Hearts contract wait for Matthew Gillies as the teenager opens up after a European debut in Switzerland

Thursday evening in Switzerland was a case of perfect timing for young Matthew Gillies. While many Hearts fans might want to forget the 3-1 defeat at FC Thun, the 19-year-old revelled in his club debut in a UEFA Conference League tie. He looked quite at home. With his Tynecastle contract expiring in seven months' time, it was an ideal chance for the player to showcase himself in front of coaching staff and senior management.

Gillies was preparing to play for Stenhousemuir in Tuesday's Scottish Challenge Cup tie against Berwick Rangers when he received the call that he was needed back at base with Hearts’ injuries mounting. His co-operation loan deal permits unlimited movement between Riccarton and Ochilview. Standards are vastly different between European competition and the KDM Evolution Trophy - as the Challenge Cup is known for sponsorship - but Gillies knows the adaptability required to succeed in football.

Which is the main reason he was ready and willing when Hearts assistant coach Cederique Tulleners motioned him across inside the Visana Stadion on Thursday evening. Ten first-team players were sat at home injured and Stephen Kingsley pulled up with a hamstring problem. Gillies' time had come. He trained and played at Riccarton since the age of eight waiting for that very moment. His first-team debut was everything he expected - because he was physically and mentally prepared for the call.

Hearts' Matthew Gillies | SNS

“I'm ready at any opportunity. I can fill in in different positions, wherever the manager needs me to play. Whenever it is, I'm ready to go,” explained the Riccarton youth academy graduate. “I just got the shout from Cederique and got myself ready for whenever I was needed. I was just thinking about how I could try to impact the game. Could I show up and maybe try to get us back in the game? Try to get on the ball and do the things I'm good at. There were obviously a lot of things going through my mind. You've just got to try to cancel that noise out, focus and do your job.

“I'm delighted to make my debut, but disappointed not to get the win. That's what we wanted and needed. But I'm delighted on a personal note. It was good for me and my family. We're all big Hearts fans. None of my family came over. They are at home. If I'd had a bit more notice about coming on the trip, they might have come out.”

The versatile Gillies can operate in central defence, at right-back or in central midfield. He lined up beside Laurent Mendy after replacing Kingsley and displayed both aggression and composure against an experienced Thun midfield. “I feel like I'm most influential in the middle,” he said. “I've only moved into the middle recently, over the past few years, but I feel like midfield is probably my strongest position. Like you say, I can cover any position. Wherever the manager needs me, I'm happy to do that for the team.”

The next question is: What now? Does Gillies return to Stenhousemuir or remain at Hearts to face Falkirk on Sunday? “I’ll do whatever I'm told. Like I say, I'm ready for whatever,” he smiled. “Whatever it may be, whether I'm going back to Stenhousemuir or not. If the manager needs me, I'm ready to go whenever it is. That's obviously something that comes with being a footballer. You've just got to be ready at any opportunity, whether it be coming on because of an injury as a young boy, going back to a loan club or going out on loan.

“Whatever it is, whatever the situation, you've always just got to be ready and have that mindset that you train properly, do everything right and are ready to go whenever that is. The manager's style is really good for us all. He's obviously told me in training that wherever he needs me, make sure I'm ready to go. He put his trust in me on Thursday. I was ill and missed the Trabzonspor trip [last month]. I picked up a virus a few days before, which wasn't great because I was desperate to be on that trip as well. Obviously, I want to be available at any opportunity, but what can you do? You've just got to try to get yourself back fit as quickly as possible.

“There were a few people speaking to me before coming on trips. I was away at Benfica [in July]. You look for certain things, little bits of detail and stuff like that. I was just calm and waiting for my chance. I knew it might come at some point. You've just got to try to do the right things in the lead-up to it, put your trust in yourself, believe in yourself and hopefully reap the rewards of it.

“After the Premier Sports Cup semi-final last weekend, I got a call to say that I was going to be with the first team this week. Like I say, it was just about getting myself ready, being ready to come away and providing whatever kind of support I needed to for the team. I was preparing to play with Stenhousemuir in the Challenge Cup. If anything changed, I was ready to do that, whatever it may be. But, yeah, I was planning to play for Stenhousemuir on Tuesday.

“I've loved it there. Marvin Bartley has been really good with me and Gus [Stevenson]. They've been putting their trust in me, much like the gaffer here. I've always wanted to play at the highest level I can, testing myself and playing week in, week out. Obviously, doing that in the Championship at 19 is a good achievement, but I want more of that. I want to be playing at the highest level I can as quickly as I can.

“I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing. I believe in myself that I can come into the team and fit into the style and the speed of the game. Like I say, it's about training properly, doing everything right and making sure you look after yourself. If you're doing that, then I think you give yourself the best chance of coming into any environment.”

Gillies may already have done enough to warrant another Hearts contract. He won't take anything for granted, however. The next few months are the most important of his fledgling career. “Yes, my contract is up at the end of the season, but I'll leave that to the club to discuss and hopefully find out in the next few weeks what's going to happen with that. It's a massive season for me. I'll try to play as many minutes as I can, get better, develop and hopefully see where it takes me.”