Robbie Neilson's affirmation Craig Halkett is successful his race to be match for the Scottish Cup Last needs to be the very best information this week.
I feared the worst when the defender was stretchered off with that ankle damage in Hearts’ semi-final victory over Hibs.
I believed it could have robbed him of a return go to to Hampden, which might have been horrible for a man who I maintain within the highest regard.
In my 20-year profession I made just one cup closing – the 2013 League Cup when Hearts misplaced to St Mirren – so no person has to inform me nowadays don’t come round too typically for most mavens.
It might be an enormous blow for Halkett to overlook it however equally arduous for Neilson to take as a result of he’s been Hearts’ finest defender this season. That's to take nothing away from John Souttar, who’s been excellent as properly, however the Jambos miss Halkett extra when he’s out.
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I love him not only for his potential, which is massively underrated. He's a seven or eight out of 10 each week and given he's so constant, he might be taken a bit as a right – not by his supervisor or team-mates although.
What I actually like is the psychological power Halkett has proven to construct a profession after spending years attempting to make the breakthrough at Rangers earlier than being launched and having to start out from scratch.
Like so many children when they're instructed they gained’t make it at a large membership, it might go by some means.
Some knuckle down and construct a profession elsewhere. Others drift away, their expertise misplaced to disillusionment.
I do know. I used to be almost one in every of them.
Though my issues have been self-inflicted. At 13 I left dwelling for Chelsea, enjoying below Steve Clarke and Jim Duffy of their youth set-up.
I used to be staying in digs with John Terry and cleansing boots of gamers equivalent to Gianfranco Zola, which was the norm for “apprentices” again within the day. For some time it was nice however at 17 I got here dwelling to Ayrshire one Christmas, noticed my mates enjoying for enjoyable, simply having fun with their lives, and I needed a little bit of that. Once I returned to London I used to be sad, not realising for a minute simply how fortunate I used to be.
I instructed Chelsea I needed out they usually lastly launched me in Might 2002 – virtually 20 years in the past, which is difficult to consider.
I believed I'd come up the highway and get an enormous membership no drawback. Actually my head was filled with nonsense.
I went into Rangers for coaching. John Brown was the coach on the time however he mainly instructed me I wasn’t adequate to make it at Ibrox, so I used to be out and will have simply walked away from the sport.
Fortunately Billy Stark supplied me a contract at St Johnstone. I made a aware determination to provide myself a number of years to make a go of it.
That led to a few years at Ayr, which have been nice, earlier than Hearts. I labored arduous for that likelihood to signal for an ideal membership and that’s why I love Halkett a lot – as a result of he’s needed to do the identical.
He established himself at Livingston and earned his transfer to Tynecastle. He has simply signed a brand new long-term deal, sensible for the boy and the membership.
It’s one other signal Hearts are transferring in the proper path. They’re dropping large Souttar to Rangers however they’ve secured everybody else they needed.
They’ve fostered a successful tradition and final Sunday’s end result proved it.
There was no actual strain on the end result at Dundee United. They have been with out seven first-team regulars, a readymade excuse in the event that they’d misplaced.
They conceded a purpose within the fourth minute and previously that may have knocked the stuffing out of them.
Not now. Hearts dug out a 3-2 win.
They now go into each recreation anticipating to win and that gained’t change after they rock up at Hampden to face Rangers. With a match Halkett of their ranks, they’ll consider much more.