There was some good news on the playing front for Gary Locke this week when influential midfielder Jason Holt came through an under 20s game unscathed and is now available for selection for today’s fixture against Celtic at Tynecastle.
Although he was on the bench last week, Holt was merely making up the numbers, but with 90 minutes under his belt, the youngster is raring to go.
Speaking at the club’s training centre Holt said: “I was surprisingly ok after Wednesday and it’s just good to get my first 90 minutes under my belt. That was my first full game in three months so it’s good to be back. It’s been frustrating most of the time. I think when you’re injured that’s always the case and there are times when you think ‘am I ever going to get back?’ but that’s nearly two weeks training under my belt and one full game so things are going well again.
“It was especially frustrating because I was out at a time when the manager desperately needed bodies and I felt a bit helpless. There’s not much you can do but concentrate on your recovery and getting yourself ready again to get back on the park. Now I’m back and feel strong I’m just happy to be back in about things.”
“Well it’s frustrating to be out because as a player you want to be involved in every game, whether it’s a defeat, draw or a win. The game was just one to forget and we’ll be looking to try to put it right today.”
The last time the champions visited Gorgie was in the Scottish Cup in December which ended in a seven goal win which Holt watched from the stand.
He continued: “It was hard to watch and I think that’s a game probably for the boys to forget. Watching from the sides it is frustrating because you just want to be out there helping the boys. It was a poor game for us but at the same time I also think that Celtic played exceptionally well.
“This time we need to match them in all areas because I think we let them off the hook a wee bit by not getting in their faces. You can’t allow them time on the ball because they have the quality players to get the goals if you give them space.
“Three weeks later when we played them again in the league we gave a better account of ourselves at Celtic Park. We did very well up until the goal and that is a performance to build on come Saturday.
“Our recent form has been great too. Obviously the league Cup semi-final was a massive disappointment for us and the fans as well. But the league form has been good and we’re looking to continue that on Saturday.”
Holt was quick to refute the suggestion that losing heavily to Celtic could hamper the careers of the young players at Tynecastle.
He said: “I don’t buy into that, I think if anything these experiences will make you stronger. You learn from your mistakes, take the negatives from the game and look to turn them into positives in the next game, so I don’t think this season is harming us. I think it will make us stronger, if anything.”
If Hearts don’t score in the first 31 minutes, Fraser Forster will beat Bobby Clark’s 43 year old record having gone 12 consecutive games without conceding a goal, but Holt is not concerned about that, and in fact he is one of the few players to score against the England international this season.
“Stopping Celtic’s records wouldn’t mean anything to us. I think for us it’s just about getting something out of the game. It’s great for Fraser Forster going for his record but we are only interested in ourselves and getting something out of the game.
“Forster is a top goalkeeper and the record he is building speaks for itself, so I don’t think anyone could argue about his qualities.
“In that game I think we did reasonably well on the whole, even though we got beaten. My goal was just a shot from the edge of the box and thankfully it went in but if we can go out there and match them in all areas then hopefully we can get something out of the game.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
