JJ predicts breakthrough season for Hearts youngsters

The current campaign has witnessed almost an entire team of home-grown players establish themselves within the senior squad, as is the wont of a club with a fine tradition of rearing their own.

Little was known of Craig Thomson, Arvydas Novikovas, Scott Robinson, David Templeton, Paul Mulrooney, Jonathan Stewart, Gordon Smith, Rocky Visconte and Ryan Wallace last season. Most of the above formed the spine of Darren Murray's under-19 squad and as such were not earmarked for first-team duty for another couple of years.

Their rapid ascent is testimony to their ability, both individual and collective. All have sampled the Tynecastle first team at some stage this season and benefited from the experience, but Jefferies anticipates even greater feats lying in wait.

"It's great for all these young boys because they all have a taste of the first team now," he said. "Novikovas, Robinson, Thomson, Templeton, Mulrooney, Wallace and Smith, they have all had a wee sniff of being in there and of what is involved. That will make them hungry.

"The fact they are out of the team at the moment isn't any reflection on their performances at all. They have great futures at the club and as long as they are professional, apply themselves and don't get too down, they can use that hunger for the years ahead. They can make it hard for me to pick a team but they have to be ready when called upon.

"When we sit at the end of the season with the owners and assess the staff, it might mean somebody coming in. The young boys can make that process easier by working hard to show they should not be replaced. They might find the competition hotting up but they are in charge and playing like some of them did on Saturday against Hibs will only help them keep their places."

Jefferies noted a marked upturn in Hearts' fortunes during recent months, a combination of Csaba Laszlo's seven-game unbeaten league run during December and January plus Jefferies' four victories since replacing the Hungarian.

"I remember going to the Celtic game in December as an observer because we (Kilmarnock] were playing Celtic soon after that," he said. "Had Hearts lost that day they would have been playing Falkirk to avoid going bottom of the league the following week. They started a bit of a run by beating Celtic 2-1 that day and we've managed to pick up 12 points at home since we came in. But there's still work to be done.

"We deserved to win by a few more goals against Hibs on Saturday but at least we're creating chances now. A couple of them were sitters because we had three glorious chances in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Had we gone 3-0 up I think we would have won very comfortably indeed. Even losing a goal with 11 minutes to go we still attacked to look for 3-1."

Jefferies is spending this week monitoring Rangers closely ahead of this Saturday's SPL meeting at Tynecastle. He attended the Co-operative Cup final at Hampden Park on Sunday and will utilise another opportunity to watch the Glasgow club in this evening's Scottish Cup quarter-final replay at Tannadice.

"We play Rangers on Saturday so Billy Brown and I were there on Sunday and we'll get another chance to watch them tonight.

"I think the sending offs brought the final to life because It looked as though it was St Mirren's day to win it. But to win it with nine men is a great achievement. Rangers said themselves that they probably didn't deserve it based on how the game was going but they deserved it in the end because they put the ball in the net and St Mirren didn't.

"We'll watch them again tonight and then start preparing for Saturday."