Heart of Midlothian (Scotland)

Heart of Midlothian FC is a professional football club from the Gorgie district of Edinburgh who were formed in 1874. The club, commonly known as Hearts, were formed by a group of friends who saw the first association game played in Edinburgh, who named their new club after the prison on the Royal Mile, which had been demolished fifty-seven years previously.

The team began life playing at East Meadows, with Tom Purdie the club's first captain. After spells playing at Powburn and then Powderhall, Hearts moved across the city to Gorgie, playing at a ground where Wardlaw Street now stands. 

Five years later, they moved into Tynecastle Park across Gorgie Road. Hearts became founder members of the Scottish Football League for the 1890-91 season. It was memorable for the club as 'The Jam Tarts' or 'Jambos' to give the club two of its nicknames lifted the Scottish Cup, defeating Dumbarton 1-0 at Hampden Park at the end of the campaign.

Hearts were crowned league champions in 1894-95, going on to win the Cup the following year, this time with a 3-1 win over their biggest rivals, Hibernian (Hibs), at St Bernard's Logie Green home ground in Edinburgh in the only final to have been staged outside Glasgow. 

A second league title was secured in 1896-97 as well as Hearts also completed a couple more Cup victories in 1900-01 and 1905-06, as Celtic were defeated 4-3 at Ibrox and then Third Lanark were seen off at the same venue.

Tynecastle before redevelopment
Image taken from the internet

In November 1914, Hearts were comfortably leading the First Division when politician George McCrae formed the voluntary 16th Battalion, the Royal Scots, to fight for King and Country. Sixteen first team players plus five hundred fans enlisted. Seven players, Duncan Currie, John Allan, James Boyd, Tom Gracie, Ernest Ellis, James Speedie and Harry Wattie, lost their lives.

The club went forty-eight years without a major honour, but under manager Tommy Walker, success came in droves. The League Cup was lifted in 1954-55 as Motherwell were defeated 4-2. In 1955-56, Celtic were beaten 3-1 in the Scottish Cup Final as an Alfie Conn goal was added to by a brace from Ian Crawford in front of 132,840 fans at Hampden.

Hearts became champions of Scotland for a third time in 1957-58 as forwards Jimmy Wardhaugh and Jimmy Murray bagged the goals. The following season saw another League Cup triumph as Partick Thistle were hammered 5-1 before the trophy was retained with a 2-1 win against Third Lanark.

Later in the 1959-60 season, Walker’s side lifted the First Division title with players such as Willie Bauld, John Cumming, Alex Young and Dave Mackay contributing to the success before several moved on to further their careers. Hearts won another League Cup in 1962-63 as a solitary Norrie Davidson goal was enough to see off Kilmarnock, twelve months after losing the final after a replay to Rangers. 

In 1964-64, the Jam Tarts lost the final game of the season 2-0 against Kilmarnock to miss out on the title on goal average. The team went into decline for several years as John Harvey took over as manager in 1966, leading the side to the 1966-67 Scottish Cup final, where they went down 3-1 to Dunfermline Athletic, before Bobby Seith was appointed in 1970.

Some joy was spread with the performances of Donald Ford, Jim Cruickshank and Drew Busby before John Hagart took over as manager in 1974. The Jambos were placed in the Scottish Premier League upon its introduction for the 1975-76 season, with the team defeated 3-1 in the Scottish Cup final against Rangers.

Former Scotland boss Willie Ormond took over at Tynecastle after Hearts were relegated in 1976-77, taking the team straight back up twelve months later as Division One runners-up. However, the step up proved too steep, as the team was relegated after just one season.

The First Division title was secured in 1979-80 before the managerial reins were passed on to Bobby Moncur. His team finished bottom of the Premier Division to go straight back down before Alex MacDonald came in as manager after a short spell from Tony Ford, with Wallace Mercer buying the club after the previous board resigned.

Promotion was secured as runners-up in 1982-83 before fifth place in the Premier Division the following season. In 1985-86, Hearts were seven minutes from being crowned league champions once more as they only needed a draw from their final game, but two Albert Kidd goals for Dundee and a heavy Celtic win at St Mirren meant heartbreak for all at Tynecastle.

Part of the revival was inspired by John Robertson on his way during the first of two spells to become the club's time record scorer. MacDonald was joined by Sandy Jardine from 1985-86 when Hearts lost 3-0 to Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final and 1987-88, when the team ended as league runners-up, before taking sole control once again.

The team, including such favourites as Henry Smith, Tosh McKinlay, Dave McPherson, Neil Berry, Craig Levein and Eamonn Bannon, defeated Bayern München 1-0 in the home leg of their UEFA Cup tie before eventually going out thanks to a goal from Iain Ferguson, which can be enjoyed at a packed Tynecastle by clicking here.

Joe Jordan was appointed as manager in September 1990 as Mercer unveiled a plan to merge Hearts and Hibs to try and break the Glasgow old firm monopoly, before being blocked in his attempts by angry shareholders who refused the deal.

Hearts ended as Premier Division runners-up in 1991-92 before beating Slavia Praha in the UEFA Cup the following season, with Sandy Clark taking over as manager in May 1993, with Mercer selling the club a year later, and Tommy McLean took over as manager before being replaced by Jim Jefferies in August 1995.

He led the side to the final of the Scottish Cup in his first season, which ended in a 5-1 defeat to Rangers before going down 4-3 to the same opponents in the League Cup final of 1996-97. However, the Jambos gained revenge in 1997-98 as goals from Colin Cameron and Stéphane Adam were enough to defeat Rangers 2-1 in the Scottish Cup final.

The team ended the 1999-00 season in third place in the Premier League before former player Craig Levein came in as manager. His side ended third in the league in 2002-03 and 2003-04 before he was replaced by former playing legend John Robertson. At the same time, the club CEO of the time, Chris Robinson, announced that Tynecastle was not fit for purpose and that the ground needed to be sold to pay off the club's debts. 

