James Hill has Robert Snodgrass feeling his age as Hearts father figure remembers facing teammate's DAD

Robert Snodgrass guided Hearts into the Scottish Cup quarter final with all the care and attention you’d expect of a player who has taken on the role of father figure to the excellent young side Robbie Neilson is building at Tynecastle.

Then the self-deprecating 35-year-old admitted it wasn’t too difficult to do so because he has actually played against team-mate James Hill’s dad, Matt, earlier in his career down south. Hill senior, a stalwart defender for Bristol City and Preston back in the day, may have crossed swords with Snodgrass but the former Scotland midfielder is delighted to be on the same side as his son, currently excelling while on loan from Bournemouth.

He said: “James Hill has got aspirations to play in the Premier League. You look at that young kid and think, Jesus. He studies the game, he watches the game, he asks loads of questions and wants to get better. What a tremendous attitude he has, coming from the Premier League so grounded. I actually played against his dad. That tells you how old I am!

“That’s what we need, players coming in with that Premier League quality. There are some very good players in that final third that can cause teams problems.”

Snodgrass, who wore the Hearts captain’s armband in place of the suspended Lawrence Shankland and injured Craig Gordon as they beat Hamilton 2-0 in the Scottish Cup on Friday night, is happy to on the responsibility as the most senior player in the ranks and he admits that dropping into the anchor role in front of the defence, from where he builds the play, has given him a new lease of life.

And he reckons it will get even better when his team-mates give him even more of the ball in tight situations, often finding himself marked as the opposition try to