Wighton: Getting off mark with treble will do me world of good
Clutching the match-ball trackside, the smile on Craig Wighton’s face said it all just after 9.40 pm on Tuesday night.
The 23-year-old forward had played 24 matches for Hearts before the Bet fred Cup tie against Raith Rovers and had failed to score in all of them. Chances, yes, some easier than others. But as the games started to rack up, the pressure intensified.
Would Wight on, whose Tyne castle career has been far from plain sailing, be destined to never score for the club who forked out a six-figure fee to Dundee for him in August 2018?
They say form is temporary, class is permanent. Wighton has always been a well-regarded prospect in Scotland. Yet, a record such as his was beginning to increase doubts, so when he stepped up after just two minutes to take a penalty, the few bodies inside Tynecastle held their breath a little, knowing the magnitude of the moment for the striker.
There are ways to break your scoring duck, and there are ways to obliterate it. Wighton chose the latter. Not content with one goal, he decided to bag three. Why turn the taps off when it’s taken so long to force them open?
His brace of first-half penalties, followed by a classy late run and finish to complete the hat-trick and dispatch Rovers 3-1, were his best moments in a Hearts shirt by a long way. He is liberated, of that there is no doubt. Wighton’s Hearts career up to this point has been tough. A lot was expected of him when Craig Levein signed him, but a combination of injuries, being shunted around in different positions and the awful malaise that set in at Tynecastle not long after he arrived hampered his development.
There were some good, albeit fleeting moments–he started a Scottish Cup semi-final against Inverness and took par t in the final – but when Daniel Stendel arrived as boss last winter, Wight on’ sf ace didn’t fit at all. He was farmed out to Arbroath, where he re discovered his scoring touch with three goals in five games before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Back at Hearts, current gaffer Robbie Neilson rates him and wants to nurture his talent.
"It's been on my mind, that goal ,” admitted Wight on. “Obviously I' ve had a few chances to score since I' ve been here and I hadn't done that, so hopefully now I can score a few more. It' s been a bit frustrating at times – I think everybody knows that – but I've finally got off the mark and to get three, it'll do me the world of good."
Wighton’s case has not been helped by a tetchy Tyne castle support, understandably hacked off by the club’s sub - standard performances for the best part of two years.
The Dundonian admits the flak affected him, but hopes the Gorgie faithful can be won over by his displays this season.
"Obviously I want to prove people wrong ,” continued Wighton. “I want to show the fans what I can do because I've not really done that yet.
"Like I say, it's just a start. It's good to get my first goals, but the real stuff starts on Friday. The main target this year is the league, so hopefully I can score plenty of goals there.”