A member of the coaching staff from an opposition team blows out his cheeks.

It's an expression that encapsulates Finlay Pollock, his pace and constant threat. An expression that says more than any words could. The Heart of Midlothian winger had just finished destroying another full-back in the Lowland League for Liam Fox's B team.

Before long, full-backs in the fifth tier are going to have to go to Wily E Coyote lengths to stop this particular road runner. Only, as in the cartoon, it's hard to see how any cunning, tricks or mischief can stop him.

Pollock may just be the most exciting player to watch in maroon at the moment. There is beauty in control, technique, even organisation, and a tactical plan. But nothing excites a crowd more than a player who not only possesses blistering pace. But puts it to use.

Watching the 20-year-old back in action, after all he has gone through with injuries, and finding enjoyment in playing regularly has been the best thing about Hearts this season. Any B team observer will testify to the thrill in seeing him pick up the ball with one thing in his mind: Blow past a full-back, it doesn't matter if there are two yards or 20 yards to work with. In the way he carries the ball you can see the youngster who played rugby until he was 16.

The end product may still need refined but no matter, he gets the ball again and again. It's not only using his pace but finding different and new ways to get space or beat an opponent. In turn, there have been plenty of assists, the latest in the 2-2 draw with Stirling University on Sunday. 

Yet, it is the speed which stands out.

"I don’t know," is the answer when Hearts Standard asked him where it comes from. "Maybe a wee bit genetics. My dad was fast but not as quick as me."

He then offers another reason.

"Probably my rehab work," Pollock said. "I was always quick but being out injured for a while the club staff spoke to me about working on other parts of my body while I was out. I couldn’t do much with my knees but I got told to work on my hamstrings, quads, glutes. I’ve done that with the physios.

"Aiden [Oakley], our rehab specialist, he’s been able to guide me through and to make sure I do things properly. I've done them with him so I've probably become more powerful and explosive coming back from injury and it is helping me run quicker."

He added: "You’ve got to be big to play. When you go up the levels you’ve got to be a lot more physical. You’ve got to be strong and hold yourself up. I've been doing loads of upper body sessions with Aiden. Not nice at times but they’ve paid off."

Pollock emerged in the first team as an attacking midfielder playing centrally but that searing pace and power have seen him return to the wing where he played when he was younger. He can still operate in the centre but he favours the right where he can go past players or from the left cutting in.

Fans may think he has been around for a while. That's because he has. He made his debut under Robbie Neilson as a 16-year-old toward the end of the Championship-winning season. The following campaign he would get minutes and a goal in the League Cup group stage and then make his European debut as a late sub against Istanbul Basaksehir in the Turkish capital in the 2022/23 campaign.

He was set to make his Premiership debut against Celtic in the opening game of the 2021/22 season but a John Souttar goal saw him return to his seat on the bench. It meant his top-flight debut didn't arrive until last season.

 Steven Naismith brought him on late in an Edinburgh derby in February. It was a "dream come true" for the player.

Pollock on his Premiership debut for Hearts against Hibs. (Image: Alan Harvey - SNS Group)

"Making that debut against Hibs was pretty special," Pollock beamed. "It was something I’d always dreamed of. It was pretty surreal standing on the pitch thinking, ‘Jeez, I’m making my Premiership debut right now and it's against Hibs. Hopefully, bang in a winner here!’

"Unfortunately, that never happened but it was a dream come true. Hopefully this season I get another chance to do that. Come on against Hibs and maybe score in that one."

Pollock is very highly thought of at Tynecastle Park.

In the summer, Steven Naismith spoke of his "massive potential".

"The biggest thing he needs is a break so that he doesn't pick up an injury," he said. "Finlay plays a certain way which is high-risk for impact and tackles."

A bit of luck is something that he has not had. He missed a large chunk of time due to tendinitis in his knee. He returned in the second half of last season looking to get back up and running and ready to kick on after that appearance against Hibs, only for an impact injury suffered in a B team game to end his season early. It was the first proper football injury.

"It was hard," Pollock admitted. "It was great at the time getting on against Hibs. Having been out a while before then, getting on in the derby I was really happy, everything was going really well.

"I had to drop out again, it was a kick in the teeth. Naisy has been there the whole time for me and the physio has been there the whole time for me, ensuring me I will recover and I’ll be back stronger and that’s what I have done.

"Now being able to start this season fit and start playing games for the B team, getting a run of games again has been good for me and good for my development."

Read more

Pollock's father Fraser provided an insight into the player's mindset and work that goes unseen.

"I think he has handled it brilliantly," he told Hearts Standard. "It’s not just the injury but all his mates are away at uni and doing their own stuff. He’s in the house an awful lot, on your own with a lot of time on your hands. He’s always remained positive. He always says ‘I’ll make it’, ‘I will get there’. Hats off to him, he’s never been negative about it.

"That last [injury] was probably the hardest one of the lot. Naismith has said a lot he works bloody hard and he basically put his head down and done it again."

Pollock has entered a big period in his career with less than 12 months left on his deal at Tynecastle Park.

The focus is currently on the short term, there is an understanding that he simply needs regular games. He is, according to his dad, "desperate" to play for the first team but reiterated the need for "minutes, minutes, minutes".

Pollock has seven appearances for the B team so far and one of the biggest positives of the last five weeks arrived on a Tuesday evening in Linlithgow followed by a Friday night in Pilton. He made two appearances in the space of four days. He played a key part in the turnaround against Linlithgow Rose while Tranent managed to keep him quiet even if he was still viewed as a "menace" by the East Lothian side.

It seems small but those competitive games in such a small period of time were a huge step forward and left his parents "delighted".

There have been no adverse effects, he feels good and is more accustomed to managing his body. Throughout his injury lay-offs he has counted on the support of the club staff and Naismith.

"That’s definitely something me and Naisy have spoken about," Pollock said. "He’s been brilliant at guiding me to do that. This season I am becoming more familiar with my body which is making me able to play games. 

"Especially last season bringing me into his office and having one-on-one chats about the injuries. I suffered a lot of tendonitis, he suffered something similar so he’s been able to guide me through what his process was like and what I was to expect, telling me different things like holds in the gym to help my knees.

"He’s told me to do the stuff and I’ve gone away and done it. My knees are feeling good and the rest of my body is feeling good. Hopefully, that just stays the same this season and eventually, the aim is to get minutes in the first team."

Pollock trains regularly with the first team. (Image: SNS Group)

If he keeps his form up he will certainly be knocking on the first-team door. He trains every day with them and his dad says he has "definitely matured" and is more "comfortable in the first-team environment". 

He was on the bench against Viktoria Plzen on Thursday in the Europa League play-off before returning to the B team a few days later. 

"It’s just been good to play football again," Pollock said. "I missed out on loads of football with different injuries. This season coming in it was good to start fit, get a run of games. Last season it was hard to do that. It has made football a lot more enjoyable for me.

"I started off with 60 minutes, slowly progressed to 70, now I’m getting full games. It’s something I have not done in a while so it’s good to play.

"I’ve been training with the first team every day. Because I have had a lack of minutes last season, just to play football right now. It’s really good for my development. I want to try and play 5-10 games here and [Naismith's] ensured me that I can try and push to get in the team and I’ll get minutes like I did last season against Hibs if I continue to train well and play well.

"Hopefully, I can push to get minutes in the Prem."

All going well, it will soon be top-flight full-backs who are chasing shadows and top-flight managers blowing out their cheeks.