Hearts would move into Murrayfield, despite Tynecastle having been redeveloped ten years previously. The move was blocked, helped by a campaign called Save Our Hearts. In August of the same year, the Russian-Lithuanian multi-millionaire Vladimir Romanov entered into talks to buy the club.

Romanov made himself immediately popular by stating that the club could become viable by remaining at Tynecastle. He bought up shares from Robinson and other major shareholders, although his manner of controlling the debts caused concern as they were moved from their previous banks into institutions owned by Romanov.

George Burley was the first manager of the new era, and his side won their first eight games before Romanov shocked the football world by sacking him! Graham Rix would be the first of many short-term appointments before he was replaced by Valdas Ivanauskas.

Hearts won the 2005-06 Scottish Cup after defeating Gretna on penalties, with Steven Pressley captaining the side. Romanov sacked a respected CEO, which led to an advisor's resignation. He replaced them both with his son, Roman Romanov. Several players came in on loan from FBK Kaunas of Lithuania, which Romanov also owned.

Anatoliy Korobochka came in as manager in July 2007, with Andrius Velicka putting away the goals before Stephen Frail took charge of the team from January 2008, before Csaba László arrived in July 2008, leading his side to third place before being replaced by Jefferies for a second spell in January 2010.

Financial problems continued to blight the club despite regular appearances in European competition. Hearts finished third in the league in 2010-11, but by the following November, the club was put up for sale as the players' wages weren't paid. Eventually, after several threats, the players under manager Paulo Sérgio received their remunerations.

The setbacks failed to dampen the spirit of the squad, who went on to win the Scottish Cup in 2011-12 with a 5-1 thumping of bitter rivals Hibs at Hampden Park with goals from Darren Barr, Danny Grainger, Ryan McGowan and two goals from consistent fans' favourite Rudi Skácel.

Sérgio rejected a new contract, so former coach John McGlynn was recruited from Raith Rovers with a strict budget and orders to bring through the youth players. Again, the club were hit with transfer sanctions for the first part of the 2012-13 season. In November 2012, Hearts were issued with a winding-up order by the Court of Session in Edinburgh for failing to pay an outstanding tax bill. 

It was agreed to pay the bill in two instalments as a new share issue was launched. The team reached the League Cup final in 2012-13 when Hearts went down 3-2 to St Mirren shortly after Gary Locke had taken over as manager, before fans were asked to help save the club as it announced that it would look towards supporter ownership in 2013.

The clubs’ future was in real doubt throughout the summer of 2013 as they entered administration and were deducted fifteen points going into the 2013-14 season. All players were put up for sale as a buyer was desperately sought. ‘The Foundation of Hearts’ supporters group arranged a CVA deal with the club's creditors, while the point deduction proved too much to overcome as Hearts were relegated. 

In May 2014, Bidco 1874, fronted by Ann Budge, took control of the club to stabilise finances before handing Hearts over to the Foundation of Hearts. Former full-back Robbie Neilson was appointed manager in May 2014 before exiting administration a month later. The team won the Championship, including Rangers and Hibernian by nineteen points, as Género Zeefuik, James Keatings and Jamie Walker all scored regularly.

Alim Öztürk captained the side to third place in 2015-16 with Juanma ending as top scorer. Neilson departed for MK Dons in December 2016 to be replaced by Ian Cathro before Levein returned for a second spell at the helm in August 2017, with Stephen Naismith’s experience proving valuable in midfield.

Tynecastle was modernised further when the old Main Stand was demolished in 2017 and replaced with a new structure. Hearts finished in sixth in 2018-19 before a shocking start to the 2019-20 campaign saw Levein replaced by Daniel Stendel. The team were bottom of the table when the outbreak of Coronavirus halted proceedings. 

Clubs voted to end the season with placings standing at the time, including promotion and relegation. Hearts were demoted and threatened legal action against the SPFL before Neilson was coaxed away from Dundee United to take up the manager's seat. He led the side back to the Premiership as Championship winners in 2020-21, with Liam Boyce scoring the goals.

The team also reached the Scottish Cup final, losing to Rangers, while a third-place finish followed in the top-flight in 2021-22, which was repeated in 2023-24 under manager Steven Naismith. Neil Critchley came in as team boss in October 2024, lasting until the following April, when Derek McInnes was given the job.

Heart of Midlothian FC will play in the Scottish Premiership in the 2025-26 season.

My visits

Tuesday 29th January 2013

As I was only a mile or so away from Tynecastle after visiting several clubs and their grounds around Edinburgh, I decided that it would be a good idea to go to the ground and to purchase tickets for Dad and me for the match the following evening.

I jumped off the bus and went behind the Main Stand, where I saw a gate open with steps leading up to a stand. I went inside and took some photos while taking in the surroundings, as a group of youngsters were by the players' tunnel as they were given a tour.

I was in The Gorgie Stand, which was a single tier of seats, divided by a middle walkway. Before its erection, there was an open terracing with tenements forming a familiar backdrop behind. At the far end stood The Roseburn Stand, which was virtually the same as the one I stood in, as was The Wheatfield Stand down the left-hand touchline. 

The stands' roofs joined in the corners, where the floodlights were positioned, with screen ends enclosing the arena. The final side was taken up by the Archibald Leitch-designed Main Stand. This had seating placed on the old terrace paddock and seating behind the dividing wall. It was much smaller than the newer additions, but it added a touch of tradition to proceedings.

After taking a few photos, I returned to the ticket office and megastore, where I paid £24 for myself and £18 for Dad for the next day's game. Satisfied with my work, I jumped on a bus to Haymarket, where I was to catch a train to Linlithgow to tick off another couple of non-league venues.

