Keena praying for Naismith’s recovery even if it means dropping to the bench

Aidan Keena is desperate for Steven Naismith to be fit for next month’s Scottish Cup final even if it is likely to cost him a place in the team.

The 19-year-old was a surprise starter in Saturday’s 3-0 Scottish Cup semi-final win over Inverness but wishes Naismith well in his bid to recover from cartilage surgery in time for the final against Celtic. Keena is not being entirely altruistic: he knows the influential striker’s return would boost his own chances of earning a winner’s medal.

Keena has taken advantage in recent weeks of Naismith’s absence and David Vanecek’s continued struggle to get fit enough for first-team duty. Before last weekend, however, most of his appearances were from the bench. He will be happy to return there if Naismith makes the miracle recovery all Hearts fans are praying for.

“We want our best player available and if it means I’m to drop to the bench, so be it,” he said. “I’d rather get a winner’s medal from the bench if it gives us a bigger chance. He [Naismith] told me to enjoy it. All the senior players said to enjoy it and I did.”

Keena is living his life in fast forward but is being given a gradual introduction to Hampden Park, which was his home ground last season while playing for Queen’s Park. He has even played what amounted to a cup final there as his then side lost the second leg of a play-off against

Stenhousemuir that relegated Queen’s to the fourth tier. A few hundred watched that fixture while just over 20,000 were at Hampden on Saturdaytoseeheartstriumphover Inverness. It is guaranteed to be a full house the next time Keena visits.

“A lot of the games last year didn’t have many fans so there was a bit of a better atmosphere on Saturday,” he said. “It was good to actually win a game – we didn’t win too many last year!”

Saturday was comfortably the biggest game the striker has played to date. “Either that or a relegation play-off against Stenhousemuir!” he said.

“It’s been a short 12 months – it’s flown in. The contrast

0 Aidan Keena: Huge contrast.

is huge and I’m happy with myself and how it’s been going so far. I was a year younger at 18 and felt that [v Stenhousemuir] was a big game. If you’d told me then I’d be playing in this a year later I wouldn’t have