A slow burner now on fire: Alan Forrest hits new heights as figures show the impact of Hearts' latest talisman

The winger's influence on recent results should not be downplayed

For nearly 18 months, he quietly went about his business each day at Riccarton with occasional glimpses of his talent during matches. An unfashionable player, a squad player, a utility player, an inconsistent player. All of the above labels were attached to Alan Forrest since he joined Hearts from Livingston. He is now threatening to discard every single one.

Assists and penalties have been the winger's currency recently as he touched heights he never previously reached in a maroon shirt. Denied a penalty-kick against Ross County in late December when referee Alan Muir cautioned him for diving, Forrest cleared his name when the booking was rescinded on appeal. You could be forgiven for thinking the injustice lit a flame within him.

He won Hearts a penalty in their very next fixture at Livingston, although Lawrence Shankland did not convert. Forrest still claimed two assists that day by setting up both goals in his team's 2-1 victory as the Premiership finished up for its winter break.

He picked up where he left off after the hiatus with another two assists in last week's dramatic 3-2 win over Dundee at Tynecastle Park. Then, as if to underline his new-found value, his cross won Hearts the penalty which Jorge Grant scored to open the scoring against Aberdeen on Saturday. If Forrest was a slow burner in Gorgie, he is now very much on fire.

His impact on Hearts' current eight-match unbeaten run is significant. The reward of a new contract until 2026 earlier this month offered recognition of his game catapulting to a new level. The player feels there are a few different reasons behind the rise to prominence.

"I just focus on myself. If I've been left out of the team, I worked hard in training each week to get back in. There's no sulking or anything, you just want to push for the team," he told the Edinburgh News. "It helps seeing how well we are playing. When we are doing well in games, we are passing the ball and moving about well.

"Every player is on form and that helps push the rest of us on. I'm happy with what I'm doing at the moment and I just want it to continue. I wouldn't say I'm doing anything different off the field, I feel I'm just the same things. You do your training, you do extras like shooting and stuff, and as a group we work on crosses and things.

"Maybe it's just to me having a bit more belief. If you are playing well then it has that effect where you kick on. I'm feeling good at the moment and I just want to continue that. If you are assisting, then you are impacting games. Then you naturally grow in confidence.

"You don't just want to rest there. Each week, you want to go again and impact the next game. I'm really enjoying my football just now. We are playing well all over the park. Defenders are playing through the lines to midfielders, who are getting the ball early out to the wingers. The service is there.

"If you are dominating games and the team is playing well, then you grow into the game. That suits me. I want to get the ball, beat my man and have an impact in every game."

That appetite for constant improvement is exactly what head coach Steven Naismith wants from his players. Naismith loves Forrest's industry allied to the natural attacking flair. He has occasionally deployed the winger in a wing-back role this season, but there is no question Forrest is more effective in the final third.

One area the 27-year-old wants to brush up on is goalscoring. He found the net twice in successive games against Ross County and Hibs earlier in the campaign with nothing to add since. "I've been happy getting a run of games and I've had a few assists as well. Scoring and assisting are the main things for me," said Forrest. "I maybe haven't scored as much as I would like but if I can keep helping the team with assists or by playing well, that's the important thing."

Continuing momentum is now the aim for player and team alike at Tynecastle. Winning regularly through the tough winter months often underpins a successful season for any Premiership side. Hearts are faring well as February approaches, highlighted by their 10-point advantage in third place in the table. Saturday was another hard-earned victory by a 2-0 margin.

"I think we maybe need to give Aberdeen credit in the first half," admitted Forrest. "They were first to the second balls and had a lot more first contacts than us. I think they were getting more chances from that. It was a slow start from us. Maybe we were fortunate to go into the break at 0-0, but the second half was a totally different game. We scored two goals, Shanks' strike was quality, but I think we could have scored more.

"We were on a good run before the break and we've come back and managed to kick on as well. We started slowly last Tuesday [against Dundee] as well, but we are finding ways to win games and showing that quality. Long may it continue.

"It's massive if you can get through these months picking up points and going about your business like we have, it's really important. If you start looking too far ahead and get complacent, that's when teams in this league will come back at you. We have a good gap, we have a few winnable games so we want to continue."