Heart of Midlothian 1 Dundee 0 (Wednesday 30th January 2013) Scottish Premier League (att: 11.284)

Not for the first time, Dad and I had done a marathon walk in a city. This time we just about covered both Edinburgh's old and new towns, as well as a walk through Leith to Ocean Terminal, before going back to our hotel for a much-needed rest before the evening's entertainment. Amazingly, a short nap had revived us as we walked to the Standing Order on George Street for some food. 

We felt good, and we were a little early, so we decided to walk down to Tynecastle. Of course, the spare time needed filling, so on a recommendation we walked up Henderson Terrace and entered The Athletic Arms, which is probably better known as The Diggers as it's over the road from Dalry Cemetery. 

It proved to be a good selection as the immaculately attired bar staff looked after the growing crowd in a splendid pub serving fine ales and good value snacks. Much of the walls were filled with Hearts memorabilia, including a fine gallery of former heroes in the small room off the main bar. We headed back down the hill and went into the Tynecastle Arms for a half and a wee dram. 

The pub didn't hit the same standards in some respects, but was still a good pre-match choice. At just gone 7.30, we went into the ground next door to the pub and climbed the steep steps up The Gorgie Stand. After I'd picked seats in the wrong block, we soon found our correct positions. The view was astonishing. Neither of us had ever been in such a steep stand. We were in the back row, yet we looked down on the goal. 

We quickly realised why Dundee were adrift at the bottom of the table. They were not very good and looked more than happy to leave town with a point as they continually got behind the ball and only occasionally crossed the halfway line. Hearts played some nice stuff, but they were not deliberate enough. Many a time, they had a shooting opportunity and swung in a cross, yet they often looked for one or two passes too many.

Hearts had a couple of loan signings from Liverpool after their transfer embargo had been lifted: Michael Ngoo and Danny Wilson. We only realised this on later reading the programme and then had a good laugh as Mr Ngoo, while very capable of holding the ball up and bringing others into play, also looked incapable of shooting except in the exact direction he was facing. 

He had a couple of attempts and somehow hit the bar with one effort. At half time, we went downstairs onto the adequate concourse to stretch and get the blood flowing, as well as catch up with the half-time scores. 

I decided to have a pie and a Bovril, but gave up after ten minutes of standing in the slowest queue I'd found all season, while the other lanes sped by. I hoped the bonnie wee lass behind the counter could find something not requiring much energy in later life. The second half continued in the same vein as the first. 

Hearts had all the ball, but couldn't find a way through despite Jamie Walker's trickery. The visiting bar was rattled with a long-range shot, but with time running out, we thought we'd drawn a blank. With six minutes remaining, the home boss John McGlynn decided to introduce the experienced John Sutton up front and wide man Arvydas Novikovas. 

The decisions paid off almost immediately as the Lithuanian held his position rather than chasing the ball like so many others on parade and was fed down the left. He produced a fine cross to the back post, where Sutton launched himself to head past Rab Douglas in the Dundee net.

Douglas pulled off a wonder save in stoppage time as Hearts looked like scoring at will. Sutton won more in the air in his brief cameo than Ngoo had done all night. The locals were naturally delighted at full time. They'd been through some hard times, but they still cheered their side on. We waited to get out and then got a good walk going again, finding ourselves back in the pub a couple of miles away at around 10.15. 

It had been a good experience in a wonderful football ground, which, although modern, had remained in the heart of its traditional community, rather than the club decamping to a soulless out-of-town development. To round off a top day, my goals galore bet came in thanks to the shambolic Chelsea defence at Reading, as was revealed while watching the highlights.

Hibernian (Scotland)

Hibernian FC, or Hibs as they are commonly known, is a professional football club based in Leith in the north of the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. The club were formed in 1875 by Irish immigrants in the Cowgate area of the city, with the name of the club derived from Hibernia, which was the Roman name for Ireland.

Owing to their background, there was initially some sectarian resistance to Hibs competing in Scottish football. Despite this, the club lifted the Scottish Cup in 1886-87 after defeating Dumbarton 2-1 at the second Hampden Park with goals from Willie Groves and Montgomery.

The team went on to defeat Preston North End in a game billed as ‘the Association Football Championship of the World Decider’ before mismanagement left the club homeless and temporarily ceasing to exist in 1891, before acquiring a new ground named Easter Road, located on Albion Place, which was opened in 1893.

Hibernian became members of the Scottish League in 1893-94, winning promotion in 1894-95. At the same time, the club passed a rule that players no longer needed to be members of the Catholic Young Men's Society. Hibs finished third in their First Division debut season, which was backed up with a runner-up place the following season.

In 1895-96, the club were defeated in the only Scottish Cup Final to be played outside Glasgow, as their arch-rivals Heart of Midlothian triumphed 3-1 at New Logie Green in Edinburgh. A goal from Andy McGeachan was enough to beat hosts Celtic to win the 1901-02 Scottish Cup for the team managed by Dan McMichael. Little did 'Hibees' fans realise that it would be the last Cup triumph for well over a hundred years.

In 1902-03, the club were crowned as champions of Scotland for the first time as David Reid topped the scoring chart. The team lost out in the Scottish Cup final in 1913-14, going down 4-1 to Celtic after a replay. There would be further disappointments in 1922-23 and 1923-24 with final defeats in the Scottish Cup, 1-0 to Celtic and then 2-0 to Airdrieonians, until the team and club had a succession of seasons without challenging for honours.

However, the period after World War II would prove to be one of the most successful in the club’s history as they became one of Britain’s foremost clubs under manager Hugh Shaw. The 'Famous Five' forward line of Willie Ormond, Bobby Johnstone, Eddie Turnbull, Gordon Smith and Lawrie Reilly all scored over one hundred goals for the club.

