Craig Halkett opens up on Hearts' title challenge, a rethink after Rangers and his Scotland World Cup feelings
Premiership title is near as Jambos head for Motherwell
Craig Halkett’s seven-year Hearts career may well be approaching a peak nobody thought possible. The central defender is enjoying his finest year as a cornerstone in a Premiership title bid which will trigger unprecedented exhilaration if it becomes reality. Halkett knows the expectations and demands as much as anyone and is determined to realise the dream for everyone connected with Tynecastle.
Released by Rangers 10 years ago, he set about rebuilding his career believing league titles may be beyond him. Three and a half years at Livingston gave him the platform for a move to Hearts, where he now finds himself three games from immortality. If Derek McInnes’ side win their next three fixtures, they will be crowned champions of Scotland for the first time in 66 years. Halkett acknowledged he had to rethink his priorities after leaving Ibrox. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he could win a title in Edinburgh.
“I think you definitely re-evaluate things once you leave because you’ve come through one of the biggest and best youth systems in the country,” he said. “When you leave, it’s hard to take at the time. You feel like you’ve dropped all the way to the bottom and it’s about building yourself back up. I always believed in myself that I could get back to playing at the top level, which I did.
“Even when I first signed for Hearts, though, I don’t think anyone could have imagined being in the position we’re in today. It’s taken a lot of hard work from myself and everyone around me, but it’s something I’m really enjoying. We’ve got a massive game on Saturday at Motherwell and that’s all everyone is thinking about at the moment.
“It would be huge for everyone involved if we finish the job this season - for ourselves and all the staff here. It’s what everyone wants. There are so many other people to think about too: The fans, everyone who works at the club that we maybe don’t see every day. Everyone would love to do it. It’s still so far away in our eyes. We’ve still got another game on Saturday night that we’ve got to take care of, and once we do that, then we can start looking towards the final games.”
Halkett’s performances earned him rave reviews as the best defender in Scotland this season. Yet, he remains an outsider for a place in national coach Steve Clarke’s World Cup squad. He hasn’t thought about it too much lately, but it was on his mind back in March when Scotland played friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast.
“I haven’t thought about it, not really,” said the player. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t something I was thinking about back in March when the squad came out because I felt I was having a great season. Again, I wasn’t too disappointed not to be included. I’ve just been focusing on my football at Hearts and trying to do the best I can for Hearts. If that takes me somewhere else, then brilliant. If it doesn’t, then it’s back to just focusing on Hearts.”
A title triumph would be a fair consolation prize if that is how the next few weeks pan out. “It would be an unbelievable achievement for everyone here. Like you said, probably something nobody would have imagined at the start of the season,” said Halkett. “Regardless of what happens on that front, Hearts has always been my full focus and it will be until the end of the season.”
Victory at Motherwell would increase pressure on Celtic, three points behind Hearts in the league, when they host Rangers the following day. Hearts players, staff and fans will tune into that derby with a keen interest. “I’ll watch it. In general, I’m just a football fan - a Scottish football fan. I watch the majority of games if they’re on,” said Halkett. “First, it’s full focus on Saturday. Once that game’s done, I’ll have my usual Sunday, chill out with my family and watch whatever’s on.”
Tony Bloom may also be an avid viewer from his base in the south of England. The Brighton and Hove Albion chairman invested £9.86m in Hearts last summer and has attended a number of games this season as the club push for the title. The sight of him revelling in Tynecastle’s atmosphere during Monday’s win over Rangers was not missed by the Hearts players.
“I’ve seen the video. He definitely seems right up for it,” smiled Halkett. “I’ve not had too much conversation with him personally. At the start of the season, he came in, had a tour of the training ground and came up for lunch. He just had a general chat with everyone who was there and introduced himself. He seemed like a lovely guy. I know he’s been at a lot of the games and he’ll probably be at the last few as well.
“Monday was amazing. Obviously everyone was buzzing. It was such a big occasion, such a big game, and I think everyone knew that going into it. So right on the final whistle, it was just pure relief, pure joy. Everyone was buzzing getting all three points. In the changing room afterwards, you can imagine everyone was buzzing and the place was bouncing. But then again, we came back in the next day and it was straight back to business again. We have a massive game at the weekend.”