The teenage striker gave his view on Sunday’s game at Tynecastle

James Wilson today spoke for the first time about Hearts’ controversial penalty claim during Sunday’s defeat by Rangers. The 17-year-old addressed the issue during an exclusive interview with the Edinburgh News, insisting he was fouled by the Ibrox defender Clinton Nsiala seconds before Vaclav Cerny put Rangers 2-1 ahead at Tynecastle Park.

The final 3-1 scoreline left Hearts aggrieved given they enjoyed more possession and more goal attempts than their Glasgow opponents. There is also lingering anger among supporters that they were denied a 61st-minute penalty when Wilson was pushed in the back by Nsiala.

Both players went for the ball Elton Kabangu flicked back from the byline and Nsialia used two hands to bundle Wilson to the ground inside the area. Referee John Beaton allowed play to continue and Rangers immediately mounted a counter-attack to score through Cerny. Many inside Tynecastle were expecting VAR to intervene, but the goal stood and the game restarted.

Wilson explained that he was knocked over by Nsiala and couldn’t understand why a penalty was not awarded. “I feel the shove on my back,” he said. “It's put me off balance and got me going to ground. I definitely feel the shove on my back. I can't tell you how much it looks like a penalty, but it felt like a penalty.”

He stressed he did not exaggerate his fall in an attempt to influence the referee. “No, I haven't. I haven't tried that. I've legit been knocked off my balance,” he added. The game hinged heavily on that moment with the 1-1 scoreline at the time.

“It's annoying, but that's football,” said Wilson. “You're going to get decisions to go against you and you have to try and bounce back. I think probably that's the most disappointing part of our performance. I think when it went to 3-1, we probably just didn't have the belief to get back in the game. We had chances but I just think the belief kind of went a bit.

“That's my first time playing Rangers. I thought it was a really positive performance from us. I thought we were the dominant side in the game. We have two own goals so it's just unlucky. Then the chances we missed - I had one. Elton had a few. I haven't seen the stats back or our xG but I feel we should have won that game. I think a lot of fans feel the same way.”

Despite his youth and inexperience, Wilson was one of Hearts’ better players against an imposing Rangers defence. “It's probably one of the toughest games I've played, up there with FC Copenhagen,” he explained. “When you see the size of bodies, guys who have played European football. I'm just taking every opportunity I can and I was feeling confident in the games. I didn't think I had a bad game, so it gives you confidence as a young player.

“Every game is like that. Even in the Lowland League [with the Hearts B team], the guys that play there are still streetwise. You get used to that. It's a factor, but I wouldn't say it's any different to any other league in Scotland.”

Wilson returned to Hearts’ starting line-up on Sunday to continue his development at senior level. He has played from the start in nine of the last 12 games under head coach Neil Critchley, and now feels he has earned management’s trust. “It's a big decision for him playing me. He has had the trust in me since he came in and I'm really happy with that,” acknowledged Wilson.

He is not content with that, either. “When I got the chance, I wasn't just wanting to come in and try and do as well as I can and work as hard as I can. I'm still in the learning stage. I want to get better. The coaches want me to get better. It's a good relationship where we're working on that day-to-day. If you told me at the start of the season I'd be in the position I am now, I wouldn't have believed you. Now that I'm in it, I want to stay here. I want to get better. This is where I want to be.”

Within himself, Wilson now feels like a genuine first-team player. The Rangers match was his 20th appearance of the season and supporters have taken to him with a “he’s one of our own” chant. “My goal against Hibs helped,” smiled the forward. “I'm really enjoying the football at the moment. I feel confident in the games. I feel confident around the boys. I'm just trying to have the biggest impact I can.”

He is even lashing penalties into the top corner under the intense pressure of a Scottish Cup shootout. Last Monday’s tension in Paisley against St Mirren didn’t seem to faze the teenager as he confidently stroked the first Hearts penalty high beyond Zach Hemming, setting Hearts on the way to a 4-2 triumph.

“We did penalties the day before. I was feeling really confident,” admitted Wilson. “I've hit a lot of penalties for the B team, and at the time I just felt it was the right thing for me to do. Just step up, hit the penalty, show a bit of confidence. I did what I wanted to do, I guess, so I was happy with that.”

He is mindful that football is a fickle business and a dip in performance could see him demoted back to the B team for a spell at any point. It is one of the things driving his ambition. “That's the possibility. That's performance football - everything is performance-based. If I just slip up and my performances drop, that is what should happen. I get that. So yeah, I mean, there's a possibility. I'm just trying, as far as I can, to stay in this team.”

He has plenty to play for, after all. Hearts travel to St Johnstone on Sunday needing to show resilience after losing to Rangers, knowing victory could propel them into the Premiership’s top six. Then it would be a race for a European place as the season enters its decisive phase, plus there is a Scottish Cup quarter-final against Dundee next month.

“I think that's our aim, definitely,” explained Wilson. “Our short-term aim now is to get top six and be in that top half, so it's going to be a big game for us at St Johnstone. “Resilience can be determined by a lot of things. I think even in the kind of recent results that we've had, we've picked up a bit of form. At the start of the season, we didn't have that form.

“I think the whole squad had to be resilient. As a younger player, you need to learn from that. There are games that haven't gone our way. That's just how it is - it's part and parcel of the game.”