Neil Critchley to 'manage pathway' of Hearts youngsters as he outlines clear vision for B team hopefuls

Hearts Head Coach Neil Critchley issues instructions to his players | SNS Group

Neil Critchley is well aware of Hearts’ success rate at promoting youth talent and giving youngsters a platform on which to flourish.

It’s for that very reason why he has decided to lay down the gauntlet to aspiring Jambos stars of the future so early in his Tynecastle tenure.

A quarter of B team prospects - Adam Forrester, Macaulay Tait, James Wilson and Callum Sandilands - were all involved in the Englishman’s first training session at the Oriam this week. Both Forrester and Tait have regularly been named in matchday squads already this season and will hope they can continue to catch Critchley’s eye over the coming weeks and months.

Hearts Head Coach Neil Critchley during a pre-match press conference | SNS Group

Asked how important the club’s youngsters will be both in the short and long term and whether Hearts fans expect to see a bit of them between now and January, Critchley admitted: “We'll see. There's no better feeling as a coach than giving young players an opportunity and particularly Hearts supporters and when they're your own players and they've come through the academy, there's probably a little bit more meaning or feeling towards those players but they also have to be good enough.

“It's not a charity. At this moment in time, I always try to make the right decisions for the players at the right time and sometimes if that's been with us, sometimes young players need to play some games to develop. That means playing B team or if they're not quite ready for the first team and they go out on loan but then they come back.

“I think I've got good experience in knowing what's right for young players at the right time and managing their pathway.”

Critchley has had to settle quickly into his new surroundings in Edinburgh over the past five days but admits his initial impressions of the size of the football club have left him hungry to bring success back to Gorgie, starting against St Mirren this afternoon.

“This is the biggest football club I've been at without a shadow of a doubt as a manager,” he said. “You look at the stadium, you look at the facilities, you look at the people, the attention, the media, there's an expectation here.

“This is a big football club and it's one that I want to work for and do desperately well for and I know I can do well at this football club with the right people who are behind me, the right support which I'm really confident that I'm going to get. I'm excited by the future but I am not taking my eye off... I know it's a cliche, the next game. You have to take each game as it comes and the first game for us is St Mirren at home on Saturday. 

“It will be a very tough test. I came across Stephen (Robinson) once when he was at Morecambe when I was at Blackpool in a pre-season game and I know how hard-working and organised his teams are. I also know they had a great season last season, beat us obviously recently. So we know the test that we face and the type of team that they are and the difficulties which they can give you but it's about us. It's not who we play, it's how we play.

“I've had a fantastic week, I've really enjoyed it and I just hope it's capped off tomorrow with a performance and three points and feel the Tynecastle atmosphere tomorrow, I can't wait for it.”