Toby Sibbick: I fought hard for my Hearts spot and I'm not prepared to give it up now

Initially signed in 2020, Toby Sibbick has had a few shots at cementing his place in the Hearts team.

Toby Sibbick speaks to the press ahead of Hearts' match against St Mirren.

Illness, injuries and a curtailed loan spell all denied him in the past, as did the calibre of the competition in the battle for starting berths. But, injuries to others have also given him opportunities to shine.

On some of those occasions he knew he was merely deputising but greater game time and burgeoning belief have combined to alter perceptions (his own and others’), and while manager Robbie Neilson has made no secret of his plan to bring in central defensive reinforcements this month, Sibbick isn’t ready to simply step aside and offer up his spot in the starting line-up.

“When you play for a big club there is obviously always going to be competition for places. But I have the shirt now and whoever comes in, they are going to have to try to get it off me. I will keep working hard in training and in games to prove why I should keep it.

“I think any player when you get a run of games it gives you that confidence, that match sharpness. It's hard when you come in for one game and then you're out for two and then you're back in because you don't really get that match fitness or match sharpness so maybe you're a bit off the pace. Now that I'm starting to play a run of games I'm feeling more sharp, I'm making better decisions so I just need to keep going that way.”

Notable interventions in recent games have helped to generate more trust in the 23-year-old who has gone from being booed earlier in the season to having the Gorgie fans singing his name.

A crucial header late in the day against St Johnstone helped the team their first win at McDiarmid Park since 2010, and gave them a leg-up into third spot, while an exquisitely-timed tackle in the Hibs game shut down a gilt-edged opportunity for their rivals.

“To be fair, there will always be key moments in games, whether it is us scoring or defending and I just happened to be the person who was there both those times,” he said.

Coming just after first -choice starter Craig Halkett picked up a season-ending knee injury, his input was all the more comforting for his manager and the fans, although his injured colleague is still playing his part.

“He was in before the game and was giving me advice. He said they would try to run me all the time and I think within the first five or ten minutes they tried to run me down the line but I won that battle and after that it was more of a mental game. As a defender you need to be a step ahead. Even at half-time, Halks came back in and was giving me feedback so he is a massive character and a help when he is playing and when he is not playing.

“But now we have another big game, against St Mirren, and if we win there then we can start to build up a bit of a gap between us and fourth place. We need to focus on one game at a time and keep winning games.”