The old Easter Road Main Stand

Hibs went down 2-1 to Aberdeen in the 1946-47 Scottish Cup final as well as ending as league runners-up, but there was no mistake a year later as the club were crowned league champions, before coming second in 1949-50. The 1950-51 season would see the league crown return to Easter Road, as well as ending as losing finalists after a 3-0 defeat to Motherwell in the League Cup final. 

The league crown was retained in 1951-52 for a side of which only Ormond cost a fee, coming in from Stenhousemuir, while the others all came from youth or junior football. The likes of Bobby Combe and Eric Younger played valuable parts in the glory years as Hibs ended as league runners-up in 1952-53 before becoming the first British club to play in European competition in 1955-56, as Chelsea were deterred from entering the European Cup.

The Hibees reached the semi-final stage, where they were defeated by Stade Reims before going down 1-0 to Clyde in the 1957-58 Scottish Cup final. The club also had some decent runs in the Inter City Fairs Cup in the 60s with Napoli and Barcelona amongst their scalps, as Walter Galbraith took over as manager in 1961.

Jock Stein arrived as manager in March 1964, staying in the post for a year before moving on to Celtic as he was replaced by Bob Shankly. Third places in Division One in 1967-68 and, along with a 6-2 League Cup final hiding from Celtic in 1968-69, were as good as it got until the appointment of Willie MacFarlane as manager.

His side finished third in 1969-70 before being replaced by Dave Ewing, who stayed for a year when former player Eddie Turnbull took up the post in July 1971. His team would be labelled as 'Turnbull's Tornadoes'.

They lifted the League Cup in 1971-72 with a 2-1 win against Celtic, which was avenged when the Celts won the Scottish Cup final 6-1 before Hibs inflicted a 7-0 win over Hearts in the league at Tynecastle the following year, which can be enjoyed here. The team went on to finish as league runners-up in 1973-74 and 1974-75.

Peter Cormack, Peter Marinello, Jimmy O'Rourke, Alex Cropley, John Brownlie and Pat Stanton, along with the goals of Alan Gordon, were amongst those who starred in a fine period for the club.

Celtic were 6-3 winners in the 1974-75 League Cup final, before the Premier Division was introduced in 1975-76, with Hibs finishing third. The poor record in finals continued as Rangers lifted the Scottish Cup 3-2 in a second replay in 1978-79 against the team, including Hibernian record league appearance holder Arthur Duncan.

Turnbull was sacked in April 1980 as the team were eventually relegated despite a few appearances from George Best, with Willie Ormond having a short spell in charge before being replaced by Bertie Auld, who led Hibs to the First Division title at the first time of asking.

Former playing heroes Pat Stanton from 1982 to 1984 and then John Blackley until 1986 had spells as manager with Hibs, losing 3-0 in the 1985-86 League Cup final to Aberdeen before Alex Miller arrived in the managerial hot seat in November 1986 at the start of a ten-year tenure.

Performances gradually improved after a long succession of bottom third finishes, although the club were found to be performing far worse off the pitch. Hibs were close to bankruptcy in 1990, at which point Hearts owner Wallace Mercer tried to merge the two clubs.

Easter Road in 1985

The fans set up a ‘Hands Off Hibs’ campaign, convincing Kwik Fit owner Sir Tom Farmer to buy a controlling interest in the club despite having no interest in football. In 1991-92, Hibs won the League Cup with a 2-0 win over Dunfermline Athletic with a side including veteran midfielder Murdo MacLeod.

The team returned to the final of the same competition in 1993-94, where they went down 2-1 to Rangers. The team finished third in the 1994-95 Premier League season before Jim Duffy replaced Miller in December 1996, with the goals of Darren Jackson cheering the Easter Road faithful.

Alex McLeish was appointed as manager in February 1998, but couldn’t save his side from relegation. The team returned to the top flight a year later as First Division champions. Kenny Miller’s goals helped Hibs to third place on their Premier League return.

2000-01 saw another defeat in the final of the Scottish Cup as Celtic won 3-0, with McLeish moving to Rangers shortly after to be replaced by popular former player Franck Sauzée. His disastrous three-month spell ended when Bobby Williamson was brought in. While the new man was unpopular with fans, youngsters such as Derek Riordan, Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, and Garry O'Connor got their opportunity in the team. 

Hibernian went down 2-0 to Livingston in the 2003-04 League Cup final before the appointment of manager Tony Mowbray. The former Middlesbrough player was popular with the style of play he employed as he led the side to third place in 2004-05 before heading off to West Bromwich Albion in October 2006, when he was replaced by John Collins.

Collins’ side thumped Kilmarnock 5-1 with goals from Rob Jones, along with pairs from Abdessalam Benjelloun and Steven Fletcher, to lift the 2006-07 League Cup before he resigned owing to a lack of funds to strengthen the side. Mixu Paatelainen arrived as his replacement before he was replaced by John Hughes in June 2009.

He was given funds to buy Liam Miller and Anthony Stokes as the team qualified for the Europa League for the 2010-11 season. However, after a poor start and a first-round elimination, Hughes was sacked to be replaced by Colin Calderwood, who himself lasted just over a year in the hot seat.

Pat Fenlon was recruited from the Irish side Bohemian in November 2011. Hibs managed to avoid relegation at the end of the season and also reached the 2011-12 Scottish Cup final, where their hoodoo continued following a 5-1 defeat to Hearts. Fenlon went about rebuilding his side in readiness for the 2012-13 season.

Hibs reached the Scottish Cup Final in 2012-13, but the long losing run continued as Celtic defeated them 3-0. Fenlon resigned as manager in November 2013 to be replaced by Terry Butcher. The appointment turned out to be a disaster. The team went thirteen games without a win at the end of the 2013-14 season, to land themselves in the relegation play-off against Hamilton Academical. 

