Hearts striker James Wilson earns another major Scottish football award nomination

After being nominated for the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award, Hearts striker James Wilson is now in contention for the Scottish Football Writers’ Assocation Young Player of the Year. The teenager enjoyed a remarkable rise to prominence in recent months and is one of four Premiership youngsters shortlisted for the honour.

Motherwell’s Lennon Miller, plus Bobby Wales and David Watson of Kilmarnock, join Wilson as nominees. The winner is set to be announced at the SFWA dinner on Sunday, 18 May. For Wilson, it would be the latest accolade near the end of a personally euphoric season in which he became the youngest ever Scotland internationalist.

National coach Steve Clarke handed the Riccarton youth academy graduate his first senior cap in March’s UEFA Nations League play-off second leg against Greece at Hampden Park. The player has scored six goals in 30 appearances for Hearts so far this season after establishing himself as a regular in the squad. He turned 18 on 6 March this year.

Speaking to the Edinburgh News last month, Wilson admitted he did play for Northern Ireland at youth level previously but stressed his preference was Scotland. He was also eligible to play for England or Republic of Ireland through family heritage, but chose the country of his birth.

Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Republic of Ireland were open to Hearts man

“I always wanted to play for Scotland. Thankfully, I got the opportunity to do that,” he stated. “I played for Northern Ireland's Under-17s. They came in first before the Scotland's Under-16s came in. I wanted to go and try the experience, just go and see it. I really enjoyed that.

“It was a great experience for me to be around players that are playing at the top level in Europe. You see the standard they're at, you see them in training, you see how they prepare for games and everything like that. That was a really good experience. I just focus on playing football here. Once it [the March international camp] was done, it was about: 'Can I get ready for the next Hearts game?' I think just taking it in my stride, I guess.”

The senior international breakthrough and a place in history are enormous achievements for one so young. Those make Wilson one of the favourites to be named SFWA Young Player of the Year. Miller took the PFA Scotland equivalent at a ceremony in Glasgow on Sunday evening, but Wales and Watson cannot be discounted either after impressive seasons for Kilmarnock. Wilson won a Special Recognition award at Hearts’ Player of the Year dinner last month.

All of the SFWA nominations are below:

SFWA Player of the Year: Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Callum McGregor (Celtic), Simon Murray (Dundee), Nectar Triantis (Hibs).

William Hill Manager of the Year: David Gray (Hibs), John McGlynn (Falkirk), Brendan Rodgers (Celtic), Jimmy Thelin (Aberdeen).

DoubleTree by Hilton Young Player of the Year: Lennon Miller (Motherwell), Bobby Wales (Kilmarnock), David Watson (Kilmarnock), James Wilson (Hearts).

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