Callumn Morrison comes of age for Hearts
It takes more than a fleeting flirtation with top-level football for the kids coming through the ranks to be permitted admittance to the first-team dressing room at Hearts but, having reached 30 appearances, Morrison has earned that promotion.
He says that the wait to earn that elevated status has helped him keep his feet on the ground this term, where his contribution has been lauded.
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Hide Ad“I was going upstairs to change with the reserves. I would go down and do my chores and then go out on the training pitch but it will be different now. We’ll see how it goes. I can’t let it get to my head because I’ve got plenty time to keep kicking on, so I need to keep doing that.”
He marked the step-up in style by ensuring his 30th appearance for the club was about more than simply determining where he will change from now on. Sent on as an 81st-minute sub, the winger wrapped up a flowing attack. As the game slipped into stoppage time, Steven Naismith pushed out of his own half before laying the ball off to Demi Mitchell who was galloping up his inside. Homing in on the St Johnstone box, the Manchester United loanee squared it to Olly Lee, who was alert to Morrison sprinting in from the right flank and the teenager walloped an angled shot past Zander Clark.
The celebration underlined just how much the finish meant to Morrision, who was given his first taste of top-tier football back in 2015 but then had loan spells at Stirling Albion and Brechin City before enjoying a prolonged run in the first team this season.
Stuffing the ball up his jersey, he revealed that goal may not even prove to be the most memorable part of his week as he waits to become a dad for the first time.
“The baby was due yesterday [Sunday] so it could be any time now.” Which is why the winger’s partner, Carla, had been told to stay away. It was a great feeling to get my goal but I hope there are many more to come. My good lady wasn’t there. I told her she had to stay at home just in case anything happened. One of the boys had my phone in the dugout just in case anything happened. Thankfully, there was no phone call. But that will be a good feeling as well. It will be a change but I can’t wait for it.
“It would just top it off if it came now. It would be a great weekend for me and one I would never forget it. We know the baby is a wee boy, so we’re looking forward to it.”
But Morrison was not the only one who came of age in the victory over Tommy Wright’s men. Marcus Godinho, pictured, netted the opener and it was worthy of more than a side note, cashing in on Hearts’ dominance of a game that allowed them to leapfrog the Perth side and move back into the fifth place they had conceded by losing to Dundee in midweek. With the Gorgie side starting the game on the front foot, the shape of the team allowed them to control the midfield and swarm a St Johnstone defence that had not conceded on the road since their September trip to Tynecastle.
There were more chances with Clark managing to get a boot to Jake Mulraney’s first half-half effort and deflect it onto the post, while Sean Clare was also denied by the upright in the second half. The latter had other opportunities, as did Arnaud Djoum, Lee and Naismith but in the 52nd minute they did make the breakthrough as John Souttar played a delightful chip over the Perth backline and Godinho, showing great technique and composure brought it down and slotted it past the visiting keeper for his first Hearts goal.
With their off-colour opponents failing to muster even a shot on target, it would have been enough to win it but Morrison’s late strike simply made sure of it.