SPFL Premiership leaders beat Livingston at Tynecastle

After home crowds of around 500 people last year, Jordi Altena was captivated by Tynecastle Park on Saturday. Even the groans, tension and nerves left him enthralled as Hearts edged past the Premiership’s bottom club, Livingston, by a narrow 1-0 margin. Being top of the league is a new experience and the Dutchman is ready for the demands in front of more than 18,000 fans.

That is quite a statement for a 22-year-old who was playing amateur football just a few months ago. Altena left De Treffers in the Dutch third tier for RKC Waalwijk last summer, and now finds himself in Edinburgh after a six-figure transfer to Hearts. He enjoyed a convincing debut against Livingston and supplied the cross for Craig Halkett’s powerful headed winner.

“It was a good header,” said Altena. “I told him he was at 60 metres or something. It was like a hard header, you know? It was an okay ball, so I'm happy with the assist. They told me: 'Just cross, we're there. It doesn't matter if it's the first post, second post, penalty spot, we'll just be there because we play with two strikers.' For me, that's a good feeling because I like to cross.

“The boys are just so nice and they helped me feel at home since the first day. That's something I really like. The fans, too. It's not like if I walk on the pitch and there are so many fans that I get scared. I just get a boost from it. That combination just worked, so I'm happy. Three points is the most important thing and the atmosphere was amazing. I'm not surprised about that, so it's a great feeling.

“The physicality is different than in Holland so I have to get used to it. But to get three points, an assist also - it should have been two - it's a great feeling. I think I did quite well. Maybe, if I get used to it more, it's going to be better and better. It was a good debut, I think.”

The Hearts head coach Derek McInnes advised Altena to play with the freedom which made him stand out in the Netherlands. “He just told me: 'Be yourself. We brought you here because you played the way you played at your old club. So just be yourself. Don't do different things. Don't be scared. Just be yourself and show us.' He gave me big confidence. It's beautiful.”

The rapid upward trajectory in Altena’s career is not lost on the player. Experiencing the amateur leagues imbued him with vital humility for returning to professional level. He was a midfielder at Vitesse Arnhem as a youth but was released in 2024. Joining De Treffers secured regular first-team football, plus a contract clause allowing a professional club to sign him. Waalwijk invoked it and earned more than £500,000 when Hearts moved to bring Altena to Scotland.

“It's crazy,” admitted Altena. “It was a disappointment because I had to leave my old club, Vitesse. The trainer at De Treffers just gave me such confidence to get back to where I belong. After one year, it happened. Then I came to right-back and now I'm here, so it can go really fast in football.

“At [De Treffers] home games, there were maybe 500 fans and I think the level was quite good. It was really good. It was more physical than the second division. With that combination I experienced, I'm now who I am. I think it's a lovely story. I didn't expect to be back here physically but I know what I can do with the ball and how I can play. I'm really confident about that and that doesn't surprise me.

“Physically, I felt good on Saturday. Maybe in the last minutes I felt it in my legs because I had a few flights and I also had a week off. My old club has a winter break. I had two training sessions with Hearts and I was told on Friday that I was in the team. That was quite a surprise but a very nice surprise. I'm very happy about it.”

Altena explained how he handled transfer interest from other European clubs. Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise looked at him and, like Hearts, have Tony Bloom and Jamestown Analytics as partners. DC United from Major League Soccer in America and the Spanish club Real Valladolid also monitored the full-back. “To be honest, I really didn't even think about another club. I just want to get this deal done and be here as soon as possible. So, yeah, I didn't even talk much to the other clubs,” revealed Altena.

He is now enjoying being part of a side holding a six-point lead at the top of the league. “It's a feeling I've never experienced so I think that's also a good thing for my improvement, but it feels amazing,” said Altena. “You feel the atmosphere in the team and in the stadium. They expect much from us. Maybe Saturday was not as good as it was the whole season so far, I don't know, but I think if you win these games, then you can really do something.”

Without seeing the other side of football in the amateur environment, the Dutchman may not be a Hearts player right now. “I think so, yeah. If you see the other side, you get humbled. I know young players who played their whole life in a professional team. Many players are like: 'Oh, I'm the guy.' You know? If you get humbled when you are like that, I think that's a good thing. I think I'm very humble. I'm not like: 'Oh, I have to go to an amateur club and now I'm not that guy any more.' It's a journey of many years. I not only look for where I want to play this season. Be humble. That's the most important thing, I think.

“At a young age, you have to play many games at the highest level possible. My opinion was that, if I go back to the amateur club I could better play in the first team and get physically better than playing under-21 or under-23 level. I know I can play football so that's nothing I have to work on. When I came from Vitesse I was a little bit smaller and my improvement point was physically. I could have gone to some clubs and then played under-21 and under-23, but I wanted to go to a first team. That's the most important - to play at the highest level you can.”