STEVEN NAISMITH will always be grateful to Alex McLeish for making his international dream come true.
Now the Hearts loan star is determined prove himself to the returning Scotland boss all over again.
The 31-year-old made his bow for the national team during Eck’s first reign in the dugout, replacing his ex-Kilmarnock teammate Kris Boyd in a 2-0 triumph over the Faroe Islands in June 2007.
The versatile forward has gone onto win 45 caps, finding the net seven times and, in a week when captain Scott Brown has quit Scotland to focus on club commitments, Naismith is as hungry as ever to pull on the dark blue jersey again.
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Currently on loan from Norwich until the end of the season, Naismith bagged his first goal for the Jambos in Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw against Killie.
He said: “Alex McLeish was the manager who gave me my debut for Scotland, which was a fantastic experience. He is someone I worked with and did really well with.
“However, I know that he has a load of players to pick from and I think he is fortunate because it’s a great job for any manager to walk into. We are not far away from making a tournament and he might have the extra ingredient to get us there.
“His record in his previous time with Scotland was great and if he can get back to that then it will be terrific.
“For me, I just need to work hard and if I’m doing well then I’ll be in with a chance of getting picked. It’s as simple as that. I’m not naive enough to think ‘I’ll make the next squad, it’ll be easy’. It’s not easy, you need to prove your worth and earn it, and that’s what I want to do.
“Every older professional has told me I should play as long as possible, because the day will come when you can’t do it any more. That’s unique to this job in many ways. A footballer’s career is shorter and I definitely have the drive“
Naismith’s leveller in midweek ensured Hearts remained ahead of resurgent Killie as they battle to secure a top-six berth after the split.
The capital club can also look forward to a clash against Motherwell in the last-eight of the Scottish Cup as they attempt to book a Hampden semi-final for the first time since they lifted the trophy in 2012.
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And Naismith hopes to play his part in a grandstand finale to the campaign.
The former Rangers and Everton front-man continued: “First of all, we are still in the Scottish Cup and, as you get to the later rounds, it’s definitely up for grabs for any team who are still involved.
“Fortunately I have managed to win it once [with Rangers] and it would be really nice to finish the season with something like that.
“Also, in the league we need to keep pushing as hard as we can. The expectations and demands are high at a club like Hearts, and in the majority of Premiership game you need to go in fancying yourselves as the dominant team.
“But on the flip-side of that we do need to remember where the club were only a couple of years ago. The progression has been great.”
Naismith, meanwhile, concedes his future remains shrouded in uncertainty, with a lucrative deal until the summer of 2019 with Norwich.
He added: “It is tricky at the moment, with me having another year left after this one at Norwich, and they’ll have a big part in what happens with me. But, so far I’ve enjoyed every minute of being at Hearts.”
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