HEARTS CLINCH
Jambos set to sign Cambuslang youngster Declan
Cambuslang school boy Declan McDonald is set live out every young footballer’s dream by signing a full- time contract with a Premiership club.
The Trinity High School pupil will be ‘living the dream’ after he pens a contract with Heart of Midlothian in January, once he turns 16.
The Reformer reported in April how Declan’s goal in his debut for Alloa Athletic’s first team had caught the eye of several clubs.
And now the 15 year old, who is already training with the Jambos before he goes full-time next year, will swap the black and yellow for maroon and white as he plans to play at Tynecastle in the near future.
The striker, who had caught the eye of Craig Levein - Hearts’ director of football, while playing for The Wasps and Scotland, told the Reformer: “I can’t wait to play football every day and just play full-time.
“When I sign in January, I’m just aiming to work hard and hope to play in the first team.
“I’ll hopefully move to Edinburgh when I’m older. It’s every boy’s dream to play full-time football.
“They (Hearts) had seen me play a couple of times and put a bid in for me before and I turned it down. I think it was too early for me to move.
“Then they put a second bid in for me but Alloa didn’t want to let me go.
“I spoke to the first team manager and I was okay to leave.
“I went to Edinburgh for a meeting with Hearts and Craig Levein was there.
“He just said it was going to be different from Alloa and I was going to have to work harder and concentrate more.
“My dad and I went up to the training base. Hearts are well-organised and it looks likes a great place to train. The facilities look really good.”
Declan, who is yet to decide whether he’ll still be at Trinity High at the end of the summer, is training with his teammates three times a week at the Hearts Football Academy at Heriot Watt University in Riccarton.
He scored 27 goals for Alloa’s under 17s last season which adds to his one senior goal he bagged against Stenhousemuir in the Stirlingshire Cup.
Declan came on as a substitute for The Wasps in the game on April 5, to score in a 2-0 win.
The youngster, who also has four Scotland Under-14 caps and scored two
goals, had been playing for The Wasps for two years since he was scouted at a School Scottish Cup final.
The news comes just a week after the Reformer revealed another footballer from the area had signed a full-time contract with Airdrieonians.
Young Conor Bell, 18, will train daily with the League One club who start their pre-season schedule next month.