New faces in squad are quick to appreciate old rivalries

Stewart Fisher
Sports Writer
Tuesday 13 August 2013

JASON HOLT hopes to complete an enviable derby double in Sheffield tonight.

Having got the ball rolling on what promises to be a momentous personal week when he helped Hearts beat capital rivals Hibernian, the 20-year-old now finds himself as one of a record half-dozen Hearts players in Billy Stark's Scotland Under-21 squad as they take on their English counterparts at this level for the first time since 1993.

Around 25,000 tickets have already been shifted for Bramall Lane, with only 300 from Scotland, belying the claim that meetings between the Auld Enemy are becoming a devalued currency. Now Holt and the rest of the Hearts contingent have it in their power to make themselves heroes for their country as well as their club. "It doesn't get much bigger than going from Hearts v Hibs to Scotland v England," Holt conceded. "They are two massive games. I am a Hearts fan so to beat Hibs at any time is great. Most of the team is under 21, which makes it even better, but we are all familiar with each other and it was a great day for the club and the fans.

"Now, this will be the first time I will experience a Scotland-England game. The rivalry is a wee bit new to me, although you hear all the stories. But if we can get a good result against England it will be a great week for me and all the boys at Hearts."

As so often is the case for some of Scotland's best young talents, Holt finds himself thrust into a transfer tug-of-war with unseemly haste. The player was watched by Billy Davies, the Nottingham Forest manager, at Tynecastle on Sunday, and his performance will have done little to discourage an acceptable bid to the club's administrators for the player's services. Holt knows that the club could do with the money, but has no intentions of letting all the attention turn his head.

"Forest are a massive club with great history but I can only do my job right now and that is to play football for Hearts," said Holt. "Maybe for some players it is hard to switch off from all that speculation but, for me, I just concentrate on playing my football for Hearts on a Saturday."

The imperative to do that is even greater after Ryan Stevenson's knee injury, which is likely to keep him out for much of the season. "We don't have to many experienced heads in the dressing room so to lose him is going to be a massive blow," Holt said. "But we just need to get on with it now, that result will hopefully kick start our season."

Taken from the Herald