Hearts to honour Pressley's international milestone

STEVEN Pressley's achievement of becoming the most-capped Hearts player in history is to be recognised by the club with a special award. The centre-back equalled Bobby Walker's record of 29 caps in Saturday's 6-0 thrashing of the Faroe Isles, and if, as expected, he takes the field against Lithuania tonight he will be the sole record-holder.

Ideally, a presentation to the Hearts captain would be made at Tynecastle before or after a game, but the club will ask the player what his own preferences are before finalising their arrangements. "We'll consult with Steven about the exact time and nature of the tribute," a club spokesperson said.

Walker's record had stood unrivalled since 1913, when he won his final cap in his 11th appearance against England.

As reported in The Scotsman on Saturday, Walker's birthplace has variously been given as Dalry in Ayrshire, Dalry in Edinburgh, or Coatbridge. Subsequent research, however, has revealed that the man who was to become one of Hearts' greatest players was born at 3 Dalrymple Place, Edinburgh, on 10 January, 1879. His birth certificate gives his full name as Robert Staig Walker - Staig being his mother's maiden name.

Dalrymple Place was in the Dumbiedykes district on the south side of Edinburgh. It vanished when the area was redeveloped in the 1960s.

Walker died in the capital on 28 August, 1930, at the age of just 51.

Taken from the Scotsman