetheless contented by his compatriot's contribution, having been previously denied Hackett's talents because of a badly twisted ankle suffered by the player in his last match for former club Oxford United.

There may have been something significant in the timing of the winger's introduction to Scottish football, given that Hackett superseded record signing Mirsad Beslija as the replacement for Rudi Skacel.

It was also notable that Hackett, who can operate comfortably on the left, wasn't switched there when the Bosnian internationalist was eventually deployed as a substitute, Rix instead preferring to keep Beslija on the opposite flank from the one he favours and allow Hackett to continue harassing Dair down the right.

"I was desperate to get the nod but we had Mirsad on the bench who favours playing wide right as well," continued Hackett. "Then Graham gave me a shout and told me I was going on. He asked me to do what I do best, be confident and get on the ball.

"I was hoping to get running at their defence and hopefully I've made a slight impact now." Perhaps more than slight.

As well as the inevitable pleasure at making his first appearance, Hackett may also have been relieved to free himself from the confines of an overcrowded Hearts bench at Almondvale. With everyone seated, the club's posse of coaches and substitutes left Rix and director of football Jim Duffy standing on the track as hail stones tumbled from above.

But players retain the right to be selfish, and come the end of a testing 3-2 victory Hackett was only concerned with his own progress.

"It was a great day for me. I've been struggling with injury since I got here so it was pleasing just to get on and to get a win topped it off nicely.

"It's probably the longest I can remember anyone waiting for their debut after signing for a new club. It's been frustrating, but I have energies saved up and I'm looking forward to using them now.

"Even the few minutes I got were a relief for me because I wanted to show what I could do. You can't really do that much in the amount of time I was given, but I think I tried a few things and some of them came off.

"I got on the ball and was running with it at pace. I should probably have scored and a goal would have made it a great debut, but I like to get on the ball and attack players. My game is all about using my pace and getting crosses and shots in, which takes the pressure off the defence."

With that turn of speed and the little hint of aggression that was bared in a face-to-face confrontation with Dair, Hackett ensured his eight minutes were pretty productive. Just imagine what he could produce over the 90.

Taken from the Scotsman