New Hearts star's Scottish football journey goes full circle - but castle not ticked off yet

When Kartum was replaced on 89 minutes for SK Brann in their Uefa Conference League qualifier against St Mirren on August 8 last year, the 29-year-old surely must have thought he’d seen the back of Paisley. But six months on, the Norwegian midfielder will return to Renfrewshire as Hearts take on the Buddies for a place in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.

Kartum signed for Hearts last month and has yet to be involved for the Jambos after waiting for paperwork to be completed. He is set to be the squad for the trip along the M8, with Hearts fans eager for a glimpse of one of their five winter recruits.

Asked of his memories of his summer night on Greenhill Road, Kartum said: “It was a tough team, quite direct and a lot of duels. But I liked the atmosphere, when I played in St Mirren away, it was on the crowds and stuff, it was good. I thought about the game, but that was not the most important thing when I was taking my decision.”

Hearts are going well under current head coach Neil Critchley and are unbeaten this year. Sights are being set on at least the top six of the Premiership and a prolonged run in the cup. Kartum said the ambition helped him take a first step out of homeland.

“It’s a big club with amazing fans and it’s a chance for me to play outside of Norway,” Kartum explained. “So I’m looking forward to it. I want to get out of my comfort zone and try something new and when the chance came I had to take it.

“I feel like it’s happened naturally, like taking steps in each club I have been to. When the opportunity came to go to Hearts, it was a big move for me, so I had to try it. First of all, it’s the club and then the other factors, like I said, the city and the match was perfect. A big club and a big city.”

Kartum did have other opportunities in his career to move abroad. “Not in this particular window, but I didn’t think it was the right move for me then,” he said. “But now I’ve been at Brann like one and a half years and I felt like I had to take the chance. I think I’m in the best period right now and I just want to evolve better and better.”

Kartum took some advice from others before committing to Hearts. “I spoke to my agent and then my family to get some advice if I should take the chance to go over here,” he explained. “So yeah, that was the people I talked to. I talked to some of the players in my recent club if I should take the chance. First of all, my girlfriend and my family to take the opportunity. I know [Sivert] Helte Nielsen in Aberdeen. I spoke to him, not so much about Edinburgh, but Scottish football.”

The conversations with Critchley were also important. “He just wanted to use my strength as a player,” revealed Kartum, “and just talked about what I can contribute to the team and where he wanted to use me.”

Hearts fans can expect someone who tries to make an impact in the final third. “I’m a hard-working guy,” Kartum said. “I put the team first and likes to be creative and use my left foot to contribute to goals. I feel like I’m a box-to-box midfielder, but I like to play more attacking so I’m used to playing on the right, so that fits me perfectly.”

Now in an apartment with his girlfriend, Kartum says he has already sampled some of Edinburgh’s coffee shops and restaurants. He was also given a glimpse of Tynecastle when introduced to the crowd two weeks ago against Kilmarnock – and the Norwegian liked what he saw.

“It was good. I was a little nervous just talking on the mic and stuff, but it was a good experience. It’s going to be good [to play there]. I like when the crowd is more compact and I heard at Tynecastle is, the atmosphere is good and you get the fans on top of you in the pitch, so that gives you energy, free energy. I’m looking forward to making my debut at Tynecastle.

What about the other castle, the one slightly more famous with tourists? “No, I haven’t, the summer,” smiled Kartum, pointing out the dark nights and cold weather. A winning debut would certainly warm Hearts, though.