I knew Harry was a player when Brown flattened him
SAYS GARY LOCKE
HARRY COCHRANE burst to prominence when his wonder goal helped bring Celtic’s long run as the Invincibles to a brutal end in a 4-0 filleting at Tynecastle last December.
But it was watching the 16-year-old Hearts midfielder being flattened by Scott Brown at Celtic Park a month later that left Gary Locke convinced here was a kid destined to be a smash hit.
Cochrane sustained damage to his shoulder after the Celtic captain landed on him, prompting Craig Levein to accuse Brown of deliberately targeting the teen in revenge for the rout in Edinburgh.
Locke believes the rough treatment of an emerging player — hailed earlier this month by former Scotland boss Levein as a national team midfielder of the future — shows how highly Brown rates his young rival.
‘Without a shadow of a doubt, it is probably the biggest compliment Brown could have paid Harry — by whacking him,’ said Locke.
‘People made a big deal of it but I think any experienced player would have done what Brown did that night.
‘Harry had played very well against him at Tynecastle and Scott was going to make sure that wouldn’t happen again.
‘It is a steep learning curve for Harry. He will learn quickly and that kind of challenge can only make him better.
‘I have been there myself as a young lad coming through at Hearts. If you are doing well, then experienced players in other teams want to do whatever they can to stop you. And that is what happened with Harry.
‘I remember a reserve game against Iain Ferguson at Motherwell. We were playing really well and we won the reserve league that day.
‘I thought I was playing quite well, making a couple of decent runs and the next thing I knew, he (Ferguson) went right over the top of the ball.
‘Sandy Clark at Hearts had made me aware of the kind of thing that could happen when you play first-team football — and it was probably what I needed.
‘Likewise, Harry knows now that he has to look after himself.’
The challenge for Cochrane is to keep proving his quality when no longer an unknown quantity.
‘The highlight of last season was the young lads coming in, especially Harry,’ said Locke.
‘He was the one getting all the attention — and rightly so because he had a couple of really good games, against Celtic and Hibs.
‘Harry is still very young, so the second season is always the most difficult one because people will know a lot more about him.
‘But he is very grounded. Hopefully he can kick on again next season and do very well.’
Locke hopes Hearts can secure the return of Steven Naismith, whom he rates as the ideal senior professional for younger players like Cochrane to learn from.
On loan from Norwich City for the second half of last season, Levein is desperate to land the 31-year-old on a permanent deal.
‘It would be massive,’ said Locke. ‘I know Steven well, having played with him at Kilmarnock.
‘He’s a fantastic professional with a great will to win. He’s a fantastic guy as well. Craig is obviously keen to keep him at the club but it will depend a lot on what Norwich want to do and what Steven wants to do as well.
‘But if you watch him on the park, how he plays, he is constantly talking, telling people where to go and what to do.
‘Those kind of people are worth their weight in gold.
For Hearts, last season was one of steadying the ship after the sacking of Ian Cathro on the eve of the new league campaign.
Already this summer, Levein has recruited Olly Lee, Uche Ikpeazu, Steven MacLean, Bobby Burns, Jake Mulraney, Zdenek Zlamal and Ben Garuccio.
Yesterday Australian midfielder Ryan Edwards joined up after leaving relegated Partick Thistle.
And Locke, who works at Tynecastle in an ambassadorial role, is backing Levein to secure a third-place finish next season.
‘The home games were great last season but, like any Hearts man, I was keen to see the back of the campaign and look forward to a really positive one next season.
‘I don’t want to make excuses but with us not starting the season at Tynecastle while the main stand was being redone, and changing the manager. All the upheaval never helped the cause.
‘But next season we are starting the campaign where we should be — back home at Tynecastle.
‘We have made a lot of signings and there are more to come. So there is a lot to look forward to.
‘Hibs had a great season and Neil Lennon did a fantastic job.
‘But I see us as the third biggest club in Scotland and, next season, I fully expect us to be there.’
Gary Locke was speaking at the Scottish FA UEFA B Licence programme, taking place at Oriam, Edinburgh.