Nathaniel Atkinson: I was kicked about by adults since age 14 so I'm tough enough to be a winner at Hearts

Only after discussing Nathaniel Atkinson’s backstory can you fully appreciate his journey. From Launceston to Hobart to Melbourne to Edinburgh – and maybe even on to Hampden. It’s quite a tale.

Hearts’ Australian defender sits comfortably on a leather sofa at Riccarton discussing his upbringing in the Australian island state of Tasmania. His surroundings weren’t always so plush.

Contemplating Saturday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final against St Mirren, and potentially a semi-final at Scotland’s national stadium, he is entitled to review the odyssey which brought him here.

It’s a story of fiery determination, fight and guts. We’ll avoid labelling Atkinson the Tasmanian Devil for sheer cringe purposes, but you get the picture. Mum worked long hours as a single parent and her football-mad son left home at 14 to pursue a career many on the island desire but simply cannot achieve.

Nathaniel Atkinson is enjoying a run of games at Hearts.

Becoming a professional footballer in Tasmania is almost impossible. Kind of like an Icelander aspiring to be a beach holiday tour guide. The pathway isn’t there, so Atkinson created his own.

At 14 he left home in the small northern town of Launceston to join the National Development Centre 125 miles south in Hobart, the state capital. While other teens his age played video games or larked about on FaceTime, he was getting volleyed around a football field by grown men in their 20s and 30s.

It toughened him up to join Melbourne City at the age of 16. The resilience also serves him well in Scotland, where Hearts covet third place in the Premiership and Scottish Cup success.

Injury to established right-back Michael Smith means Atkinson will play a pivotal role in this season’s run-in having only arrived in Edinburgh in January. He relishes the challenge.

“I’m at a stage where the team needs me to play as many games as possible,” says the 22-year-old, speaking exclusively to the Evening News. “In Australia, it’s one game a week but here it’s sometimes three in a few days. We want to finish third so these games coming up will be the most important ones.

“I think it’s best to get thrown in there. It makes you adapt and mature quickly. The more games you play, the more you improve. It’s unfortunate with Michael but hopefully we can get him back before the end of the season. He has been very welcoming with me but I’ve had to adapt here.

"I come from a small state in Australia. Tasmania isn’t a footballing state by any means. I had to move away from home at 14 and since then I’ve essentially been fighting to make a career out of nothing, really.

“As a young kid, you are by yourself and you want to make it work. I hate losing and you need a do-or-die attitude. You have to grow up quickly or you aren’t going to last.

“You see a lot of kids who leave home and end up homesick. I needed to mature a lot but that’s what helped me move halfway across the world by myself as well.

“The football in Tasmania isn’t the highest quality. I tended to find myself playing against older players pretty much the whole time. When I was 14, I was up against people in their 20s.

“We had the NDC programme, which every state in Australia has. It’s like an academy programme. You play in the local leagues in that city. Our league was against grown men, so from the age of 14 to 16 I was playing against 30-year-olds at times. You look back now and it definitely benefitted me in the long run.”

With a body frame more athletic than hulking, he bulked up quickly and learned to live with the physicality. “It was definitely an eye-opener. At 14, you’re used to playing with kids your own age. Then you move away and come across 30-year-olds who just want to kick you because you’re known as one of the best players in the state.

“All these older guys just want to kick you. Now I’m here in Scottish football and it’s not much different.” He laughs at that joke but perhaps some cynics would argue there is an element of truth to it.

Atkinson is used to a ruthless environment and isn’t averse to high demands, either. He scored in the Australian A-League Grand Final last June as Melbourne City were crowned champions. He also suffered defeat at the same stage the previous year as Sydney FC, including former Hearts defender Ryan McGowan, triumphed over Melbourne.

Years of sacrifice are now paying off on a personal note. Atkinson’s exploits on the big occasions mean he already knows the pressure of needing to win with Hearts. That’s the situation this weekend with a place in the Scottish Cup’s last four at stake.

“It’s been a long road to get here,” he says. “Every young Australian boy wants to get to Europe. It’s not just about getting here and playing. You want to improve and win trophies. I just won a Grand Final in Australia and there is no better feeling than lifting a cup.

“Saturday is a good chance for us to move forward to the Scottish Cup semis. I’ve been fortunate to be fighting for trophies in my career so far. We won the Grand Final last year but the year before we lost it.

“I’ve had those ups and downs. Winning a trophy with your team is the best feeling. First things first, we want to win this quarter-final on Saturday because it’s the most important game right now.”

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