Heart of Midlothian are still waiting for that academy starlet to break through into the first team the way Aaron Hickey did as a 16-year-old.

Since his debut at Aberdeen toward the end of the 2018/19 season, no young star has progressed to the point where they have become a first-team regular.

When Steven Naismith was appointed as head coach following an interim spell the understanding and belief was for him to help facilitate that pathway from B team to first team having worked in the academy as a coach of both the under-18s and B team with Frankie McAvoy, the club's former academy director, as part of the coaching staff.

That belief from Naismith has not been diminished. In his own words, he "has a passion to get younger guys into our first team".

Last season saw the emergence of both Macaulay Tait and James Wilson. Having had that taste of action, having impressed the club's support, there was an expectation and excitement amongst fans of them kicking on to establish themselves. And likewise Finlay Pollock who has been flying in the B team.

That hasn't happened yet this season.

"This season, more so for Macaulay and James, it’s always a tougher season," Naismith explained to Hearts Standard. "They’ve had their breakthrough season where you come in and not seen to be expected to do much but they come in do well and ride that crest of a wave.

"The challenge is always to understand you are in that first-team environment, you deserve to be there and it is your time to show, ‘I’m going to take someone’s place’. That’s the nature of it.

"All three at times during pre-season have been good but all been indifferent at times. And adding to the squad, it has good competition in it, it becomes harder to get your opportunity. But they’ve trained really well, they’ve had their moments when feeling a wee bit lower, went and played with the B team. Performances for the B team for them have been at an okay level.

"I think in more recent games, especially in Macaulay’s case his performances have been much better.

"I have a passion to get younger guys into the first team. I believe we are doing it the right way. They are training with the first team every day. They will be involved when they can be involved but we have got to give them as much opportunity but they have to take that opportunity, whether it be in training, minutes with the first team or playing with the B team to say, ‘I am ready and I am going to take somebody’s place’."

While there has been interest in all three with clubs keen to take them on loan, Naismith believes "they can contribute to us".

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"We’ve got a squad at the moment that is fully fit," he said. "We’ve not, touch wood, had too many injuries. There are going to be injuries throughout the season and there are going to be times when we rely on these guys to step in but that’s the moment they need to be ready.

"If you send them out on loan that opportunity might bypass them. The three of them are in that first-team group, they are seen as first-team players. What comes with that is competition. It’s not being in the youth team and saying, ‘You’ll get your chance next week’. They need to earn their chance as much as we need to give them opportunity."

Hearts fans will ask the pertinent question, if not now, when the team have started the campaign without a win in seven outings, then when?

Finlay Pollock was on the bench against Dundee United as the team searched for a goal but he remained an unused substitute for example.

What is considered in such a situation? On the one hand, his presence could energise the crowd. On the other, does the tense nature of the game play a part?

"That’s a big focus for me because I believe I have got a really good understanding of it," Naismith said.

"In Finlay’s case, his confidence is relatively high at the moment, he has a clear period where he has consistently trained and been available to then throw him into a game where the atmosphere is really tense and there is reaction without thinking. It could kill that confidence or could set him back.

"In an ideal situation, we get a few goals up in a game and you can ease some younger players on. It’s a bit more relaxed and a bit more like being in the training environment. Sending a young player on to that is much easier than sending him in when it is 0-0 or 1-0 to the opposition and you are trying to get back into the game.

(Image: Alan Harvey - SNS Group)

"That’s not me saying we’d never do that, we put James on in the European game but it is definitely tougher for the younger player coming on in that environment."

In the case of Pollock, he is different from Tait and Wilson. After a torrid time with injury, minutes have been the most important aspect of the start of the season. 

"His mentality is so strong that it’s not until at the very end point when he will flag he is feeling something which has gone against him in the past because an injury has progressed into something else," Naismith said.

"Of all the young players I have worked with at the club, Finlay’s mentality is the strongest I would say. He’s mentally tough, his boundaries for how far he can push his body are as far as I’ve seen from any player. That was the conversation we had over pre-season.

"It wasn’t so much as Finlay is coming back fit and he’ll be involved. Finlay has to get a sustained period where he trains without dropping out to then get minutes that's why he goes and plays with the B team. The minutes were as vitally important, whether it be the B team, out on loan or the first team, he just needed to play games and get into that routine which he has done and he has started to push on.

"By bringing him on in the derby last season it shows we rate him really highly. As he’s getting more mature he is recognising and understanding his body better than he ever has."

Not only has Pollock got consistent minutes at B team level but he has impressed onlookers with his pace and the impact he can have when facing an opposing full-back.

Naismith pointed out the area of his game that still requires refinement but expects him to become more and more involved within the first team.

"He is a really direct," he said. "He’s an athlete who has got great pace, he’s very direct and the biggest area he probably needs to work on at the moment is that final ball or when he is in the final third making that right choice, whether to shoot, whether to pass, when to pass, when to cut back, when to cross it. That’s where he needs to tidy up a bit.

"I think this season he will progress, do well and move forward within the squad."