Playing for the jersey
07.02.2013

Jason Holt today insisted Hearts' in-form youngsters are determined to hang on to their jerseys.

Experienced stars such as John Sutton, Andrew Driver, Darren Barr and Mehdi Taouil have all been forced to watch from the sidelines in recent games as manager John McGlynn pinned his faith in the club's academy graduates.

And the kids haven't let their gaffer down, producing impressive displays against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the semi-final of the League Cup and keeping up the good work against Dundee and Ross County.

Now, as he prepares to take on Dundee United at Tannadice this weekend, the midfielder reckons the senior pros may have a fight on their hands to win back their places.

Speaking to the broadcast media at today's pre-match press conference at Riccarton, he said: "The last few weeks have been brilliant. As a youngster, you just want to play week in, week out, and thankfully that has been happening and I'm really grateful for the opportunity.

"It's a bit of a jump from the 19s to the first team but when you are put in, you just need to take the chance. A lot of the young boys have done that and we all just want to keep our place in the team as we don't know long the opportunity will last. When the manager was appointed I think all of us knew we would get a chance at some point if we kept working hard.

"We all knew we had the capabilities to play in the first team, we're all confident in our own abilities and I think that is being shown on the pitch. Having so many young boys ready for the first team is great for the club going forward."

Hearts World