Scotland could end their twenty-two year wait for a place at a major tournament with a victory over eastern-European outfit, Serbia, in Belgrade, tomorrow night.
Scotland are undefeated in their last seven competitive games, including victories over Czech Republic, and a dramatic penalty shoutout win over Israel. Serbia come into the game without a win in three and are without Bundesliga defender Milos Veljkovic and Sassulo midfielder Filip Djuricic.
Scotland will be missing Premier League winger Ryan Fraser and Norwich City centre-half Grant Hanley, who have both withdrawn through injury.
With Hibs away fast approaching we look back at the last time the sides met at Easter Road.
Hearts left Leith in September with all 3 points after an Aaron Hickey deflected strike secured Hearts’ first league win of the season.
After a cagey first half with Hearts having majority of possession and the better chances, the teams went in at the break 0-0. The game was turned on its head only 2 minutes after half time as Hibs midfielder Stevie Mallan collected the ball some 30 yards from goal took a couple of touches to steady himself then unleashed a superb dipping and swerving strike which flew past Hearts goalkeeper Joel Pereira to put Hibs 1-0 up.
Hibs should’ve doubled their lead moments later when a deflected shot dropped perfectly into the path of Melker Hallberg inside the Hearts box. However, the Swede skewed his shot well wide of the post sparing the Hearts defences blushes.
Hearts got their equalizer from a short corner as a knockdown from skipper Christophe Berra came to Uche Ikpeazu who showed his brute strength to hold off the Hibs defenders on the edge of the 6 yard box to turn and put the ball past the Hibs goalkeeper much to the Hearts fans delight.
In the 84th minute step forward Hearts youngster Aaron Hickey. The 17 year old left back was probably the last player the fans expected to score the winner but after some nice footwork from Uche on the edge of the Hibs box he laid it to the oncoming Hickey, who with the aid of a deflection, scored the winner to send the Dunbar end into raptures. Hearts managed to hold on till the final whistle and with Daniel Stendel’s men going into this game as underdogs yet again whose to say another Hearts youngster can’t be the hero.
At the time of writing Hearts are at the foot of the Labrokes Scottish Premier League table. With only 12 games remaining many have tipped Hearts to face the drop. As a fan it’s a worrying time, the most worrying thing perhaps is that no matter what has changed this season we are still seriously struggling. Craig Levein was relieved of his duties at the end of October leaving us 10th in the league. He was replaced by German manager Daniel Stendel who brought in 4 new signings in the January transfer window with 7 leaving the club. But with only 3 league wins all season there is no denying we deserve to be in this position. The playing style has no doubt improved with more goals being scored but our problems revolve around the defence.
Tynecastle crowds may lower if they gone down next season
There is no denying the importance of the next 12 games. The club is in great danger of relegation and soon games will start to run out. Hearts are 1 point off 11th placed Hamilton who they faced at Tynecastle last Saturday. Hearts were poor to say the least going 2 goals down in 17 minutes it took everything we had to rescue a point against 10-man Hamilton. Mentally this result can have a huge impact on our season. Playing 11th placed at home and we still couldn’t muster a performance to get a crucial 3 points. Hearts have got to start picking up wins.
A second half Sean Clare penalty was enough to see off Falkirk as Hearts went through to the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup.
A cold Friday night in Falkirk
The arrival of storm Ciara during the day ensured windy conditions at the Falkirk stadium with the ball spending the majority of the first half in the air with little football played. Such was the wind and rain that both Clare and Falkirks Pail Dixon were booked as a result of challenges caused by slipping on the Astroturf pitch. Hearts struggled to breakdown a stubborn Falkirk defence and made few clear-cut chances as a reflection of their league form and went into the break goal less.
5 minutes into the second half the game turned on its head as a long ball from the Hearts goalkeeper Joel Pereira to Liam Boyce left the Northern Irishman through on goal where he was brought down by Falkirk defender Michael Doyle. The referee had no doubt in his mind as he awarded Hearts their fourth penalty of the season.
Up stepped newly transitioned right back Sean Clare who is enjoying a current rich vein of form with 4 goals in 6 games. He calmly stepped up sending goalkeeper Robbie Mutch the wrong way much to the delight of the gorgie contingent housed behind the goal.
Falkirk responded well nearly equalising right away as Declan McManus was denied by the woodwork twice from shots outside the box.
Gary Miller nearly bettered McManus with his attempt flying past Pereira but crashing against the crossbar.
With storm Ciara causing havoc and the rain getting worse chances were drying up but Hearts had a great opportunity to double their lead after a deflected shot from Boyce fell to the path of youngster Euan Henderson who could only shoot wide of the post.
Falkirk kept looking for an equaliser but Hearts held on to go through to the next round of the Scottish cup.
The Austrian played a pivotal role in Craig Leveins midfield last season paired with Arnoud Djoum in the midfield he scored 7 goals and got 3 assists in between injuries. After the success of his debut season Haring penned a new deal with Hearts until 2024, already a fans favourite with his tough tackling, positional awareness and excellent heading ability the Gorgie faithful were looking forward to seeing Haring kick on and help Hearts improve on last season’s finish.