Accies went through after a penalty shoot-out at Easter Road to dump Hibs into the newly named second-tier Championship. Alan Stubbs replaced Butcher in the summer of 2014 and was faced with another rebuilding job with the playing squad. Hibs finished in second place in the 2014-15 season but lost out in the play-offs to Rangers, to be resigned to another campaign at the second level of Scottish football.

Hibs reached the play-offs in 2015-16, defeating Raith Rovers before Falkirk ended any dreams of promotion. However, their biggest reward came at Hampden when Rangers were defeated 3-2 as the club lifted the Scottish Cup for the first time since 1902, as two Stokes goals were added to by a David Gray stoppage time winner.

Click here to see Hibs fans celebrate with their Proclaimers anthem, Sunshine on Leith, after joyous celebrations and a long pitch invasion. Stubbs' side also reached the League Cup final, losing 2-1 to Ross County before he departed to take the Rotherham United job, with Neil Lennon taking his place in June 2016 before the goals of Jason Cummings helped Hibernian to the 2016-17 Championship title.

Hibs finished fourth on their Premiership return before Lennon departed in January 2019 to be replaced by Paul Heckingbottom, whose side ended fifth in 2018-19 before the appointment of Jack Ross as manager in November 2019. The Hibees were sitting in fifth place when the 2019-20 season ended early owing to the outbreak of COVID-19. 

It saw Hibs reach the Scottish Cup final, where they lost 1-0 to St. Johnstone. Ross took the side to the League Cup final in 2020-21, going down 2-1 to Celtic before the manager was dismissed. Shaun Maloney had a four-month stint in the hot seat before being replaced by Lee Johnson. He took the team into Europe, but he was shown the door a few games into the 2023-24 campaign. 

Nick Montgomery became the Hibees' new manager. Former Cup final hero David Gray replaced him in May 2024, transforming things markedly as Hibernian finished third.

Hibernian FC will play in the Scottish Premiership in the 2025-26 season.

My visits

Tuesday 29th January 2013

I was staying in Edinburgh for a few days' break, to be joined by my Dad on Tuesday evening, which left me to my own devices during the day. Never shy of adventuring and visiting new grounds and clubs, I marked out a plan of attack. 

Our hotel near the junction of London Road and Leith Walk was only a fifteen-minute walk away at most, but I started my tour for the day just down the road at Meadowbank Stadium, where Edinburgh City were residing.

I got the occasional view of the stands of the stadium as I walked down London Road, before cutting through several streets and walking up Easter Road itself, and then into Albion Road, which had a fine programme shop which was unfortunately closed. I had been close to attending a Hibs game ten days earlier while up north with my pal Karl. 

We were staying in Glasgow, but our first choice of Saturday games was Hibs v Dundee, as Edinburgh was less than an hour on the train. Unfortunately, the threat of snow meant a re-adjustment of our plans, so we ended up having a very enjoyable afternoon at Greenock Morton v Livingston instead.

I more or less gave up gaining access as I got to the locked high gates of Easter Road. None of the corners were open, and there weren't even any large enough gaps to take photos. I was about to give up when I walked to the south end of the stadium and saw some men chatting inside through a small gap in the corner. 

Noticing that the padlock was open by the gate, and after wondering whether I'd land in bother, I pulled the gate open and attracted the attention of one of the men. He turned out to be kind, getting on in years, who said it wouldn't be a problem taking some photos and commented on just how many people they met who wanted to do similar. 

When I told him I was from Scarborough but lived in London, he seemed happy as he'd experienced holidays in the past by the sea, and his daughter also lived in London. I went up near the corner flag to take in the scene and take some photos of the modern all-seater stadium. 

To the goal to my right was the two-tiered South Stand, which housed the away fans. Once, this was an open terrace with views of Arthur's Seat in the distance behind it. The new stand had been put up in the mid-90s, as had the similar Famous Five Stand at the other end. To the left was another two-tiered construction, the West Stand. 

Built in 2001 to replace the old stand and paddock, the two sections were divided by a row of corporate boxes. This stand also contained all the players' facilities and the directors' box. Finally, on the far side was The East Stand, which was a large single tier of seats, where once a covered terrace stood.

I said my thank you's, as one of the groundstaff mentioned that it was wise not to ask the same at Tynecastle as they'd lock me in! I went on my way back to Leith Walk and on to my next venue, St Mark's Park, the home of non-league Craigroyston.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2 Heart of Midlothian 2 after extra time – Inverness win 4-2 on penalties (Sunday 2nd February 2014) Scottish League Cup Semi Final (att: 12,762)

Once a month, I had a Sunday off work and didn’t have to return until 4.15pm on the following Monday. This offered scope to get to games a bit further away than normal, so I decided it was about time to get adventurous.

Having accumulated enough Reward Points with East Coast Trains for a free ride back from Edinburgh to London, I also booked the 11pm coach for the Saturday night from Victoria to the Scottish capital. My kind workmate John Yorke took me off early so that I could get to my departure time, as I must admit to being a little nervous about what to expect.

Fortunately, the service had lots of space, so I secured a double seat for myself. I took a sleeping tablet and, apart from a comfort break at Woodhall Services on the M1, I knew very little about the journey as I drifted in and out of slumber. We arrived at Edinburgh bus station at 7.30am with the light breaking on a clear, cold and windy morning.

Feeling remarkably good, I set off on a touristy walk over the North Bridge and then up the Royal Mile up to the Castle, before heading down into Grassmarket and back round to the new town via Lothian Road. It was a perfect morning for taking photos, and I felt quite happy with myself as I entered the cold Standing Order. 

I took advantage of the good value Wetherspoon breakfast menu while watching Sky Sports News and listening to England’s final debacle on their tour of Australia. The unlimited filter coffee deal kept me going for a while longer while I perused the papers.

With the match kicking off at 12.15 for TV, it was high time to seek refreshment. Although my room wasn’t ready at the York Lodge B&B on York Place, they kindly allowed me to leave my overnight bag. Continuing along, I was thinking of bars along Easter Road until I saw two gents cut down Broughton Street in Hearts scarves towards the Cask & Barrel. 

