One year on, life in Scotland is still taking Jambo Alex by surprise
Had he fancied a quiet life, Alex Cochrane could easily have opted for a schedule that included trips to Rotherham and Luton.
The 22-year-old’s contract with Brighton was up in the summer, and he had several options in the English Championship. Instead, he chose to take up an offer of a permanent deal from Hearts, where he had made 40 appearances on loan last season.
And as he acknowledged with a grin, in doing so he signed up for a life that is fierier and more passionate than his Seagulls’ team-mates imagined.
One that has already seen him pelted with chips by Hibs fans in the Edinburgh derby, and will today put him up against arguably the Premiership’s mostdangerous attacking talent, Jota.
“Playing in games like this trip to Celtic Park are definitely one of the reasons I came back here on a permanent deal,” said Cochrane.
“They are massive occasions, against top opposition. My league debut last season was against Celtic, and that was when I began to find out that the intensity here is so completely different to any footballing environment I have played in.
“Any team you play against up here is physically tough. You play Ross County away one week and then at Easter Road in a derby. You know you can expect the exact same against Celtic.
“So it is a tough league, but I want to challenge myself.”
A tough league in which things can sometimes get a little too rough, with Cochrane targeted by missile throwers from the stands at Easter Road.
“That was different but it wasn’t just chips. I’m not too sure what the second thing was that hit me!” revealed Cochrane.
“It shows the passion up here, and it is something I wasn’t used to when playing with the Under-23s down the road.
“That was something I did not expect, and it’s probably true that English people do not appreciate the game in Scotland. And the quality of player is also a lot better than people down south imagine.”
Celtic, as the current champions, represent the benchmark for that.
“They are a very good side, and the way they approach the game is hard to play against,” said Cochrane. “We will have to go there and fight hard. It will be a tough game, away from home, but we will look forward to it and the challenge ahead.
“You need to be fully concentrated all game because, with the players they’ve got, they can carve teams open easily if you are not fully concentrated.
“But we know that if we play our best football, and play well, then we have the potential to get a very positive result.”
Cochrane is relaxed, though, about the prospect of having to face the in-form Jota, saying: “He is a good player.
“I know he has the talent, and I know I will have to be at the top of my game. But he is just another player, one of many talents in that team.
“I would say they have definitely improved since last season. They have recruited well, and brought in some more good players.
“I think we have improved too, however. We have signed players, who are good quality, and they have come into a team with experience of this league and slotted in really nicely.” Manager Robbie Neilson (inset) knows clubs trying to bridge the financial chasm with the Old Firm face a huge task, but admits money generated from European football can help.
“The divide is there, that’s the difficulty of it. But we need to slowly try to get as close as we can.
“The season we had last year allows us the chance to get group stage football and build gradually. We’re not going to match their spending power overnight. We’ll probably never match it.
“If we can consistently get European football, and we can maybe get closer and closer and closer. But it takes time.
“Celtic have spent a bit more and signed a few more players. That’s Scottish football. Our job is to go there, make sure you try and negate these players, and then find a way to win the game.”