James Wilson is not concerned about his contract situation at Heart of Midlothian as he enters the final year of his deal. The 19-year-old striker remains focused on his football despite the uncertainty, with the club sitting third in the Premiership on 16 points after nine games.

His calmness comes as Heart of Midlothian look to bounce back from a heavy 7-1 defeat to Celtic last weekend. That result left them eight points behind the league leaders, a gap they will aim to close starting with an away match against Motherwell this Saturday. The Fir Park side are currently 10th in the standings.

League context and recovery

The team's recent form reads one win, two draws and two losses from their last five outings. Top scorer Josh McPake, with three goals in eight appearances this season, will be a key figure in the quest for a positive result at Motherwell. Wilson's attitude provides a steadying presence in the squad as they handle this period. Heart of Midlothian will be looking to improve on their goal minutes, having scored 15 goals so far this season at an average of 67 minutes per goal. The team's overall record this season is five wins, one draw and three losses from nine games, with 20 goals scored and 15 conceded. Their most recent result before the Celtic loss was a 1-1 draw with FC Nordsjaelland on 15 October, where O. McEntee scored the Heart of Midlothian goal. The heavy defeat at Celtic Park on 18 October saw Laurent Mendy score a consolation goal for Heart of Midlothian, assisted by Josh McPake.

Elsewhere in Scottish football, former Celtic manager Neil Lennon, now in charge at Dunfermline, has spoken out about the pressures of management.

In other news, Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay is reportedly close to returning to his best form after a procedure to correct irregular heart rhythms. The 29-year-old recently scored twice for Napoli in a Champions League win. Meanwhile, transfer speculation continues with Real Betis monitoring Rangers midfielder Nico Raskin and Celtic linked with Hungarian goalkeeper Balazs Toth.

For Heart of Midlothian, the immediate priority is the fixture at Motherwell on Saturday 25 October. A win would consolidate their position in the top three and provide a vital response to the Celtic defeat. After the trip to Fir Park, Heart of Midlothian' next fixture is at home to St Johnstone on December 7. Wilson's contract situation is expected to be addressed in due course, but for now, his mind is on the pitch.

This story first appeared at bbc.co.uk