Hearts starlet Callum Paterson tipped to reach the top by Danny Grainger

THE youngster scored twice against Dundee United and Grainger says he can go all the way - as long as he keeps his feet firmly on the ground.

DANNY GRAINGER has told teenage star Callum Paterson the sky’s the limit – as long as he keeps his feet on the ground.

The 17-year-old was the Hearts hero against Dundee United on Saturday as his double helped the Jambos notch their first win since the opening day of the SPL season.

Paterson was used as a makeshift striker at Tannadice after playing in defence and midfield earlier in the season.

But he’s happy to play wherever John McGlynn wants him and is loving every minute of a campaign that has included a glamour European tie with Liverpool.

Team-mate Grainger is a big fan of the Jambos starlet and is tipping him to reach the top provided he doesn’t get carried away with his early-season exploits. The full-back said: “I’m delighted for young Callum.

“He has been working hard and has successfully made the step up from the youth team. That says a lot for him.

“Callum has been chopped about a bit, playing right-back as well as right midfield, and now he’s up front doing the business.

“It just goes to show how versatile he is that he can play a number of positions and get on with the job.

“What he can go on to achieve in the game is down to him really.

“Callum will play where the manager feels he’s best suited for the team and at times it may be horses for courses. He scores goals in training so we know what he’s capable of. It’s great that he has gone out there where it matters most and got two goals.

“This will do wonders for his confidence. Coming to a place like Tannadice is never easy but he didn’t show any fear at any point.

“Callum is gaining experience all the time. He went down to Anfield and played really well.

“As long as he keeps his feet on the ground and continues to listen to the boys around him who are trying to help then there’s no stopping him.”

Peter Houston looks exasperated with his team's performance Peter Houston looks exasperated with his team's performance

Hearts blanked out another anxious week dominated by further rumblings over unpaid wages to return to winning ways for the first time since beating St Johnstone on August 4.

They smashed their Tannadice hoodoo in style after failing to post a victory in three years at United’s
home – but they surely weren’t expecting a stroll in the Tayside sun.

Hearts raced into a 2-0 half-time lead thanks to Paterson’s opener and a spectacular strike from Ardyvas Novikovas before some suicidal defending handed them the killer third on a plate after the break.

McGlynn’s men had been widely tipped to be in the shake-up for second place before a ball was kicked and, despite their stuttering start, this was the kind of display which proved why they were being touted.

Next up is a League Cup clash with Livingston before Kilmarnock come calling on SPL duty next weekend and Grainger said: “We said among ourselves before kick-off that we had three big games coming up this week.

“We can turn our poor start to the season into a good one with the right results. Now we have a chance to get into the quarter-finals of a cup if we can pick up a win against Livingston.

“This victory will do us no harm at all so it’s up to us to carry things on and keep these standards. You can’t complain picking up a clean sheet and three points away to a team like Dundee United.

“I thought we had played well in the previous two games but the difference here was getting the first goal.

“That showed how important it is as we were then able to take the sting out of the game and dictate it the way we wanted.”

Paterson sent the Edinburgh outfit on their way with a sweet 28th-minute strike which left home keeper
Radoslaw Cierzniak helpless.

Lithuanian ace Novikovas added a second from distance three minutes later after picking the ball up in the Hearts half and running at the Tannadice defence.

United tried to hit back after the break and Gavin Gunning saw a header crash back off the bar.

But Paterson was on hand to complete the rout when Sean Dillon’s short passback caused panic in the home defence after 61 minutes.

It was the perfect pick-me-up for the shot-shy Jambos after a sluggish start to the season.

Grainger, though, was always confident they would find the goals and cited a spirited dressing-room as the inspiration behind their victory at the end of a turbulent week dominated by off-field affairs.

Grainger said: “I don’t think there was ever a doubt we were going to score goals.

“We have guys like Callum, Andy Driver and Novikovas who are all capable of hitting the net.

“We had been a bit unlucky in that respect but it changed here.

“We knew we had to keep working hard and stick together in the dressing-room. We did that and got our reward at Tannadice.”

Their job was made way easier by an insipid United side who never got out of first gear and were described by boss Peter Houston as “soft” all over the pitch.

The Arabs continue to miss the influence of explosive winger Gary Mackay-Steven and Houston must be hoping he returns soon.

Without his creativity United look far less dangerous and Hearts didn’t have to work too hard for their clean sheet.

The Tannadice side have also been cited as potential challengers for that runners-up slot but they have now gone four games without a league victory.

Hearts, though, are on the up and what a difference one week could make if they can use this triumph as a platform for the rest of the campaign.

Taken from the Daily Record