Hearts no longer the bridesmaid

NOBBY PILES

Two months ago in this column it was forecast that the Scottish Premier League this season would once again be a battle between the Old Firm of Rangers and Celtic with the other 10 teams in their usual role making up the numbers. Wrong again Nobby.

It seemed a pretty safe prediction to make. After all it has been 20 seasons since a club other than Rangers or Celtic have won the title and a decade since another club managed even second place.

But glance at the table at the moment and it looks like a misprint. Celtic are in second spot while Rangers are wallowing in fifth place, something almost unheard of.

Proudly standing at the top of the table, five points ahead of Celtic and an extraordinary 11 points clear of Rangers are the Edinburgh side Heart of Midlothian, having played eight and won eight. You can't get much better than that.

Any lingering doubts that this was just some early-season fluke were quelled last weekend when Hearts duly dumped Rangers 1-0 at Tynecastle Stadium. The Jambos (or Jam Tarts) are the real deal this season.

However it was slightly disappointing to hear the scorer of that goal, Roman Bednar, say he would be satisfied if Hearts finished third. Come on lads, think positive!

It is early days yet, of course, and in the past Hearts fans have suffered so many disappointments they will not be getting too excited. The last time they won the title was back in 1960. But whatever happens, at least they will have given those two Glasgow giants bit of a jolt.

Hearts have long been regarded as the "third team" in Scotland _ although Aberdeen fans might dispute that _ never quite being able to make an impression on Celtic and Rangers. It is no coincidence that one of their fanzines is named Always the Bridesmaid.

There is something quite appealing about Hearts and it is not just their attractive kit of maroon shirts and white shorts. For a start the very name Heart of Midlothian has a romantic ring to it. The name is derived from an old dance hall in Edinbugh which featured in Sir Walter Scott's novel, The Heart of Midlothian.

There is a poignant side to their history too. When World War I broke out in 1914 the entire team volunteered for military duty and seven players were killed in action.

Hearts' strongest team was in the late 1950s when they won the league twice thanks to the "terrible trio" of Willie Bauld, Alex Young and Alfie Conn up front and midfielder Dave Mackay who went on to play for Tottenham Hotspur's Double-winning squad.

Since then they have not exactly set the league alight and in 1977 suffered the ignominy of being relegated for the first time in their 103-year history.

Hearts were desperately unlucky not to win two more league titles. In 1965 they finished joint top with Kilmarnock having scored many more goals than their rivals with a much more impressive goal difference. But in those days goal "average" was still being used and not "difference" as is the case today. So Hearts missed out by a fraction, Kilmarnock having conceded fewer goals.

Hearts were so disappointed they spearheaded moves to persuade the Scottish league to adopt goal "difference", which was duly approved.

By a cruel twist of fate, Hearts found themselves in the same position 21 years later with the same number of points as Celtic but a slightly inferior goal difference. If goal average had been used, the Jam Tarts would have been the 1986 champions.

Let's hope that writing this is not the kiss of death for the Jambos. One of the Hearts supporters songs goes:

"This is our story, this is our song;

Follow the Hearts and you can't go wrong,

Some say that the Rangers and Celtic are grand;

But the boys in Maroon are the best in the land."

For the moment, at least , Hearts supporters can sing the last line with some conviction. Let's hope they can do the same at the end of the season.