The Edinburgh Reporter February 2021

22 SPORT
23
Topsy turvy at
Tynecastle?
Neilson can inject verve needed for
success and Premiership return
By DUNCAN ROBERTSON
IT’S BEEN a peculiar season for Hearts so far.
Aside from the machinations and debates
around their demotion to the Championship, it
feels like things have ebbed and flowed down
Gorgie way.
Indeed, this is a Hearts side that defeated a
Hibs team in the upper echelons of the
Premiership in a Scottish Cup semi-final and
took the all-conquering Celtic to penalties in the
subsequent final. They’ve also banged in plenty
of goals, including an impressive 6-2 opening
day rout over Dundee.
On the other hand, they’ve been knocked out
of the League Cup by part-timers Alloa and
suffered league defeats to main challengers
Dunfermline and Dundee. Coach Robbie
Neilson’s men have also failed to perform for the
full 90 minutes and often struggle to get out of
the blocks at all – with losses to Dundee and
Raith Rovers perfect examples.
Should the Hearts support accept that they
can’t win every game and that, by zooming out,
University challenge
for former Jambo
FORMER HEARTS player Bobby
Burns may only be 21 but he has
his mind firmly set on the future.
Currently on downtime with a
double leg break sustained back
in October, the professional
footballer is planning ahead by
studying an Open Degree in
Science, Technology, Engineering
and Maths.
Now currently on loan to
Glentoran from Barrow AFC and
halfway through the course, he
flexibly balances his studies and
his football career.
Speaking on the second
episode of the new Open
University podcast “Life…On Our
Terms” about how he manages
football and study, Bobby said:
“It’s interesting to just sort of
challenge yourself in a different
the bigger picture is relatively rosy? A likely
return to the Premiership at first asking, a
number of promising players tied down on deals,
an improved managerial structure and
Edinburgh Derby bragging rights.
Football doesn’t really work like that however
– and Hearts fans seem to have special energy
reserves when it comes to expressing opinions.
It’s trite but in an age of instant gratification,
fuelled by games being streamed and fans
voicing sentiment on social media and forums,
clubs go from crisis to fandom adoration
week-to-week.
But we should of course remember that Hearts
have had a torrid few years. Indeed, cup runs
and a handful of marquee results aside, the club
was on a nosedive for nearly two full seasons
with a manager in charge who seemed beyond
reproach.
Robbie Neilson will be hoping to take Hearts
back to the Premiership with the same verve and
intrigue as he did last time around. He’ll need to
kick some life into certain areas of his squad to
make that a reality.
way, you know, sort of
intellectually rather than
physically.
“It is just something that I’ve
always really wanted to do
because I think it gives you a great
back-up plan for after football,
but it takes real self-discipline to
tell the rest of the lads in the team
that you don’t want to go for that
golf round or go and play Xbox
with them and want to sit down
and do a maths exam, but it will
be worth it in the end.”
The Northern Ireland U21 cap
was a summer 2018 signing for
the Jambos and would go on to
feature ten times in a maroon
shirt, scoring one goal, as well
as enjoying loan spells at
Livingston and Australian
outfit Newcastle Jets.
Coach Robbie Neilson
drives Hearts forward
Bobby Burns
Playing a captain’s role,
Steven Naismith
Neilson sees red as
passion boils over
Women’s and U20s
Six Nations postponed
SIX NATIONS Rugby Limited have
confirmed that the Women’s and
U20s 2021 Championships will not
take place in the usual February and
March window.
The respective timings and formats
for both the Women’s and U20s
competitions will be finalised in
consultation with all unions, broadcast
partners and stakeholders, probably
just after we go to press.
Ben Morel, CEO, Six Nations Rugby
Limited said: “We are fiercely
committed to the promotion and
development of rugby at all levels,
particularly the women’s game where
we see such exciting opportunity
for growth.
“This is not a decision that we
rushed into and we are confident that
in looking at a new later window, we
will be in a far stronger position to
deliver two fantastic tournaments,
delivering exciting rugby for fans, and
ensuring the safest possible
environment in which to stage them
for our players.”
It was deemed important that the
decision was made in a timely manner
to allow players and management to
plan accordingly.
Whilst closely monitoring the
situation, Six Nations Rugby also
confirmed plans to stage the men’s
Guinness Six Nations Championship
remain as scheduled and Six Nations
Rugby is in constant dialogue with
each of its governmental authorities.
The body says it is also reinforcing
its Covid-19 protocols. The
Championship begins with Round 1
fixtures on 6 February with Italy v
France followed by England v Scotland
and Wales v Ireland on 7 February.
Ian Jacobs
Kieran Clarke
Take two for the team
Delighted Jack Ross adds a pair of new signings to his squad
By JOHN HISLOP
HIBS’ MANAGER Jack Ross has
added two international players to
his team during the January
transfer window.
Australian international
midfielder Jackson Irvine was first
to sign up and the 27-year-old has
agreed a contract until the end of
the season.
He is a well-known figure in
Scottish football having initially
worked his way through the ranks
at Celtic before making a name for
himself with Ross County where he
was man of the match in the
Staggies’ 2016 League Cup final
victory over Hibs. Since then he has
enjoyed successful stints south of
the border with Burton Albion and
Hull City.
