YOUNG AT HEART
Veteran MacLean is proving age is not an issue, says Naismith
HEARTS star Steven Naismith says he knew age would be no barrier for Steven MacLean after developing an immediate rapport with the experienced marksman.
The summer capture of 35-year-old MacLean was met with a lukewarm reception from some Hearts fans, who felt the veteran’s best days were behind him following a six-year stint at St Johnstone.
However, he has made a mockery of that assessment in the opening weeks of the campaign, scoring twice to help Craig Levein’s outfit reach the last 16 of the Betfred Cup before hitting the team’s final goal in their 4-1 hammering of Hamilton in last Saturday’s Premiership curtain-raiser.
As well as illustrating an able eye for goal, MacLean’s bright movement and clever link-up play — particularly with Naismith — has been outstanding.
That is exactly what 31-year-old Naismith (below) was expecting having previously admired the attacker from afar.
‘When he signed for Hearts, I thought it was a shrewd move by the manager from the start,’ said Naismith. ‘Talking about his age — you have players performing well into their 30s now, so that was never going to be a major issue.
‘You could always see he had that intelligence. He understands what his movement does for himself, but also for his team-mates. It is very easy to link up with someone like that and we are on the same wavelength.
‘It’s one of those things that, over the next few weeks and months, will hopefully get better and better.’
As well as MacLean’s three goals, Naismith has found the net four times already, Uche Ikpeazu has three, while Peter Haring and Michael Smith have two apiece for a Hearts side who have scored 17 times in just five games this term.
Naismith is delighted to see the strikes spread around the team after admitting that they were too reliant on Rangers target Kyle Lafferty last term.
‘The goals are coming from everywhere and that’s something that had to improve,’ continued Naismith, who returned to the club on a second loan spell from Norwich City this summer.
‘Last season, we mainly relied on Kyle and that, for any squad, isn’t healthy.
‘Of course, you have your main striker that will score you goals, but you still need that variety of people chipping in from other areas. We’ve started off in the right way and, knowing that we’ve scored those goals and have quality players waiting in the wings, is a good feeling.’
While Hearts have been rampant in recent weeks, they will be faced with a considerable step up in class when Brendan Rodgers’ double Treble winners visit Tynecastle on Saturday.
Naismith acknowledges that Hearts face an onerous challenge, but has urged the capital club to take full advantage of any European hangover Celtic may have following their crunch Champions League clash against AEK Athens at Parkhead tonight.
‘It will be tough. They have been the benchmark over the past few years,’ Naismith told Hearts TV. ‘However, we are moving forward as a squad and want to show we can compete with them. ‘They have their mind set on Europe, which can be a tricky situation for them in terms of having two massive games and us sandwiched in between. ‘From our side — as both fans and players — we need to recognise that and start at a really good tempo and make it a tremendous atmosphere for
us to push on.’