Hearts explain their youth development plan and reveal why some youngsters are not getting first-team chances

Developing young players in the first team is one of the reasons Steven Naismith was appointed Hearts head coach. The Edinburgh club are keen to nurture their own talent, and Naismith has not forgotten those priorities despite managing a large and experienced senior squad.

Right now is not the time to introduce spotty teenagers to the cut-throat world of Scottish football, with Hearts facing Rangers twice as well as Livingston in the next nine days. Then it's a trip to the no-less-forgiving surroundings of Fir Park, Motherwell. However, the long-term future of the club heavily involves Riccarton academy graduates.

Naismith is keen to promote as and when appropriate. He coached Hearts B team last season so knows intricately the contenders who might be approaching the fringes of the first team. Yet he is determined to get the timing correct and avoid exposing someone too early. Injuries to some of the players in his mind have not helped.

"It's a big thing for me. I want to get as many players through as we can, but they have to make sure they are ready," he said, speaking exclusively to the Evening News. "An example of that is Aidan Denholm. He came into the first team and played, had a good initial start, then came a couple of wee negative moments.

"He is ready and understands that, so then he goes back in against Ross County and does really well. That is what we want. You can't just throw a young player in, he has a bad game and it destroys his confidence. There is an element of being conscious of that with some of the younger lads."

One name featuring prominently at Riccarton right now is that of 19-year-old striker Makenzie Kirk. The son of former Hearts striker Andy made his Hearts first-team debut with a substitute appearance at Ross County in April 2022 under former manager Robbie Neilson. He is now maturing into a reliable goalscorer with the B team in Scotland's Lowland League.

Kirk has scored 19 times despite playing in only 14 league fixtures this season and harbours the potential to transfer that ruthless instinct to a bigger stage. Naismith wants other areas of his game to improve before offering any first-team opportunity. The Lowland League is a fifth-tier division and moving four levels into the Premiership would represent a significant step up in class for an inexperienced youngster. Again, timing is everything.

"Makenzie has been on the bench a couple of times and he has trained with the first team," explained Naismith. "He has scored a lot of goals but he needs to improve in other areas, like hold-up play and not turning over possession easily. You see parts of that in training with the first team and that's what he has to brush up on.

"That's what the younger players are learning. The level and the speed of things jump compared to B team training and games. Where he might think he's got time on the ball in the B team, a first-team player comes in and takes it off him. We want to get the youngsters ready within the training environment to then throw them into games."

Another on the radar is the versatile midfielder Macaulay Tait. Aged 18, he has also been a first-team substitute but has yet to make it onto the field in a competitive match. He can expect a chance soon. "Macaulay is another one who has picked up a couple of small injuries," said Naismith. "Again, that is a frustration because I would like to have had him involved before now. Last season there was a real jump in his performance and consistency level, but he is managing his small injuries.

"For the guys below that, there needs to be a level of consistency with the B team or when they are training with the first team. At least two or three of the B team will be training with the first team most weeks. We need to constantly reinforce to them that this is an opportunity for them. They can't think: 'I'm with the first team now,' and take it for granted because that doesn't last.

"They need to build that consistency. Nobody is going to be thrown in because it might look good to get a young player on the pitch. They need to deserve it to start with. We have a few of them but the ones below that need to make sure they are at a consistent level."

Hope remains high that Finlay Pollock can overcome tendonitis in the knee and become the first-team regular Hearts believe he can be. The 19-year-old midfielder enjoyed an impressive cameo in the Europa Conference League away tie against Istanbul Basaksehir last November, but hasn't been seen in the first team since.

"Finlay is still coming back," said Naismith. "His injury being a tendinopathy in the knee, it's so difficult. It's one of the most difficult injuries you can get because it's not a quick fix. It's not just rest for two weeks and you are 100 per cent fine, like a muscle injury. You need to do load management and constantly push the boundaries to get beyond certain points. It's very tricky.

"Finlay more than anybody has been frustrated at not being involved. He is desperate to have an impact. Credit to him. Given the way he has worked through his rehab, he is more first-team ready now because he has bulked up. He has a good size about him and he is still a very powerful player."