Three years
after emerging from the wilderness of First Division football, of enduring the
inept tactics of manager Tony Ford, of losing to Queens Park and East
Stirlingshire and of being threatened with part-time football, Hearts were on
the verge of a climax of an astonishing recovery. Former Rangers player Alex
MacDonald had replaced Ford as player manager in 1981 and sought the help of
his good friend and former Rangers colleague Sandy Jardine to rebuild
Edinburgh’s finest football club. MacDonald brought experienced players such as
Willie Johnston and Jimmy Bone to the club and they were instrumental in the
development of some promising Hearts kids such as John Robertson, Gary Mackay
and Davie Bowman. By the time season 1985/86 commenced, ‘Bud’ Johnston and Bone
had departed Tynecastle but they left a younger Hearts team that was now established
in the cutthroat Premier Division.
MacDonald was
still in charge and with money tight, his eye at spotting a bargain that would
nonetheless improve the team was crucial to Hearts continued development
throughout the 1980s. In the summer of 1985, MacDonald paid Celtic £60,000 for
winger John Colquhoun and the Stirling born player would provide the service to
strikers John Robertson and Sandy Clark. Midfielder Iain Jardine arrived a few
weeks into the season and with Craig Levein a commanding presence in defence
alongside the evergreen Sandy Jardine and the industrious Kenny Black in
midfield, the Hearts team was slowly transforming from one that was looking to
survive in the Premier Division to one that might actually think about
challenging the dominance of the top two in Scotland. And younger readers may
be surprised to learn that in the early 1980s Scotland’s top two clubs were not
Celtic and Rangers - they were Aberdeen and Dundee United. The Dons, in
particular, were one of the finest teams in Europe and under manager Alex
Ferguson had won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1983 as well as several
Scottish League championships and Scottish Cups that decade. Indeed, they were
reigning league champions when season 1985/86 kicked off.
Hearts began
the season with a 1-1 draw against Celtic at Tynecastle. New signing John
Colquhoun scored the opening goal against the team he had just left and it took
a last minute equaliser from Paul McStay to rob Hearts of a brilliant start to
the league campaign. That goal from the Celtic midfielder would prove hugely
significant on the very last game of the season…
Hearts were
then affected by injuries and suspensions - Sandy Clark and full back Walter
Kidd were sent off in a 3-1 defeat to Rangers dubbed ‘the battle of Ibrox’ and
when the Maroons lost to Aberdeen, Motherwell and Clydebank they were sinking
towards the bottom of the league - only pointless Hibernian sparing Hearts the
indignity….
Slowly Hearts
began to get their absent players back but when Iain Jardine scored his first
goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against Dundee at Tynecastle in October few of
us envisaged this would be the beginning of one of the most astonishing
sequence of games in Scottish football history. Seven days later Hearts
travelled to Celtic Park and produced the shock result of the day, a rare 1-0
victory in the east end of Glasgow. They followed this up with a 3-0 victory
over St. Mirren and a result that instilled bucketfuls of self-belief - a 1-0
win over champions Aberdeen on a rain-lashed Wednesday evening at Tynecastle
thanks to a goal from Craig Levein. When Rangers were comprehensively beaten
3-0 in Gorgie a fortnight later heads began to turn Tynecastle way.
After an
injury hit start to the season Hearts players were now fit and raring to go.
Alex MacDonald had also instilled a discipline into his players so yellow and
red cards were kept to a minimum. MacDonald was able to keep the same starting
eleven for several weeks and the players had a system where they all knew what
each other was doing. In November, Scotland were involved in a two-legged
play-off to reach the World Cup finals in Mexico the following year. Difficult
enough but their opponents were Australia - meaning those top flight league
fixtures involving Scotland’s ‘top four’ were postponed to allow the national
side to prepare. Hearts, however, carried on and continued to produce good
football and rack up the results. Four days before Christmas, Hearts defeated
St. Mirren in Paisley - and proudly sat top of the league. Yes, other teams had
games in hand thanks to the Scotland situation but when Hearts defeated Rangers
2-0 at Ibrox three days after Christmas they had well and truly posted their
intentions. Hearts had joined the big players at the table and were blowing their
cigar smoke in the faces of the big four.
The question
was could Hearts maintain their challenge? The acid test came in the last week
in January when they travelled to Aberdeen. 5,000 Hearts fans headed to the
Granite City to see their team, unbeaten since the end of September, take on
the league champions in their own patch. MacDonald organised his troops
accordingly and The Dons struggled to break through the silver-shirted Hearts
defence. When MacDonald replaced John Robertson with the old warhorse that was
Colin McAdam with just eight minutes left, Hearts appeared to have settled for
a priceless away point. Then Walter Kidd played a long ball towards John
Colquhoun. JC skipped his way past the trailing Aberdeen defenders Willie
Miller and Alex McLeish and stroked the ball past a bemused Dons keeper Jim
Leighton to secure a famous and crucial Hearts victory. The travelling support
in the Beach End were ecstatic. Their chants of ‘We’re Gonna Win the League’
were now a serious prospect rather than a fanciful whim.
Hearts
continued their unbeaten run as the end of the season hovered into view. Their
nearest challengers for the title appeared to be Dundee United and when Hearts
won 3-0 at Tannadice following an unforgettable April afternoon on Tayside it
seemed the fantasy of Hearts becoming champions was about to become incredible
reality. A week later though came the first signs of nerves. Aberdeen came to
Tynecastle and the game was switched to a Sunday to accommodate live television
coverage - the first league fixture to be covered live on television in
Scotland. Hearts looked out of sorts and had to thank John Colquhoun for a late
equaliser in a 1-1 draw. Celtic had now emerged as the main threat to Hearts
title aspirations and Dundee would prove key players in the dramatic end to the
season.
