Hearts ace Craig Wighton on Dick Campbell and Robbie Neilson similarities, patience, deep defences and his hair

Even putting the coronavirus and the disheartening year that has been 2020 to the side, football has and always will be a fickle sport where one week, one game, one moment can act as a catalyst or a destroyer.

It wasn't that long ago, just a few months, when Wighton’s mere presence during pre-season games seemed like an insult to some fans, many expecting him to be a victim of the club’s drop into the Championship and Robbie Neilson’s rebuilding job.

Fast forward to recent weeks and a selection of supporters expressed their desire to see the 23-year-old start ahead of Liam Boyce on social media or, at the very least, played alongside the Northern Irishman.

On the surface, the transformation, which has been one of the more heartwarming football stories, began as soon as Wighton picked up the ball in his own half against Raith Rovers in the Betfred Cup at Tynecastle Park. He sped forward, turned a backtracking Kyle Benedictus inside out like a hair plait before burying a shot past Jamie MacDonald to complete his hat-trick.

From maligned figure to respected forward was all but complete when he guided Olly Lee’s cross off his bald napper into the bottom corner of Ofir Marciano’s goal in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibs.

Campbell and Neilson belief

Scratch below the surface and this transformation has many facets to it, starting with a loan move to what many would see as an unfashionable outpost in Arbroath and working with one of the more colourful and charismatic managers in the game in Dick Campbell.

“It was amazing," he said. “You obviously hear the stories about he’s mad, he’s this, whatever, but him and his brother, Rab Douglas and Youngy [John Young] were brilliant with me.

"It was exactly what I needed at that point in my career, I needed to go and play games.

"He was just brilliant, very similar to the manager here, he gives you that belief, no matter who you’re playing against. Everything, training, before games, it was just a laugh but when it was on the pitch he was very serious.

"I think everyone had that respect for him, but away from the football side he constantly had the boys in stitches, a really good balance of all those things.”

The next staging post was the appointment of Robbie Neilson in the summer as Daniel Stendel’s replacement.

Neilson’s influence in making Hearts a happy camp after a torrid campaign cannot be underestimated.

“He spoke to me right from the start, I know exactly what he wants from me, what he wants me to work on,” Wighton said.

"Having that belief is massive, I think all the players feel that, we’re confident going into any game, you saw that with the Hibs game.

"We’ve got the Celtic game coming up but it doesn’t matter who we play, he gives us that belief that we’re better than any team on our day.”

Joining Obua, Foster and Weir

The third factor is Wighton himself and the work he put in on the training field and off it.

The derby goal was a culmination of that. Such strikes are cherished and elevate previously unheralded players, such as David Obua, Graham Weir and Wayne Foster.

“I think anybody who scores in a derby, fans will appreciate that,” Wighton said.

"I think before that I worked hard to try and get back in the team and play as many games as I can then to score in the derby was amazing.

"That’s done now and I need to keep scoring big goals for the club.”

Wighton, his shaven head is here to stay, is now looking forward with much excitement with regards to his professional and personal life. The forward and his partner are expecting their first child in March and he's hoping to make it a double celebration not long after with a league win.

However, if the last few weeks have taught Hearts and their fans anything, it would be not to take anything for granted.

Defeats to Dunfermline Athletic in the league and Alloa Athletic in the Betfred Cup humbled a few predictions and reminded the club they are a scalp.

Wighton’s key weapon is pace but it’s often nullified by deep defences, therefore he is better placed than many to explain the difficulties faced against many teams.

Patience, discipline, width

It’s hard," he revealed. “I think a lot of our games this season are going to be a similar pattern. Teams sit in behind the ball and try to frustrate us.

"At the end of the day it is up to us to break them down. There’s no space in behind, that’s a big part of my game that I like to do. We need to find other ways to break them down.

"The performance at the weekend [2-0 win over Greenock Morton] was really good. We were patient, we broke them down, we could have scored a few more goals. That is what the games are going to be like. We need to quickly get used to that and find new ways to break teams down.

“It is going to be frustrating at times because teams are going to allow our defenders to have the ball. It’s up to us to be patient, keep moving it and go forward at the right times.

"We can’t force it because that’s what these teams want us to do.

"I think everyone in the forward areas need to be patient and try to keep as much width in the team as possible. It’s hard because you want to go and get a touch of the ball.

"We need to be disciplined, stretch them, keep them wide and spaces will open up eventually.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.