James Hill has opened up on being recognised by Hearts supporters as he admitted: 'We know much much it means to the fans'
Robbie Neilson swooped to bring the Bournemouth defender to Tynecastle on loan for the rest of the season as he looked to fill the void left following Craig Halkett's latest injury issue that has ruled him out until the summer. The young defender - who dreams of playing for England at the next World Cup - has quickly adapted to life in Scotland's top tier and has established himself in the team.
Playing week in, week out at a big club means becoming well known with the 21-year-old admitting to being recognised by fans in public including Sainsburys. The Jambos are in the hunt for third spot as they bid to secure another European adventure. They lost 2-0 last time out at Motherwell in a performance slated by boss Neilson. It means rivals Hibs are only five points behind in the Premiership table. Hill knows how much it means to the fans to get results branding the club 'their life' and he says all the players are pulling in the right direction to always give 100 per cent.
READ MORE: Joel Pereira on biggest Hearts regret as ex-Man United man admits 'it disappoints me to this day'
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Speaking to Edinburgh Evening News, he said: “I have here and there to be fair. Like, in Sainsbury's I've been recognised. I'm quite a quiet person. I might not be on the pitch, but I can be a little reserved.
“It’s still great to get recognised, 100 per cent. Because if it's little kids coming up to you and saying 'it's James Hill' that's nice because some of them will have aspirations themselves about being a footballer. They'll look at you as a role model because you play for their favourite team.
“That's the most important thing in terms of stepping out on to the pitch on Saturdays. There's a lot of people out there who... Hearts is their life. It's all they've got and I think they maybe don't know that we recognise the football club is massively important.
“No matter if it's a bad game or the best game, we're always going to try and give 100 per cent because we know what we're playing for. We know how much it means to the fans, the public, the town. That's why we always try to give 100 per cent all the time.
“Sometimes you can have an off-day. But know that every day in training we're working so hard to try and put in the best performance.”
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