Alan Forrest set for a more prominent Hearts role after scoring the winning goal at Ross County

Winger’s impact in the last two games has impressed the Riccarton coaching staff

Alan Forrest’s winning goal for Hearts at Ross County has increased the winger’s chances of a more regular starting place. Coaching staff are impressed with his impact in the last two fixtures against Kilmarnock and County and will consider handing him a more prominent role over the coming weeks.

The 27-year-old has started just three Hearts games so far this season, and only one since the Europa Conference League qualifier against Rosenborg in Trondheim on August 10. He fell out of the picture after that tie in Norway but a strong display against Kilmarnock in the Viaplay Cup last Tuesday was followed by a vital header to win Saturday’s Premiership game in Dingwall.

Forrest has very much been a squad player since joining Hearts from Livingston on freedom of contract in summer 2022. The Tynecastle head coach Steven Naismith deliberately used him as a substitute at the weekend but is convinced the player can finally cement himself in the starting line-up.

“I think he can,” Naismith told the Evening News. “It was in my mind on Saturday that he was always somebody who could impact the game later on. If he comes in and does a lot of hard work in the first 60 minutes, we lose that impact of his sharpness. He is one of the quickest players at the club and he has got real quality in the final third.

“In training, a lot of the time he is in full control of the ball and he manipulates it well to get chances and score goals. I believed he would have that kind of impact on Saturday’s game rather than working him for an hour, then he is fatigued and his influence later on is less.

“Alan is somebody who has been at the club for a good period of time now, so he gets it. He understands the demand you need to deal with. For him, it is about impacting games. I agree that he was good at Kilmarnock last week. He also did well against Aberdeen and now he’s got the winning goal at Ross County.”