The pub's website had stated that they opened at 12.30 on a Sunday, but I just had a hunch that I may have been in luck at one of my favourite pubs. Another fan was outside the shut doors, but he told me that they were about to open at 11am. The beer was just as good as I remembered from my visit a year earlier. 

The Orkney Best glided down like cream. I was in a really good mood when I joined the growing crowds along Brunswick Road, Easter Road and then up Albion Road, where I purchased a good match programme for £3.

My £20 ticket was for the East Stand. There was time to grab a pie and head up to the top row before the teams came out in bright sunshine on Leith. Hearts fans filled the stand I was in as well as half of the main West Stand and the bottom tier of the South Stand. Around 1,500 Caley fans occupied the lower tier of the North Stand. 

Their support was magnificent, as it was not possible to get to the game on the day by public transport from the Highlands. My seat was tremendous with an excellent view of the pitch as well as glimpses of Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags behind the south end. Everyone at the back decided to stand up, which was a good idea on such a cold day.

The first half got underway with Inverness the better side. Gradually, the young Jambos side got to grips, aided by the non-stop tackling of Jamie Hamill. Their keeper Jamie MacDonald made a fine save close to the break when Billy McKay broke through. 

The sides had met the previous season at the same stage and at he same venue. On that occasion, the Edinburgh side won the game after a penalty shootout. Chances were so few after forty-five minutes that there was a real possibility of the same result once again.

I went downstairs at the break to use the facilities and enjoy another pie and a much-needed Bovril as the cold bit. The prices were not cheap. It was only ten pence less for my drink than the pie! Hearts returned following the interval looking good, but Caley went ahead in slightly controversial circumstances. 

It looked like a clearance struck one of their players' hands, but the referee, who upset the Jambos at regular intervals, said no. The ball was rolled into the path of Greg Tansey, who nearly tore the net from twenty-five yards on fifty-four minutes. However, the game changed dramatically on sixty-eight minutes when Caley’s Gary Warren picked up a second yellow card for bringing down a player on the edge of the box. 

The Hearts' fans celebrated as though they had scored. Perhaps they could see into the future, as their side’s training ground set piece saw Jamie Hamill’s shot deflect past Den Brill in the Highlander’s net, to cue total mayhem. Two minutes later, Hearts were awarded another free kick around twenty-five yards out. Hamill stepped up and scored with a brilliant curling shot. The Caley fans stood silently in disbelief.

They created a couple of chances that were wasted, before Josh Meekings totally lost his head and brought down a breaking Hearts man with a premeditated body check. Referee John Beaton showed him a straight red card. It all looked over for his team.

Hearts were within a minute of reaching the final, in one of the worst seasons in their history as they struggled for their very existence. They had a corner but lost the ball. Play switched to the other end, and after a scramble, the ball broke loose to Nick Ross, who somehow bundled it into the corner in front of his admiring fans.

A few seconds after the restart, Mr Beaton blew the final whistle. Hearts players collapsed to the floor in sheer agony. Their manager, Gary Locke, somehow had to motivate them. Whatever he told them didn’t work. His tactics were completely wrong, keeping four defenders against an occasional lone striker. There were too many passes without the wide men getting to the byline past their defender. 

Inverness made nonsense of the numerical advantage as they created better chances. The game would be decided on penalty kicks once again, to be taken at our end. Their supporters were not exactly happy. I learned plenty of phrases as well as the words to “Hearts, Hearts Glorious Hearts”, which was repeated many times.

Hearts went first, but both sides missed their openers. I was not alone in sensing it wasn’t going to be Hearts' day. Thistle did not miss another spot kick, which meant that when Paul McCallum missed, it left Ross Draper to slot home the winner and send Inverness to their first national cup final. It took some time to get out of the stadium. I followed the crowds up Easter Road, forgoing the temptation of the packed pubs to watch the Ireland v Scotland Six Nations Rugby.

I cut across to Leith Walk and then to my room for a siesta and shower, before going out to sample some ales in excellent pubs. I was back home with a large fish and battered burger supper to watch all the highlights on Sportscene at 10pm. The game looked just as dramatic on TV, although the two red cards did seem a little on the harsh side.

Following breakfast the next morning in The Playfair, I was on the 10.30am train, ready for work that afternoon. It had been a brilliant brief visit to a magnificent city and one of the best games I’d seen in ages.

Thursday 29th July 2021

With a couple of days off work, I decided to get out and about as the Covid restrictions were being gradually lifted and take a flight to Edinburgh for a day of walking, followed by some beer in quality pubs.

Upon arrival in Athens of the North, I took the Airport 200 bus to the waterfront at Newhaven, followed by a walk through the district of Leith, which was gradually becoming very trendy and somewhere that could be interesting for nightlife. It was only natural to visit a big football stadium as part of the day. 

Easter Road was all locked up, but I had a good wander around to get some photos and additional exercise. Once done, I headed past Meadowbank Stadium, which was in a state of being demolished and rebuilt. Over the road I went through Holyrood Park and climbed Arthur's Seat. Through a lack of experience, I did it from the north-west. Not the easiest of climbs, but sheer bloody-mindedness got me to the top. 

I descended to the south-west, getting a wonderful view of the Peffermill complex as well as Easter Road. I was relieved to clamber down to the other side in excellent company and have a chat with a friendly stranger who had also managed to reach the peak. My destination was the Cask and Barrel South Side, where three pints of perfect ale and a chat with the excellent Polish barman did the job.

He pulled no punches when explaining the rules and directing punters to a seat. One was unimpressed with his bar stool offering in the window, so he walked out. He had a fantastic mixed accent after spending ten years in the city. The location gave me my first look at the south of the city and the University area, walking to my digs off Leith Walk and adjacent to the North Stand of Easter Road. 

