Aidy White keen for talks on his Hearts future as he pinpoints 'massive month' in title race

Aidy White is hoping to sign a new contract to stay with Hearts next season.

In short, it’s all a bit uncertain at the moment regarding the versatile Englishman. The winter window only closed at midnight after a pretty hectic day between Tynecastle Park and Riccarton.

Hearts’ quest for automatic promotion back to the Premiership continues this Friday with a visit to Ayr United. Then come trips to Queen of the South and Inverness with a home match against Morton sandwiched in between.

The month of February could all but seal the title for Robbie Neilson’s team. White is hoping some talks can be fitted in at some point as his contract begins to run down.

The 29-year-old’s agreement expires at the end of the season and he is eager to sign an extension. First, he must sit down with Neilson and the club hierarchy to discover whether one will be offered.

“It hasn't been discussed as yet. I think the plan was probably to get the window out of the way and then hopefully talks will happen,” said White, speaking exclusively to the Evening News.

Get future sorted

“I've really enjoyed my time here and I'd like to stay. Hopefully that can be sorted but it's not been discussed yet. January is finished so hopefully any time now the discussions should happen and hopefully we can get the future sorted.”

Able to operate at left-back, wing-back and as an orthodox winger, White offers options up and down his favoured flank. He was initially deployed at full-back after Neilson returned to Hearts last summer, although lately he has been used further up the wing.

“I felt I was doing well and then I pulled my hamstring in the Scottish Cup final [in December]. I was out for four weeks and I've just started getting back into the frame again,” explained White.

“Obviously we've brought in a couple of really good additions to the squad so I just have to be patient and wait for an opportunity.

“When I am coming on, I feel like I'm doing well and making an impact. That's all I can do. It's then up to the manager whenever he wants to play me.”

If White does end up moving on, he wants to do so with a Championship title winner’s medal tucked safely in his pocket. Hearts took a considerable step towards that achievement at the weekend with a 1-0 home win against Dunfermline.

Trophy in sight soon

That followed a 4-0 victory at Raith Rovers four days previously, two results which have helped push the league leaders 12 points clear of the respective Fife clubs in joint-second spot.

If they tackle February with the same gumption, the trophy will soon be in Hearts’ sights. “Saturday's win puts us in a great place going into some difficult games this month,” said White..

“It wasn't a pleasant game to watch. Dunfermline made it hard, scrappy, and the pitch was a little bit bobbly. We ground it out and Jamie Walker popped up with a great finish to win us three points.

“February is going to be a massive month for us. We have Ayr United and Queen of the South coming up, both away from home. They are not easy places to go and win.

“If we can get a good February behind us, it will stand us in really good stead going into the final few weeks of the season.

“It would put us in a very strong position if we get results going in our favour. If we look after our own results and pick up a few between February and March, then we will be up there. We won't be far off winning the title then.”

With momentum building and new signings arriving, Hearts are in no mood to hang about or waste time. The quicker they seal the deal and confirm promotion, the quicker they can set about planning for Scotland’s top flight next season.

Unwanted shutdown

There is also the continuing possibility of Covid-19 forcing football into another unwanted shutdown. Hearts, therefore, simply need to stay well ahead of the chasing pack.

“We want to get it done as quickly as we can,” said White. “With the situation across the world, you never know what's going to happen. We want to get as many points ahead as we can, hopefully complete the full season, and come out champions as early as we can.

“We know there are goals in this team and we can cause anyone problems. We've got two great targets up there with Armand [Gnanduillet] coming in and Boycie [Liam Boyce] there as well. They are going to get goals so it's up to us to supply them with the chances.”

Promotion will be a new experience for the vast majority of Hearts’ squad if and when it happens. White is one of those with prior experience.

“I've been in a couple of promotion-winning teams before. We got promoted at Leeds and at Barnsley, although Barnsley was through the play-offs,” he said.

“This is just a strange one this season. The leagues don't have as many teams in Scotland and there are no fans anywhere right now.

“I've been at positions at the top of the table before and it's just all about momentum – keeping that winning mindset and churning out results.”

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