BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
COLE STOCKTON has immediately targeted a trophy after joining Hearts on a two-year deal.
The towering striker has agreed a pre-contract with Jambos, becoming their second summer signing following the arrival of Christophe Berra.
The 23-year-old, who joins from Tranmere in the English National League, was reportedly attracting interest from Motherwell and had suitors south of the border before committing to the capital club.
And Stockton has lofty aspirations for the coming campaign as he seeks to help Hearts end a wait for silverware stretching back to 2012.
He said: “I want to help the club move forward, score goals and, when I spoke to the manager on Monday, he said we want to be lifting a Cup.
“That has got to be the ambition for us.”
Last season saw Stockton score 10 goals in 26 games on loan at League Two Morecambe before returning to parent club Tranmere and to notch eight goals in their final 11 fixtures of the campaign.
He has also enjoyed loan stints with Vauxhall Motors and Southport in a career largely spent in the lower reaches of the English game.
Stockton continued: “I’m definitely looking to take confidence from the end of my season into the next. Every striker has got to.
“Every striker lives for goals and if you get a goal early doors then there’s your confidence rolling. Goals win games, don’t they?
“I’m a big, strong striker but not like a target man. I can do both. I’m very good at holding the ball up, I can bring players into play around the box, and I’m a goalscorer.”
Stockton formally penned his deal yesterday on a flying visit to Edinburgh this week, during which he visited Hearts’ training base at Oriam and Tynecastle, which is currently in the midst of renovation as work on the new Main Stand continues.
He told Hearts TV: “It’s amazing. I came up on Monday and went for a look at the training ground and the facilities are something else – particularly compared to what I’ve been used to!
“I came to see the ground in the afternoon and it is a very good stadium and imagine when Tynecastle is full it is going to be brilliant next season.”