Note to self. Remember, suppers come in huge portions. I couldn't finish the two battered burgers and chips from the takeaway on Nicholson Street. After a siesta, I was off to visit a couple of places recommended by a helpful poster on the Non League Forum. The trendy and intimate St. Vincent Bar was followed by The Cumberland Bar, where I was restricted to outside drinking near last orders.

My old favourite, The Cask and Barrel on Broughton Street, where there was only time for two pints as they were closing for the night, nearly as early as my eyes. I didn’t take much rocking to get to sleep. The following morning, I headed home by plane from Glasgow in time for the Hendon v Arsenal friendly.

 

Greenock Morton (Scotland)

Greenock Morton is a professional football club from the old shipbuilding town of Greenock, which is located on the south bank of the River Clyde, approximately twenty-three miles from Glasgow. The club were formed as Morton FC in 1874.

It is thought that Morton comes from a local street called Morton Terrace, which was a road where several players lived. 'The Ton' became founder members of the Scottish League Division Two in 1893-94, moving into their Cappielow Park ground four years later.

Morton were promoted in 1899-00, with the Ton ended in fourth in their debut First Division season before a period of sustained low finishes. Manager Bob Cochrane led the team to another fourth place in 1913-14, which was repeated the following season, before Morton finished third in 1915-16.

There was further improvement in 1916-17 with Morton finishing as league runners-up, followed by successive third places in what turned into a halcyon era for the club, but the crowning glory was to come in the 1921-22 season. Morton won the Scottish Cup when they defeated Rangers 1-0 thanks to a free kick from veteran Jimmy Gourlay in front of 75,000 fans. 

The victorious team featured Scotland international winger Alex McNab. By the end of the 1926-27 campaign, Morton were relegated as David Torrance took over as manager, taking the side to promotion as Division Two runners-up in 1928-29. Cochrane had returned for a second spell in charge as the team were demoted in 1932-33.

Jackie Wright was appointed as manager in 1934, leading the side to promotion as runners-up in 1937-38, but the step up proved too much as the Ton went straight back down before the arrival of new team boss Jimmy Davies, who would remain in the position until 1955.

During World War II, Stanley Matthews and Tommy Lawton guested for the club while on service duties before the club was awarded a top-flight place once peace was restored. Morton reached the Scottish Cup final once more in 1947-48, again to face Rangers.

The game went to replay after a 1-1 draw in which Jimmy Whyte scored Morton’s goal, with the Ibrox outfit scoring the only goal in extra time in the second match. The two matches attracted astonishing crowds of 132,629 and then 133,750 to Hampden Park. The team was relegated once more in 1948-49 before being crowned as Second Division champions twelve months later, retaining their top-tier status until 1951-52 when they dropped down once more.

Gibby McKenzie took over as manager in 1955 before being replaced by Jimmy McIntosh a couple of years later, before the appointment of Hal Stewart in 1961. After a couple of narrow misses in the league, Morton reached the League Cup final in 1962-63, going down 5-0 against Rangers in front of a 106,000 crowd.

Morton were promoted as Second Division champions in 1963-64 with the help of the goals of Allan McGraw before dropping back down after two seasons of First Division football. Yet again, the club recovered and collected another second-tier championship at the first time of asking before consolidating their status with Joe Harper putting away the goals.

European football came to Cappielow in the 1967-68 season with Morton competing in the Inter City Fairs Cup, where they were defeated by Chelsea, while a young Joe Jordan started his career at the club before moving to Leeds United. Donald Gillies became a regular scorer in the side where Davie Hayes became a stalwart. 

After restructuring and the introduction of the Premier Division for 1975-76, Morton were placed in the second level First Division after a managerial spell from Erik Sørensen. Joe Gilroy had a season in charge before the arrival of Benny Rooney. Andy Ritchie began a career of thrilling the Cappielow faithful with his goalscoring as Morton won the First Division title in 1977-78, before remaining a Premier Division club until the end of the 1982-83 season.

The era saw outstanding service from players John McNeil, Jim Holmes and Roy Baines. Tommy McLean took over as manager for a season, taking Morton to the First Division title before he was replaced by Willie McLean for the 1984-85 campaign, which ended in relegation.

Former star Allan McGraw took over the managerial reins, taking his side to the 1986-87 First Division title as Rowan Alexander top scored. Not for the first time, Morton were relegated after just one season of top-level football. Future club record appearance holder Derek Collins came into the team alongside long-serving goalkeeper David Wylie. 

The Ton reached the 1991-92 Scottish Challenge Cup final, before going down 3-2 to Hamilton Academical, before the team was relegated to the Second Division in 1993-94. The third-tier title was won at the first attempt, with Derek Lilley finding the net regularly after the club had changed their name to Greenock Morton to acknowledge their hometown. 

Billy Stark came in as the new manager in 1997, as Warren Hawke scored the goals. Morton went down again in the 2000-01 season as the club entered administration with its finances in a perilous state. A second successive relegation followed as the club found themselves in Scottish football's fourth tier.

Fortunately, the club were taken over by confectionery businessman Douglas Rae as the team won the Division Three title at the first attempt in 2002-03 with Peter Weatherson leading the scoring under the managership of John McCormack, as the deciding league game drew a gate of 8,479 to Cappielow.

Jim McInally came in as manager as the team failed to secure another elevation, and he led the side up at the end of the 2006-07 season after three seasons of narrow failure. Morton's promotion to the First Division saw a few seasons of struggle. Managers McInally, Davie Irons and James Grady all took turns to try and lift the Tons to the Premier League without success.

Former winger with several clubs, Allan Moore, arrived from Stirling Albion with a good track record in May 2010. He came close to taking Morton back to the Premier League in 2012-13, but they lost in the title race to Partick Thistle, eventually finishing as runners-up after Peter MacDonald had led the forward line to great effect.

