JON Daly believes Craig Wighton has finally come good at Hearts – because of supporters being banned from attending games due to the coronavirus pandemic.

And the former Tynecastle first team coach has backed Wighton to take advantage of the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibernian on Saturday night being played at a deserted Hampden.

The forward has struggled to establish himself and score goals at the capital club since joining from Dundee back in 2018 and spent the second half of last season on loan at part-time Arbroath.

However, the 23-year-old has netted four times this term and former Rangers and Dundee United striker reckons it is because he isn’t under any scrutiny from the stands.

“When Craig (Levein) signed Wighty he talked about him being one for the future,” said Daly.

“He played a lot of games at Dundee, but Craig brought him in having seen him as a kid and knowing the potential that was there. He got chucked into the team probably earlier than expected due to injuries.

“We all know he’s been heavily criticised for not producing the levels that he’s capable of. But he’s someone now who’s probably thriving on the current situation of not having to deal with fans.

“With no fans there probably means there’s less pressure on him to go out and perform. He’s certainly taken the opportunity to build his confidence, score goals and try to change the mind of a lot of people on him.”

Jon Daly was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is the proud sponsor of the Scottish Cup.