My wage cut just payback to supporters

DAVID FRIEL

KEVIN McHATTIE insists his 50 per cent pay cut is a gift to the Jambos fans who brought him to the club.

The Hearts youth development committee funded the full-back’s switch from Dunfermline three years ago.

And Scotland Under-21 star McHattie, 19, was only too pleased to give something back to the administration-hit club.

He said: “I’m just happy to do whatever it takes to stay at this club and help Hearts. I’ve got a lot to thank Hearts for and I want to be here.

“My agent spoke to me and I was happy to do it.

“It didn’t take long to make the decision. I just said ‘yes — definitely’.

“It’s all hands on deck. The senior players have taken cuts and we just want to play here.

“I was young when I signed for Hearts and they have done a lot for me. It was the fans who actually helped sign me.

“That was magnificent from them and I just want to do anything I can to give something back and help the club.

“Personally, I just want to stay in the first team and drive on as much as I can when the season starts.”

McHattie joined Jamie Hamill, Jamie MacDonald and Ryan Stevenson in agreeing wage cuts to help Hearts.

Gary Locke’s squad assemble on Thursday for pre-season and the Jambos kid admits it will be a strange atmosphere.

But he insists Hearts CAN avoid relegation from the top flight next season — despite starting with a whopping 15-point penalty.

He said: “We need to get off to a flying start but I think we can do that.

“Everybody will stick together. We are here because we want to play for Hearts.

“It was important to keep as many players as possible together and try to get some points on the board.

“We will have a young side but that was the case last season too and we have taken a lot from that.”

Hearts are now a third of the way towards selling the administrator’s target of 3000 season books.

Around 1000 have been snapped up and McHattie insists the response from punters is humbling.

He joined gaffer Locke and fellow youngsters Dale Carrick and Jamie Walker at the Tynecastle ticket office yesterday.

And McHattie hopes more tickets are shifted in the next fortnight as Hearts battle for survival.

He said: “The fans are digging deep and it’s unbelievable what they are doing to help the club.

“It is humbling to see this kind of response from them. It shows how much the club means to everyone.

“It’s the same all over the club — we’re like a big family and we will stick together and get through it.”