The Ton were relegated the following season with Kenny Shiels in charge of the side before he was replaced by Jim Duffy. The goals of Declan McManus helped Morton to the League Two title in 2014-15 and an immediate return to the second tier, where they consolidated with Denny Johnstone leading the scoring.

A fourth place in 2016-17 led to the play-offs, where Dundee United ended any dreams of promotion. Ray McKinnon took over from Duffy in May 2018, lasting until August when he was tempted away by Falkirk’s overtures. Jonatan Johansson was appointed in his place.

Former Scottish international David Hopkin was appointed as manager in May 2019, with Bob McHugh’s goals helping the side to seventh place when the 2019-20 season was ended early owing to the outbreak of Coronavirus. It was announced in July 2020 that ownership of the club would be passed on to the fans group ‘Morton Club Together’ for a nominal sum in March 2021. 

That was on the provision that they could prove its sustainability to owner Crawford Rae, who wiped off debts and turned down more lucrative offers. Gus MacPherson was appointed manager in March 2021 as the club secured their Championship status with playoff victories over Montrose and Airdrieonians.

Dougie Imrie took over the managerial reins at Cappielow in December 2021, taking the side to consecutive fifth-place finishes.

Greenock Morton FC will play in the Scottish Championship in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Greenock Morton 2 Livingston 1 (Saturday 19th January 2013) Scottish League Division One (att: 1,913)

It was that time of the year when I had a weekend off work and decided that a lads away was in order. After visiting Dusseldorf the previous year, my good pal Karl Theobald expressed an interest in visiting Glasgow. That was fine for me, as I'd enjoyed several great nights out there in the past. We'd gone on a tour of Ibrox on the Friday evening before enjoying a very good night out. 

Our original plan was to head to the Premier League encounter between Hibernian and Dundee, but the weather that had hit large parts of the UK had threatened to arrive in Edinburgh. The last thing we wanted was a wasted afternoon, so over a coffee, I suggested either Morton or Partick Thistle against Falkirk. 

After checking the league table, it revealed that the Ton were top and Livi third, plus the attraction of being able to stand up, we agreed to have a ride along the banks of the Clyde. Our ticket seller at Central Station told us we needed to be 'kegged up' if we were heading to the match. This didn't augur well, but he was laughing, so I presumed he was joking. 

After a beer in the Crystal Palace, which was filling with Celtic fans, we jumped aboard the Gourock train, alighting at Cartsdyke. After a short walk, we found ourselves in a bar, which I think may have been called The Norseman. The place had seen better days, but haven't we all and the welcome was warm.

We enjoyed a couple of Tenants while chatting to fans of both sides. There was certainly plenty of away support enjoying the warmth. At around 2.45, we entered Cappielow for £15 and immediately fell for the place. The Main Stand was long and low with a raised seating deck and magnificent floodlights raised on the roof and the railway line behind it. 

The Livi fans sat at the far end, with just about all the inhabitants of the pub in there. The far Wee Dublin End was closed, but it was an open end with bench seats bolted onto it. Apparently, a roof had been bought from St Mirren's old Love Street ground and was going to go up over the seats. The Sinclair Street End had an open terracing with thick round crush barriers, but the crowning glory was The Cowshed. 

It covered most of the final side with a good bank of terracing underneath. A few rows of seats were at the front, with the steps having magnificent, wide barriers that were perfect for balancing warm drinks. The catering had to be tried, as the super-efficient snack bar was found in the concourse behind the shed. 

The scotch pie and chicken broth proved outstanding value for £2.50. We had rapidly grown a soft spot for the Ton. I wasn't a big fan of Livingston anyway, as they were one of the first 'franchise' clubs when they moved Meadowbank Thistle lock, stock and barrel to their new town. It was good to see the teams emerge with the officials and get straight on with proceedings without any handshaking nonsense. 

Later on, any substitutions were sorted by the linesman on the far side. There was no fourth official, prompting the question of what the point of them was. Incidentally, we had lineswoman Lorraine Clark on the near side who seemed to do a decent job, or did the players and fans cut her a bit of extra slack? A few weeks earlier, she had run the line at Rangers against Berwick Rangers in front of nearly 45,000 fans.

The locals roared their team on, with some of the distinguishable comments making us laugh out loud. They certainly didn't take kindly to the antics of a visiting player who fell over, despite being nearly snapped in half by one of their heroes. The rich accents only added to the effect.
A fine move from a corner led to Martin Hardie firing Morton ahead. They played some nice stuff, but lost their way somewhat as the talented visitors got a hold of the game. 

We commented at half-time that Morton needed a second goal as Livi looked dangerous. 

However, when the equaliser did come, it was from a goalkeeping error Greavsie used to thrive on when hosting his Saturday lunchtime programme with Ian St John. A weak shot from Iain Russell sneaked past Derek Gaston. As Karl said at the time, "I'd have saved that."

Rather than knocking the stuffing out of the home side as it could have easily done, they pulled themselves together and scored what would prove to be the winner with twenty-two minutes remaining when Peter MacDonald headed home at the far post.

We went and stood on the open end with around ten minutes to go, before making a bolt for it five minutes from the end. We wanted to catch the 4.51 train back to go for a meal and to prepare for our Saturday night out, as otherwise we'd have been waiting for a further thirty minutes in what was, in all fairness, not a great place.

A home fan was standing on the bridge at the station, where he was following the crowd's reaction as a guide to the action. The crowd at the back were visible, but not the players. Karl mentioned that we were surprised at the gate figure that had been announced. Our pal said something along the lines of "Oh, they're at that game again." 

We boarded the warm train and caught up with the scores elsewhere before nodding off and waking as we passed Ibrox. We really enjoyed the afternoon out at a proper football ground. It was the perfect afternoon to build up for what was an even better night out!