James Wilson returned to the Hearts training ground yesterday morning having spent the day after his Edinburgh derby heroics with his head stuck in his books back at school.
The hitkid was first on the grass at the Oriam according to Neil Critchley. Had he not been then the manager reckons he’d have been given a flea in the ear by his elders in the Jambos dressing room. But Critchley insists there’s no danger of the 17-year-old getting too big for his boots even after grabbing the headlines with his late leveller in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Hibs at Easter Road.
Not when he’s a perfect student of the game whose playground is the opposition 18-yard box. Wilson is now on two goals from two sub appearances in the last week – and Critchley says he comes into contention for a start for tonight’s visit of Kilmarnock. The Hearts manager said: “He was first on the training pitch this morning. If he’d been amongst the group or coming out later, he would have got an ear bashing! But he’s a humble boy. I think he’s slightly embarrassed by the attention.
“He just lives for scoring goals and playing football. That’s all I want to keep his focus on at the moment. How do I manage a 17-year-old? Like you would a 34-year-old. You treat every player as an individual, everyone’s different.
“You have certain sort of parameters of how you want to work. But then how I deal with certain individuals might be different because they’re different people. James is obviously 17, so I’d speak to him differently than maybe I’d speak to Craig Gordon, for instance. But your values and your morals always remain consistent.
“James is a lovely boy, humble, wants to listen, wants to learn. And I say I think the attention and that slightly embarrasses him a little bit. Like anyone else, he comes into contention. If he’s performing well, training well, then he comes into contention.
“What I always have to take into consideration is, let’s not put too much pressure on him. He’s 17, he’s a baby. He’s got so much time. But the beauty of us and this club is we can give him that time.”
Critchley welcomes Beni Baningime back from a bout of illness tonight but Yutaro Oda, Calem Nieuwenhof and Gerald Taylor remain out. Summer signing Andres Salazar has yet to feature for the new boss too after a difficult start to life in Gorgie. And Critchley said: “Unfortunately, I have to disappoint some players every week. That’s not the nice side of the job.
“Some players will like me because they’re in the team. Some players will think I’m all right because they’re in the squad, and some players will think I’m an idiot. That’s just the nature of this industry. What we do is make sure that the players get our full respect. We train them properly, so if that opportunity does come along, then they’re ready to play.”
Meanwhile Critchley says he knows he’s not the local hero or “sexy foreign name” some Hearts fans wanted as boss. But after taking a tour of Edinburgh on Monday as he hunted a permanent home, the Englishman says he’s ready to prove he’s no football management tourist.
Critchley says he and assistant Mick Garrity are here for the long haul and are determined to bring success to Tynecastle. The 46-year-old is off to a decent start with two wins and a derby draw from his first three games. And ahead of tonight’s visit of Kilmarnock, he said: “We’re actually trying to look for somewhere to live at the moment, because I’m in a hotel.
“I’d been around the city before but Clare (Cowan, football secretary), on her day off, quite kindly took us around and gave me and Mick a bit of a tour of the city. It was very nice of her. You’re aware of how big the club is, but until you actually live it and feel it, it’s different. I’ve really enjoyed living that in the last few weeks and getting to feel the club and the supporters and the size of it.
“You can sense the importance of the football club, the enormity of it. That old saying, goldfish bowl, if you like. I have to say the fans have been very polite and kind and wishing me all the best and good luck. It’s been really heartwarming.
“I’m not an ex-Hearts legend. I’m not a sexy foreign name. I understand that. I get all of that. But I’m confident in my ability and I know what I can bring to this football club. I’m really excited. what I can achieve here.”