Thomson hailed in Hearts' quest to secure third spot

Craig THOMSON would have to go some to top his contribution to Hearts' last two games - but the 19-year-old full back is not the type to let some impressive performances go to his head.

The architect of two crucial goals in the past fortnight, Thomson will be merely looking to maintain his place in the starting line-up as the Jambos enter the business end of the season looking to secure third place. He delivered the free-kick that homed in onto the head of Andy Webster before Stephen Elliott finished off the set-piece that secured Hearts a draw at Easter Road on Sunday.

That late derby leveller came the week after the young defender swung in the cross for Rudi Skacel's late winner against St Mirren to earn the Jambos a precious three points in their most recent Tynecastle clash.

The Scotland under-21 full back has drawn praise from all quarters for his recent form, with his international boss Billy Stark among a increasing number of admirers after Thomson's last two showings against Belgium and Northern Ireland.

"Craig has acquitted himself well recently - for the international team, too," said Stark. "He took the corner that provided one of our goals against Northern Ireland. He has a good, natural Scottish aggression - sometimes that has to be reined in a little bit, but it's better than having to put that into somebody."

Gorgie great Gary Mackay agrees with Stark that Thomson's toughness in the tackle is a notable factor in the teenager's rise to prominence, but says the versatile player has a broad wealth of talent to offer.

"He's a tenacious young lad, with no fear in the tackle and a good spring for someone not of the biggest stature," said Mackay.

"What Craig brings going forward is something not all full-backs can offer, that ability in the final third. There are others, like Steven Whittaker (at Rangers] when used as a full back, and (Celtic's] Mark Wilson as well. Craig will develop his own game, but learn from them and further himself.

"I think he has to continue to listen and learn from people round about him. As you get older, you still retain flaws, but what Craig has is a lot of ability and, if he can brush up on a few weaker points, he'll go far. The more you're in the first team, the more you'll get rid of your weaknesses.

"No-one will have to tell him to work on things - he is a diligent lad. His ambition right now is to become as close as possible to being a permanent fixture in the third-best team in Scotland. If you can do that, your career will take care of itself."

Mackay first witnessed at an international tournament Thomson's high-octane performance, a brand of football to which Hearts supporters have become accustomed.

"I watched him in the Milk Cup and I knew of him then. Darren Murray (Hearts' under-19 coach] said to me, 'We've got one coming through.'

"It was well documented that Craig had the ability allied to a fabulous enthusiasm for playing football. That's something that comes from within. He plays with a genuine desire to play to win.

"In the last third, sometimes full backs can have a nose bleed but Craig's comfortable there and at right midfield.

Even amid a growing recognition of his developing ability, Thomson is not the type, says Mackay, to get carried away with fine form.

"He has to serve his apprenticeship first. He'd be the first to say he wants to walk before he can run. He has a very level head on some young shoulders.

"With someone like him at a young age, people forget he is of tender years and still learning his trade, trying to hold down a spot in a Hearts first team that has shown it's the third best in Sotland.

"That's testimony to how well Craig is doing.

"The quality he provides from set-pieces can change games. It's a massive part of winning and losing football matches. He helped Hearts get back into the game at Easter Road with a well-driven ball into a crowded area."

Even from an early age, the then-Bonnyrigg Rose youngster showed the type of close control and delivery from the right flank that defines his all-action style in a Hearts jersey. As the star player in his hometown club's soccer sevens training at the Midlothian town's Staiside Park, the diminutive eight-year-old stood head and shoulders above his peers before moving to Hearts three years later.

"He had a great delivery and could kick it hard and was fast for a wee laddie. Craig was our get-out," says Thomson's first coach, Fraser Lawson, of Rose.

"He's always had the ability. Give the ball to Craig - he'd clear the lines. He could read a game well, and there was a confident cockiness about him.

"He was good at dribbling, was pretty physical, always a wee laddie but could hit a ball."

Thomson's attacking policy also fits the mould of the modern-day full-back, and the man who shaped the Hearts star's early football career tips his former protg to shine on the international stage.

"I said when he played his first game in Europe against Dynamo Zagreb (in August 2009] that it was an honour for me," says Lawson. "I think he'll go on to play for Scotland.

"His delivery is fantastic, but his defensive side maybe needs a bit of work. From an early age, he's been special."