Temps still buzzing over Hearts derby goal

DAVID TEMPLETON has described his scintillating goal against Hibernian as the best moment of his career to date after winning the Clydesdale Bank SPL Young Player of the Month award for November.

A stunning solo run and expert finish during Hearts' 2-0 victory at Easter Road helped the young winger collect the accolade at the end of an impressive month. He scored in three of Hearts' four matches in November, all of which were won 2-0.

Templeton, 21, is enjoying a rich vein of form, having established himself as a key component of Jim Jefferies' Hearts team this season. Scoring in the Edinburgh derby represents the pinnacle so far.

"It was brilliant, to turn round and see the fans was the best feeling I've had in my career so far," he explained. "I hope the next few Edinburgh derbies I can do that as well because it helps my confidence so much and I took that into the next game against Celtic."

Templeton credits Jefferies with taking his career to the next level. "I knew about his record of bringing along some great young players first time around at Hearts so I was happy when I heard about the appointment," he continued.

"He's been good with me. He brought through wingers like Allan Johnston and Neil McCann and it's great to know that players like that got the chance under him. When I was younger I liked playing up front, I used to want to go past everyone and do everything myself, try and score goals. I wanted all the glory about scoring goals.

"Obviously the older I got, managers wanted to start trying me out wide because I liked going past people. It's probably the best thing for me, if I was playing striker now I wouldn't be doing so well."