David Templeton: Tempting fate

The player is determined to make this afternoon’s performance against Celtic count, not only in the hope it will give Hearts the outcome they need to guarantee a place in the Europa League qualifiers next season but, more pertinently in the shorter term, in the hope it will convince his gaffer that he merits a place in the team to face Hibernian in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday.

“I hope so. After Sunday’s [win over St Johnstone] I was thinking the team might not change much, especially given we can clinch a European place with a good result [today]. But I’m hoping, for my sake, that he does make a few changes,” says the 23-year-old. “Hopefully I can have a good game and make him think about his cup final team. Being out injured for so long, I haven’t really had the chance to do that yet.”

It has been a frustrating season for the gifted little winger. While he earned plaudits and the club’s Young Player of the Year accolade under Jim Jefferies last season, there has been less to cheer this term. As well as the stop-start nature of his involvement due to the various niggles, he has also had to adapt his game to suit the demands of boss Paulo Sergio. “The new manager’s a lot more tactical in the way he likes us to sit in and press as a team, rather than individual players pressing themselves.

“He just makes sure that we do everything right and that we’re hard to beat. You saw that from the semi-final [against Celtic]. There wasn’t one stand-out, it was a team performance. I think that’s the way he wants it to be. Whenever anyone wins awards he always says it’s a team award rather than being down do that one person.

“When he came in I was going at players every time I got the ball, as that’s what the old manager wanted me to do. Since [Sergio] came in, he’s told me to mix it up – to go at the defender, then maybe pass it on the next time. That way the defender doesn’t know what I’ll do the next time. That’s really all he says to me.”

The season may not have gone as planned but Templeton is keeping his fingers crossed that he will still be afforded the opportunity to salvage something from the wreckage. He knows he will have to up his game this afternoon and the incentive is there.

“I was playing at the start of the season but I was inconsistent. Some games I’d do really well, then for others I wouldn’t show up. I wouldn’t be involved at all which was disappointing. Hopefully I can get a game [today] and play as well as I know I can and put a thought in his head [for the final].”