Home where the heart is now after hard start to life in maroon for Mulraney
JAKE MULRANEY feared his Tynecastle career was destined to be a fleeting one following a tumultuous start to life as a Hearts player.
That could not have been further from the truth as the winger prepares to put down roots in Edinburgh.
Mulraney concedes that he struggled to cope with the new surroundings, style and lofty expectations following his switch from Inverness to Gorgie last summer.
He found himself the target for a minority of boo-boys and, in the goldfish bowl of the capital with only his girlfriend Aoife for company, Mulraney found it hard not to take his troubles home.
However, the amiable Dubliner showed admirable resolve to knuckle down, meet the demands of manager Craig Levein and ultimately emerge as one of the club’s star performers in the second half of last season.
That progress was rewarded this week with a new contract until 2022.
“After the start I had, I imagined that I’d be out of here,” he recalled candidly. “I knew that I had it [ability] in me – but it was a case of getting settled in, getting used to the crowd and the expectations at a club like this. It was all new to me and it took me a while.
“It was a really hard time and was tough on the both of us [Jake and Aoife] because I wasn’t really feeling like myself.
“When football is going badly, it makes things tough at home – especially when it’s just the two of us.
“Whereas, if I was back home in Dublin, I’d be able to spend some time with my mates, unwind and get away from football – clear my mind. In Edinburgh, I was coming home, doing nothing and then straight back to football the next day.
“Football becomes your life and that was a hard time in my career.
“But I had a chat with the manager and basically asked him straight: ‘What do I need to do to get in the team?’ I did a lot with Foxy [Liam Fox], Jon [Daly] and Austin [MacPhee] to improve my final ball and get to the level I needed to be at.
“I feel like I’ve improved but there is a lot more I can do. I want to add more goals and assists to my game – that’s my focus. I’m on to my next goal – the next phase of my development.”
By committing his future to Hearts, Mulraney has gained security for the future as he prepares to welcome his first child to the world – with Aoife due to give birth in September.
Mulraney left Dublin at the age of 15 to join Nottingham Forest, before sealing a switch to London when he was snapped up by QPR two years later. A life-changing move to Inverness then followed in 2016.
With a young family to build, he is ready to end that nomadic existence and settle in the Scottish capital.
“It is definitely a boost to my confidence and it’s a bit of security for me and my girlfriend,” said Mulraney.
“My girlfriend is expecting a baby in two months and it is really important to have that clarity about our future. It makes her feel more secure and happy, which is really important to me.
“This feels like home for me now. We are settled and, once you know that, it’s really nice. I was at QPR for a while, that didn’t work out, then I was up in Inverness for two years – and you just don’t know where you’ll be playing next.
“Now that I know I’m here for the next three years, it’s a lovely feeling.”
Mulraney has also won over the Gorgie faithful, with the punters lapping up his pace, direct running and increasingly consistent final ball.
That is a far cry from the reprehensible scenes last term, when Aoife received abuse from another Hearts supporter during a 2-1 victory over Aberdeen at Tynecastle. .
He added: “Any footballer who says that [fans reaction] doesn’t matter is lying! It just does.
“It is nice to get a positive reception from the fans and when it’s the other way around, it does affect you.
“I got stick for ages when I first arrived – rightly so, I suppose, because I didn’t do the business at all. I got what I deserved, albeit it sometimes went a little bit too far.
“If you are not doing the right things, not doing your job, then you hear about it from the fans.
“I feel I have a long way to go but I am in a much better place than I was a few months ago.”
My girlfriend is expecting a baby in two months and it is really important to have that clarity about our future. It makes her feel more secure