The widening pathway providing Hearts with a steady stream of new players

The route from Riccarton to Tynecastle is being opened up

Not since the era of Jamie Walker, Sam Nicholson and Callum Paterson have Hearts produced a proper crop of young players from their academy. It is an irritant for fans, coaches and directors that one of Scotland's biggest football clubs does not do youth development better. Nothing excites supporters more than a home-grown talent thriving at senior level.

Quietly but steadily, people are striving to address the issue. The shoots of recovery are more maroon than green, of course, as a new group starts to emerge. Promoting head coach Steven Naismith from B team to first team last summer happened for different reasons - one being that he could act as a conduit to get emerging young players to the top level. He is coming good on a promise to do so.

All three Hearts fixtures since the winter break have involved four youth academy graduates - Aidan Denholm, Macaulay Tait, Finlay Pollock and James Wilson. Denholm has been with the first-team squad all season, Pollock is recently back from long-term injury, while Tait and Wilson are just breaking through. The pathway from Riccarton to Tynecastle appears to be widening.

It is more than a decade since Walker, Nicholson, Paterson and their pals emerged while a financial crisis took hold at the club. Andy Irving, Euan Henderson and Connor Smith came through sporadically since then, but the Gorgie public are still awaiting the next generation.

Midfielders Denholm, Tait and Pollock are aged 20, 18 and 19 respectively, whilst striker Wilson is only 16. Pollock has been on the bench lately after regaining fitness, but the other three got game time this month. Their integration to the first team is at an early stage and Naismith is confident they can develop. Fully aware that results will dictate his long-term job prospects, he is content placing faith in the above quartet.

"I've worked with them closely and I know they are good enough players," he told the Edinburgh News. "It's not a case of me just throwing boys into the first-team environment to make it look like I'm getting players through. I know that in six months' time, if young players are on the pitch and they aren't good enough, they have cost me points which ultimately will cost me my job.

"They are only getting the opportunity when they are ready. They do the hard work and get the chance. As coaches, we look at them and say: 'I think he is ready.' Somebody can be doing well but not be ready for the environment. Macaulay Tait, for example, has probably waited longer for his debut than most. He was ready to play in the first team a year ago. When I came in as interim manager last season, I could easily have put him in. The bigger picture of managing a squad, everybody finding their feet and understanding how you work takes time."

Naismith is managing to strike the correct balance of introducing youngsters whilst still getting results. Hearts have won 31 of the last 39 Premiership points available, allowing them to build a 10-point lead in third place. Behind the four named above are some others with potential to join them in the first-team squad.

Striker Makenzie Kirk, 19, recently joined Hamilton Academical on loan after scoring 26 goals for the Hearts B team in the first half of the season. Goalkeeper Harry Stone, 21, is gaining vital experience on loan at Queen of the South. Defender Ethan Drysdale, 18, joined Stone in recently signing a new contract to remain at Tynecastle until 2025. Forwards Callum Sandilands and Bobby McLuckie, aged 18 and 17 respectively, are also rated highly. Sandilands was an unused substitute in the Scottish Cup against Spartans earlier this month. McLuckie, a winger with blinding pace, is signed until 2026.

"When players are ready and right, they will get a chance," explained Naismith. "James Wilson comes on against Spartans in the Scottish Cup because he is needed and I think he has a value. I'm not throwing him on just to say: 'Oh, there's a young boy on the pitch.' That will not happen here. We have good, young players. Last Tuesday [against Dundee] showed that. Macaulay was the catalyst for that win. I would have been giving him man of the match for what he did in the game."

Tait's influence in midfield helped Hearts convert a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win. He was involved in two of his team's three goals but, perhaps surprisingly, did not require to be peeled off the dressing-room ceiling afterwards. "No, he isn't that kind of character," smiled Naismith. "He is mature beyond his age but that is him as a player. He is a good footballer but the thing that makes him different is his brain. His understanding of space is terrific.

"We worked for two years on him. Because of his size, he is never going to be a giant, never going to be stronger than anybody on the pitch. So he needs to be quicker than everybody. That's what we've done for the last two years.

"You are good on the ball, technically good, so we will work on you picking the right passes, when to risk the ball and when not to. You need to receive the ball in space and play with a forcefield around you so nobody can touch you. Then you pass it off and you move again so no-one can get near you. That's what he showed against Dundee.

"He gets a wee buzz just linking everything together but playing with a calmness. Macaulay is a top talent and somebody who has a big future. He is also the type of character who will understand that he might not play in every game. He appreciates what he gets.

"He has been moved into the first-team environment, he is classed as a first-team player, but he is still in early dealing with the balls and getting stuff ready for training. That's his character. I've got no qualms with him and the praise that will come his way because I know he will deal with it well."