Jam Tart wants to be bigger part

“My main aim is to play more games, I want to get games under my belt and maybe get a bit bigger in the gym so I can deal with the physical side of the game better.”

Harry Cochrane is optimistic for both Dunfermline’s and his own season. Speaking to this website the 18 year old who is on loan from Hearts claimed:-

“The performances are coming so it is all about results now. I feel as though we played alright against Alloa although obviously we were all a bit disappointed not to get the win.

“We played a lot of football, created a lot of chances and should probably have won the game.

“I only got told that I as starting on the morning of the game. I was delighted that I was getting my first start. Hopefully I can keep that going and start more games.”

At this point in the 2017/18 season, Harry made his first team debut for Hearts. Only sixteen years of age but he started in a 2–1 defeat against Dundee at Dens Park. In doing that he became the first SFA Performance School graduate to start a Scottish Premiership game. That was the first of several significant impacts the young man from Stonehouse in Lanarkshire was to make.

On 17 December 2017 Cochrane scored the opening goal in Hearts` 4–0 win over Celtic, a result that ended Celtic’s 69-game unbeaten run in domestic matches.

Harry’s goal meant that he became the club`s youngest league goalscorer, aged sixteen and eight months. He made 24 appearances in the 2017/18 season and in April 2018, he signed a new contract with Hearts, which is due to run until 2021.

Since facing Celtic in November 2018 he has only played the full 90 minutes for Hearts Under 20s in the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup and last season he only eight appearances for Hearts.

Little wonder then really that Harry has come to Dunfermline in search of game time. He continued:-

“Saturday was my first start and I really enjoyed it. I have come off the bench every week and started this week so it is more game time than I was going to be getting if I stayed at Hearts.

His 90 minutes against Alloa Athletic on Saturday were his first full game for Dunfermline. He described the outcomes he is seeking from his loan spell:-

“My main aim is to play more games, I want to get games under my belt and maybe get a bit bigger in the gym so I can deal with the physical side of the game better.”

Harry’s opportunity to start alongside Kyle Turner in the Pars midfield on Saturday was due to an injury making club captain Paul Paton unavailable. He explained:-

“Kyle was given the attacking role and I was sitting in to organise the midfield. It was really good playing in next to Kyle because he has loads of energy. was a tough role against a few experienced players.”

Pretty similar then to what he had being doing for Hearts and the second half was better than the first he felt:-

“It was really good playing in next to Kyle because he has loads of energy. I think we had sixteen shots, definitely enough chances to win the game. We probably should have scored more than we did.

“Towards the end Alloa sat in and they were hard to break down. We put a few crosses into the box where we maybe should have scored. It was all one way towards the end of the game so we should probably have taken away a victory, unfortunately we never.”

No win but nevertheless Harry is happy to be at Dunfermline:-

“East End Park is a good pitch, a nice playing surface. I worked with Craw at Hearts and the training is kind of similar to Hearts. All the lads are good with me and I fit in well.”

When Harry arrived on loan at Dunfermline, Stevie Crawford was upfront about starting places telling Harry that he would have to work for his place. Now having been given the chance Harry is hoping to get another at Cappielow on Saturday.

Related Stories

• Dunfermline 1 Alloa Athletic 1
• Managers post Alloa Athletic
• Reserves v Hamilton Academical
• Preview Morton