Hearts 'starman' Ben Woodburn on fans' song, coffee and Playstation culture and favourite position

Ben Woodburn may only be three games into his Hearts career but he has already endeared himself to the club’s support.

Hearts star Ben Woodburn. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

“He’s a starman playing on the right, his name is Benny Woodburn and he's dynamite" was first heard during the player’s debut at Dundee United.

It was being belted out once more by the large travelling contingent on Saturday as the 21-year-old impressed during the 2-2 draw with Ross County.

Such a welcome can only help a player settle into his new surroundings instantly.

Woodburn ha enjoyed his time at Hearts so far. (Photo by Euan Cherry / SNS Group)

"When you hear that, especially as a new player, you just feel comfortable," he said.

"They’ve been brilliant since I’ve arrived. Every game I’ve played they’ve been terrific so I can’t ask much more from them.”

Coffee and Playstation

Woodburn, now on his fourth loan spell of his career, has not only been welcomed by the Hearts support but has become a popular member of the dressing room, getting involved in two popular facets of the dressing room culture.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 12: Hearts' Ben Woodburn (L) and Hibernian's Alex Gogic during a cinch Premiership match between Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian at Tynecastle on September 12, 2021, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

On top of that he has adapted well to a new football culture, new league and a new city.

"I’ve really enjoyed it so far," Woodburn said, “I think we are playing good football but I think we all know we can get better results. We need to start putting away our chances.

“It’s exciting, there are good players in the league, it’s good.

“It’s a great city. Loads of things to do. There are nice coffee shops. I like to do that with a lot of the boys. We’ve got a coffee culture and Playstation culture.

“That’s what I’ve found since I’ve been here, we’ve got such a tight group .

"I think as soon as we start getting wins, even though we’ve been playing really well, the only way is up.”

Favourite position

Woodburn, in a deeper role on Saturday, showed why he is well liked by the Hearts support.

His quality was on display during his 65 minutes on the pitch against the Staggies before being replaced due to a tight calf.

His awareness, strength and first-time passing all stood out, while he combined really well with Barrie Mckay down the right in the first half.

“I feel like I can show my qualities in any way near the top of the pitch," he said.

"My favourite position is probably in behind the striker or just off the sides. It allows me to connect with the front man, get the ball from defenders, turn, shots, crosses.

"I’ll hopefully get some more goals and assists.”

From an early age there was plenty of pressure for Woodburn to deal with.

Third youngest player to feature for Liverpool's first-team, the club's youngest scorer and the second youngest scorer for Wales behind Gareth Bale.

He was earmarked as a huge talent at Liverpool and selected for a Futures Group, made up of the club's most promising academy talents who trained once a week under first-team development coach Pep Lijnders, something Jurgen Klopp took a keen interest in.

"It’s just a part of football really," he said about the pressure. “You’ve got to take it on your shoulders.

“The staff at the first-team wanted to bring a few of the boys up from the academy to show them the style of training. Training with first-team staff so we learned a lot."

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