Exclusive:Lewis Neilson's Hearts future, players on the floor, and a rousing reaction
SPFL Premiership trip to Falkirk awaits on Saturday for Derek McInnes’ side
Lewis Neilson’s Hearts future will be discussed next year when the defender recovers from ankle surgery. He is out of contract at the end of the season and prospects of an extension are unclear following an injury suffered on loan at Falkirk. He is due back in action in January or February, and Tynecastle officials will assess him as he sees the season out with John McGlynn’s team.
Hearts head coach Derek McInnes sanctioned Neilson’s season-long loan in early July after pre-season training began. The 22-year-old found competition fierce in his favoured centre-back position, and that situation is unlikely to change. The Edinburgh club will continue carrying a large squad to prepare for all eventualities, and that may leave Neilson surplus to requirements come the end of the campaign.
For now, he is focused on recovering from his operation. Falkirk host Hearts on Saturday, a fixture for which Neilson is ineligible in any case due to loan rules preventing players facing their parent club. He will spent the festive period recuperating and then work towards returning to the Falkirk side early next year.
“He was in a couple of weeks ago after the operation,” McInnes told the Edinburgh News. “We are comfortable for him to be treated by Falkirk and we will just liaise with them. Lewis will pop in and out and liaise with both medical teams. He is obviously still our player but Lewis is happy to get the majority of his treatment through there.
“With his contract, these conversations will be had in due course. The intention was for Lewis to go out and get regular football and then we can all make better decisions for him and us going forward. He was playing regularly for Falkirk and doing well. They were pleased with him, then the injury has stopped that progression.
“He is due back at the end of January or into February potentially, so there is still enough of the season left for him to continue doing what he was doing. Like all our out-of-contract players, there will be discussions had - maybe some sooner than others.”
Hearts won’t make many changes to their team from last week’s stirring 2-1 victory at Celtic Park. McInnes is aware that using the ball against Falkirk is vital and wants his team to show sufficient bite up front. “Falkirk are a possession-based team. When we played them at Tynecastle, I think we were similar in terms of possession stats. We were good on the day,” he recalled of September’s 3-0 win.
“Sometimes, when you play teams who want to play a certain way, then you need to be comfortable in your shape against that. You also need to use the ball well and penetrate at the right times. You can’t just keep it for the sake of it.”
The Hearts goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow received praise for his display against Celtic. He produced some important saves, particularly an 87th-minute block to stop Arne Engels’ header. It was the kind of reaction McInnes hoped for after the German’s error gifted Kilmarnock a stoppage-time equaliser at Tynecastle four days previously.
“It was a good response from everybody. We were on the floor after the Kilmarnock game,” admitted McInnes. “We thought we had done enough to win the game. For Alex, that’s the life of a goalkeeper, isn’t it? There is no real hiding place if you make a mistake and sometimes it can be quite costly. I thought his performance on Sunday, from a mental point of view, was very strong when he was called upon.
“I’m not surprised by that. We expect all our players to deal with disappointment and respond in the right way. I thought we showed that as a team against Celtic. We understood the nature of the game. We weren’t just looking for a plucky performance without the desired outcome. It was all about the outcome for us, trying to get the result. Winning in Glasgow, beating the team that has been the toughest opponent for years in Scotland, was exactly what we needed.”