Orestis Kiomourtzoglou had to wait to make his Hearts debut until after he was granted a visa, but insists it was a blessing in disguise.
The midfielder penned a three-year deal last month and was presented to fans before the 3-2 Premiership win over St Johnstone. However, he didn’t pull on the maroon strip for the first time until 18 September, starting in the Jambos’ 3-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park. Goals from Lawrence Shankland and Alan Forrest made it a perfect start for “Kio” as the Tynecastle side returned to winning ways.
That came after he watched games against Livingston, Kilmarnock, Istanbul Basaksehir and RFS from the stands before finally making his bow at Fir Park. Being forced to sit on the sidelines was frustrating for the 24-year-old, but it did give him a chance to get used to how Robbie Neilson’s style - and the accents in the dressing room.
