Steven Naismith insists his Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month prize is proof he made the right call in returning to Hearts.
The Scotland frontman signed on for a second loan stint at Tynecastle in the summer after initially joining from Norwich back in January.
The 32-year-old knows at that point there were plenty ready to write him off, especially at Carrow Road where he had been made surplus to requirements.
But under the guidance of Jambos boss Craig Levein the former Rangers forward has rediscovered his best form as well as reclaiming his central role in the Scotland line-up.
Now, having helped take Hearts to the top of the table, he has been handed some individual recognition for a remarkable run that saw him blast six goals in seven games for club and country during September.
“It proves I did make the right choice,” he declared. “If you look where my career was sitting in the summer, not so involved in the national team and not playing regularly, to make the decision to come here and start off so well, then fight my way back into the national team shows it was the right choice.
“How much I’ve enjoyed the first few months of the season is also something I’ve missed during the time I was out (of the team at Norwich).
“This is the most consistent I’ve been for a while. Hopefully we can continue on and success can follow on.”
Naismith may be the wrong side of 30 but he has no plans to hang up his boots any time soon.
He explained: “There definitely would have been people suggesting I was on the way out.
“But something I learned very quickly from when I had my first injury at Rangers was that there are always people out there who want to write you off.
“I’ve had that during my career many times so it wasn’t something this time that really affected me.
“I’m confident enough in my ability that I will know when the time is right, when I’m not playing as well or not enjoying it as much.
“But I was very confident during the summer if I could get myself fit and rid of any niggling injuries I still had a lot to offer. That’s been proven so far.
“I will continue on for as long as I can. The knowledge that one day I will have to stop and there’s nothing I can do about it is tough to deal with.
“But at the moment I’m enjoying it and I’ll play as long I can.
“I definitely feel fit enough now to play on for a few more years yet. When you get older, your mindset changes and you need to adapt your game. I’ve done that throughout my career.
“I play slightly different now to how I did 10 years ago but I’m still being effective in games and contributing for the team.”
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