Hearts player 'proud' ahead of huge milestone

Alex Cochrane has reflected on his Hearts career to date as he moves towards a big milestone. Cochrane is hoping to make his 100th Hearts appearance tomorrow as they face Rangers at Tynecastle.

His side have four league wins on the bounce and will be hoping to make it five in what will be a very tough game for the Jambos. Steven Naismith's side haven't beaten Rangers in the league since January 2020 and will be hoping that will change so they can close the gap to their second placed rivals.

Defender Cochrane will be hoping to make a difference should he start. In his pre-match press conference he emphasised his pride.

He said: "100 games for this club is a big achievement and it’s something I had an eye on at the back end of last season because I knew I’d played quite a few games. I wanted to make sure I’d get to 100. I’ll be looking to play as many games as I can, I’ve still got a couple of years left here and I’m enjoying myself. When I first came up here I just wanted to play football and 100 games is obviously a big, and proud moment."

Cochrane has been at Tynecastle since July 2021 when he arrived on loan from Premier League team Brighton. He signed permanently for Hearts in the summer of 2022.

His side are currently third in the Scottish Premiership, eight points behind Rangers. They are hoping to extend their league winning streak, Cochrane added: "We’re looking to make it five on the bounce, keep this winning run going but we know it’s not going to be easy, they’re a top side and it could be a tough game for us.

"The team is growing with confidence every week and every game. These are the tests for us now, against the Old Firm. We need to prove ourselves against them. We played Celtic at Tynecastle and didn’t make it as difficult as we wanted it to be so tomorrow night we’ll be looking to make it a tougher test for Rangers and obviously we’re full of confidence and looking forward to the game ahead."