He has been joined by former
Motherwell player Chris Cadden
who put pen to paper with the
versatile 24-year-old agreeing a
two-and-a-half-year contract at
Easter Road, having completed his
Matt Macey
move from MLS side Columbus
Crew. In May 2018 he made his full
Scotland debut alongside Lewis
Stevenson in a friendly game
against Peru.
Jack Ross said: “We’re delighted
to be able to add a player of
Jackson’s calibre to the squad and I
think he’ll complement the other
players that we have. Jackson has
played at a high level as an
international. He can go box-tobox,
he offers a goal threat and he’s
hungry to play. He joins us at an
exciting time with some big games
coming up.
“I’m delighted to get Chris on
board and he’s a player I’ve admired
for some time. Players like Chris are
a manager’s dream because he’s
intelligent enough to play in a few
positions, with his athleticism and
work-rate stand-out features. He’s
also comfortable on the ball.
“His enthusiasm to move to
Hibernian has really shone through
and I’ve no doubt he will add
something different to our group.”
Chris Cadden
and (inset) Jack Ross
Jackson Irvine
Jim Clark Rally
cancelled
Position up for grabs
Macey up for the challenge for Hibs number one spot
By JOHN HISLOP
NEW 6FT 7IN goalkeeper Matt Macey brought
a seven year stint at Premiership giants Arsenal
to an end when he became Hibs’ first signing
in the January transfer window.
Matt will now face competition from Ofir
Marciano and Kevin Dabrowski for a first team
start, but he is looking forward to the challenge
and revealed that former Celtic star Kieran
Tierney encouraged him to make the journey
north.
The new signing joins a small band of
players to have featured for both clubs
including fellow goalkeeper Willie Harper who
made the reverse trip almost 100 years ago.
Harper was followed by Joe Baker who
became a Highbury legend after making the
journey via Torino, whilst Peter Marinello and
Alex Cropley took the direct route. Players
who started at Arsenal before arriving at Easter
Road include Scottish Cup winning hero
Anthony Stokes, Dean Shiels, Graham Stack
and Daniel Boeting.
Macey has already shown his potential,
keeping a clean sheet against Kilmarnock and
only losing one at Parkhead from an
unstoppable strike from David Turnbull.
Speaking to Hibs TV, Macey said: “It all
Ian Jacobs
happened quite quickly. I wanted to come from
the moment I heard Hibs were interested. Then
it was a case of jumping in the car for an
eight-hour trip. I suppose that gave me a lot of
time to think things over before I arrived at the
training ground, but my mind was made up.
“I spoke to Kieran Tierney at length about
the opportunity to come to Hibs, about
Scottish football and the country in general.
Kieran was really positive about every aspect of
it, whether it was the club or Edinburgh itself.
“It was good to hear him talk so
enthusiastically about it all. He backed up the
gut feeling I had. Kieran’s someone I have a lot
of time for and he’s probably one of the first
names on the team-sheet - if not the first - at
Arsenal just now.
“I really enjoyed my time at Arsenal, but this
feels like an opportunity that I’ve been waiting
for. I want to kick-start my career. The last few
years haven’t gone the way I would have
planned, but that’s always the trade-off when
you’re at a massive club with world class players.
“They gave me a great education and I’ve had
the chance to work with some amazing coaches
and players. I had some incredible experiences,
especially on the road for some big games. You
also get plenty of practice in training trying to
save shots from some world class attackers.
ORGANISERS of the Beatson’s Building
Supplies Jim Clark Rally have announced that
the 2021 event, planned for the weekend of
28 – 30 May has been cancelled.
The organising committee of the popular
Borders rally has been closely monitoring the
pandemic over recent weeks and was well
advanced in the planning of the Duns based
closed-road rally and set to welcome ten
major rally championships.
With the continuing uncertainty
surrounding government restrictions, current
lockdown legislation and the implications of
running a large-scale gathering, the
organisers have decided it has become
unfeasible to run an event as substantial as
the Jim Clark Rally and they have no choice
but to cancel this year’s rally.
Dan Wright, Chairman of the Jim Clark Rally,
said: “Due to the ongoing pandemic and
uncertain situation around the country, the
organising committee regrets to announce
that the rally will not go ahead.
"The entire organising team had been
working tirelessly to offer another fantastic
closed road event in the Scottish Borders and
we were very excited to welcome a host of
leading rally championships and competitors
to the region in May. Sadly, it has simply has
not been possible to guarantee that the event
could go ahead due to the uncertainty over
when current lockdown restrictions will end.”
“Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sticks out. He
has a real killer instinct. In some sessions it can
feel like a bonus just to save one or two of his
shots. When I was younger I was a bit more
starstruck by it, but there comes a point when
you want to make an impact yourself.
“I always took my responsibilities there
seriously. You can still make an impact in your
own way by working to a high level and
challenging the people around you in training,
but I feel like I’m at a point when I really want
to be playing games.
“I had a good chat with the gaffer and Craig
Samson (goalkeeping coach). It was all very
positive. It feels like a great fit for me. They
really didn’t have to sell the club to me. They
were honest about the club and what they want
to achieve here. It sounded like something I
really want to be part of - a team that wants to
challenge for silverware and qualify for
European football.
“I’m looking forward to meeting and
working with the other goalkeepers and I’m up
for the challenge. I just want to feel like I have
the opportunity to play. If I give my all and, for
whatever reason, one of the other boys gets the
nod then I’ll be supportive of them. But I really
want to give the gaffer something to think
about."