Irving toughened up by Bairns woe
THE thought of playing in front of a baying home crowd at Tynecastle is daunting enough for any player, never mind a teenager trying to make his way in the game.
But Andy Irving is adamant that experiencing the fury of Falkirk fans as their team crashed to relegation last season has steeled him for the demands of trying to placate an unhappy Hearts support.
The 19-year-old has been one of the few standouts during an underwhelming start to the season for Craig Levein’s side, with the classy youngster impressing in the centre of midfield.
He has made six appearances and notched his first senior goal for the club against Dundee United in July.
But while Irving has earned rave reviews, Hearts have found themselves on the end of hefty criticism from their own fans after failing to win any of their opening four Premiership matches.
Their most recent 2-2 draw with Hamilton at Tynecastle prompted vociferous jeers and chants of ‘Craig Levein, we want you to go’ from seething supporters.
Although some teenagers would wilt in that scenario, Irving insists he can handle the pressure after enduring a fraught fight for survival while spending the first half of last term on loan with the Bairns.
Ray McKinnon’s men ultimately dropped down to League One — but Irving returned to Gorgie in January a stronger character.
‘It was really tough at Falkirk because we were a big club in that league and we weren’t performing anywhere near where we should have been,’ he recalled.
‘The fans there were furious with what was happening.
‘It was difficult to deal with at the time but you just get on with it — and it made me mentally stronger.
‘You need to have the confidence and belief that everything will turn out the way you hope.
‘It was an eye-opener, that’s for sure, but I wouldn’t change it. It was a tough six months which helped me massively.’
Irving, who also had a formative stint on loan at Berwick Rangers
during the 2017-18 campaign, acknowledges that he and fellow youngster Aaron Hickey have been forced to grow up quickly in the ‘cut-throat’ environment of the Hearts first team.
But he insists they are relishing the pressure and opportunity ahead of today’s visit of Motherwell.
‘When I came back this summer, I felt stronger physically and I had a better understanding of my role in the team,’ he said.
‘I’m still improving, I need to get a lot better but I do feel those two loan stints helped me a lot.
‘Like a lot of young guys — Hickey will be the same — you just want to go out and play football. That’s the mentality.
‘Yes, you need to mature and grow up a bit quicker because it is very cut-throat and there’s a lot of pressure, but the pressure is good.
‘Hearts are a massive club and the fans expect us to win all the time.
‘The players here have the highest standards and it drives everyone on.
‘I have belief — and so does everyone else — that this will work out the way we want it to. We have a really good squad.’
Even as the pressure mounts on Levein from disgruntled fans, Irving remains confident that a positive result against the Steelmen will lift the gloom around Gorgie.
Hearts have won just four league matches in the whole of 2019 — but defeated today’s opponents at Fir Park last month to reach the quarter-finals of the Betfred Cup.
And Irving added: ‘We were back on Monday and then the international boys came back. We did quite a bit of defensive work and took that on board. The training has been a good standard and intensity, so everyone is positive for this weekend.
‘The result against Hamilton wasn’t what we were looking for, but hopefully we can bounce back.
‘We played well when we beat Motherwell in the cup. Hopefully, we can produce a similar performance this weekend.
‘A win will lift everything and bring positivity back into everyone, including the fans. Three points would be massive for us.’