When Hearts
entertained Clydebank on the last Saturday in April, they had just two games
left - and were four points clear of Celtic. Back in the 1980s there were just
two points awarded for a win and although Davie Hay’s side had a game in hand,
Hearts fans knew if their team defeated Clydebank and Celtic lost at home to
Dundee the league flag would be on its way to Tynecastle for the first time
in 26 years. A nervous Hearts team won 1-0 thanks to a Gary Mackay goal - but,
as they would do seven days later, Dundee proved party-poopers by losing in
Glasgow. Inevitably, Celtic won their game in hand and so were just two points
behind Hearts when the curtain came down on the league season on 3 May 1986.
Hearts needed
just a single point for glory. In fact, they had a superior goal difference so
they might even lose their first game in eight months and still become
champions - providing Celtic didn’t score a barrow load of goals against St.
Mirren in Paisley…
15,000 Hearts
fans headed for Dundee ready to party like there wouldn’t be a 4th
of May. Hearts only needed a draw and were unbeaten in 31 league and cup games.
Celtic needed to thrash St. Mirren. Surely, nothing could go wrong…?
The events of
that day are ingrained on the memory of every Hearts fan who was there. My wife
was expecting our first child just a week later so I was in ecstatic mood
anyway. Then I read a copy of the Daily Record on the way to Dundee and
read about the events of 1965 when Hearts needed to avoid a 2-0 defeat to
Kilmarnock on the last game of the season to clinch the league championship -
and duly lost 2-0 to hand the title to the Rugby Park side. In all the
excitement, I hadn’t thought about that. Now the first seeds of doubt were
planted in my head. I wondered if the same was happening to the Hearts players.
Then rumours circulated about a sickness virus affecting the Hearts team. We
watched the players warm up on the Dens Park pitch - they looked fine to us.
Hang on, though - there was no sign of Craig Levein. Roddy MacDonald was
drafted in. It later transpired that the bug had affected five Hearts players.
As the game kicked off it certainly looked like it.
Hearts looked
a pale shadow of the team that had swept all before them since October. Sandy
Clark was bundled off the ball in the penalty box in the first half and 15,000
Hearts fans screamed for a penalty kick. Nothing doing said referee Bill
Crombie - ironically from Edinburgh. My anecdotal tale about Mr Crombie is I
interviewed him for a job several years later - he didn’t get it…
Hearts
struggled all afternoon while Dundee believed if they won and Motherwell won at
Ibrox they would be in the following season’s UEFA Cup - so the incentive for
the Dark Blues was certainly there. As we stood nervously on the open terracing
behind the goal, we wondered if St. Mirren might come to Hearts aid and take a
point off Celtic or at least keep things tight. The fella in front of me had a
radio to his ear and was nearly embroiled in a fight when he relayed the news
to irritated Hearts fans that Celtic were four goals ahead at half time. The
Hoops added a fifth in the second half and now had the better goal difference.
However, we tried to calm our nerves with the belief that it didn’t matter if
Celtic scored ten goals, as long as Hearts secured the single point needed for
glory. Although the silver-shirted Hearts players were collectively having a
poor game, we still believed they would get this point. I checked my watch for
the hundredth time that afternoon. There were just eight minutes to go when
Dundee won a corner at the end where the Hearts masses had congregated. As the
ball came in it fell at the feet of substitute Albert Kidd. His effort on goal
flew into the roof of the net and the Dundee fans leapt for joy. The massed
ranks of Hearts fans stood motionless, as if time had stopped. Our world
certainly had. As the disconsolate Hearts players made their way to the centre
circle to re-start the game, I shouted ‘C’mon Hearts - we can still do this!’ I
was a lone voice - in our heart of hearts, we knew the dream was over, a
suspicion confirmed when the blasted Kidd added a second goal a minute from the
end. It was all over. Hearts lost 2-0, their first defeat in 31 games and eight
months. Celtic won 5-0 and therefore clinched the league championship on goal
difference.
I lived in
Aberdeen at the time and a relatively short journey home turned into the
longest trip in the world. My mate and I sat on the bus back to the Granite
City and said nothing to each other. On arrival in Aberdeen, we went for a
quick pint but our sombre mood didn’t call for alcohol, particularly as more
than one smart Alec in the pub noticed our crumpled Hearts scarves sticking out
our pockets and made a less than sympathetic comment.
I made my way
home and my wife at the time greeted me with the news she thought she felt our
first baby might be on its way. Selfishly and to my eternal shame, I ignored
her and headed for bed. It was 7.30pm on a Saturday night and I just wanted the
world to end. It was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, only
surpassed by the sudden death of my father in 1997.
Thankfully,
my wife didn’t go into labour that evening. Along with 40,000 other Hearts fans
I tried recover some kind of composure and headed to the Scottish Cup Final
against Aberdeen at Hampden a week later. However, deep down Hearts fans knew
the events at Dens Park had ripped the soul out of the Hearts players and
Aberdeen won 3-0 to end any dreams of silverware.
A week later
and my first child, Laura was born. Three successive Saturdays in May 1986 saw
the three most emotional experiences of my life and, thankfully, ended with the
joy and gift of a new life.
Of course,
seeing Hearts lift the Scottish Cup in 1998, 2006 and 2012 exorcised some of
the ghosts of 1986. But, try as I might, I can never forget that day at
Dens Park…