Haring in action for former club SV Ried
Though Peter Haring has not been seen in a maroon jersey since the Scottish cup final defeat to Celtic in May. With the game poised at 1-1 Haring, having been excellent the whole game was forced to come off due to a hernia injury he was suffering in the weeks leading up to the final. As soon as he went off Hearts conceded another goal and the final was lost. After all attempts within the club at getting him fit over the summer were unsuccessful Hearts last option was to send him out to specialists in the hope, they could detect something which the club couldn’t. Prior to the cup final Haring did go under the knife in a double hernia operation so it was thought he could be suffering from the aftermath of that. After meeting a specialist in Austria Haring’s future and fitness remained unclear. The specialist’s main advice was to rest, news neither the player or fans wanted to hear with Hearts at the foot of the table a player of Harings stature would be a huge boost to the current squad. The specialist was also unable to provide a clear diagnosis according to manager Daniel Stendel who would also be keen to add him to his match day squad with current centre midfielders Oliver Bozanic, Andy Irving and Loic Damour coming under a lot of criticism for there below par performances. As for now the closest Peter Haring will be to the pitch is continuing his work with Stendel as his interpreter.
Its an issue that’s been soiling our game for hundreds of years. Sectarianism. Anyone who knows anything about football will know of the Old Firm. They will also know the rivalry between Glasgow’s big two isn’t just about football. The rivalry and pure hatred stems from a religious background with Celtic seen as the Catholics and Rangers as the Protestants. Deaths and assaults have been directly linked to sectarianism in Glasgow and the issue doesn’t seem to be getting resolved any time soon with both Orange and Republican marches still a regular occurrence in the city with many arrests recorded during the marches.
The Celtic and Rangers divide
In truth, the majority of football fans are bored of it. Religion and football are two completely different topics and there is no correlation between the two. Off field issues regarding sectarianism are starting to take up column inches every week and chants containing vulgar sectarian slurs are still being sung from the stands.
Now it looks like Sectarianism is damaging into the Edinburgh derby. A chant favoured by the Rangers faithful “hullo, hullo” has been adopted by Hearts fans. The sickening chant, which includes the line “up to our knees in fenian blood” is a blatant and obvious example of sectarianism.
The question that the SFA and UEFA can’t seem to answer however is, how can we stop it? The reality is you can’t. People will always say whatever they feel like at the football our only hope as a nation is to educate those who don’t see it as an issue. It’s often the younger generation seeing their elders coming out with such language so in order to stop that we have to target the school systems. Frank talks and discussions should be held across the country showing Scotland’s youth the severity of these slurs and what they actually mean.
If we do not educate people and actively attempt to put an end to it then sectarianism will continue to be rife in Scottish football for decades to come.
Once again, my weekend has been ruined. Nothing major or horrific has happened, I still have my health, my family is well, and I went out with friends. But again, my football team, Heart Of Midlothian have lost.
My tale is one similar to many. You’re brought up supporting the team your dad supports, because his dad supported them and so did his dad and so on. Heart of Midlothian have been in my family for generations and the buck doesn’t stop here with me, my two brothers and cousin all having season tickets for the 5th season in a row. But it is only now I’m coming to the realisation this is a toxic relationship between me and hearts.
The feelings of frustration, sadness and emptiness have become all to common for me. To many this seems like an insensitive and ridiculous comment to make. How can something so futile as watching 22 men kick a ball be described as toxic? The amount of sheer hatred and fury that watching Hearts produces from myself and thousands of others is nothing short of disgraceful and frankly pathetic. Yet I still go every week, home and away. This season alone I’ve gone to 28 games and were not halfway through. This club brings so much anger but I always think they can change. No matter how bad they are and how mad they make me by Wednesday/ Thursday I’ve bought match tickets, train or bus tickets and organised my whole weekend around them. I insist on coming back because I know nothing in my life makes me happier than watching Hearts win. I can’t begin to describe the feeling. Beating one of our rivals will make my week and improve my mood ridiculously and I’ll be the happiest guy in the room. But at this current stage in my life nothing makes me more down than Hearts and nothing can make me happier than Hearts. That for me is toxic.
It’s British footballs worst kept secret but the working class are being priced out of Scottish football. With season ticket prices rising each year at the majority of Scottish clubs is football losing its working class roots?
The price of football in general is going up with replica shirts, programmes and even food from the ground rising in the last ten years families up and down the country are struggling to afford supporting their team.
Just recently Hearts released ticket prices for their quarter final tie against Rangers.
Having beaten Rangers just last month Daniel Stendel commented on the support of a full Tynecastle have with the atmosphere helping spur the players on, as before the game Rangers were considered the favourites.
Hearts priced the tickets as £30 for adults and £12 for under 16’s.
These prices are ridiculously high, since it’s a cup game everyone who goes has to buy a ticket as season tickets don’t include cup ties this meaning to get a full house at Tynecastle, the one thing Stendel wants from his fans that will benefit the team, 17,000 are going to have to fork out.
For the earlier cup game against Airdrie tickets were capped at £15 this resulted in a near full Tynecaslte with the atmosphere spurring the team on. With Hearts having their worst season in years its understandable why fans wont rush to the ticket offices to pay well over priced tickets to see Hearts. The likely outcome of this is a half empty stadium with the poor atmosphere affecting the players and Hearts going out the cup.
A similar scene may reoccur against Rangers
Sir Alex Ferguson, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein are 3 of Scottish footballs greatest ever exports. All had glittering careers winning every title in the game. All 4 grew up in predominantly working-class areas and credited their hard-working attitude to their past. If Scottish football clubs don’t clamp down on ticket prices its likely we’ll never see the likes again
Over the course of the season I have gone to manyHearts matches. Ive travelled accross the country to summers days in Cowdenbeath to January nights in Dingwall. I’ve spent most of my studen loan on match tickets, train tickets, crates of Tennents and pints all over Scotland. Over the 28 games Ive visited all 12 SPFL grounds and after a long process of determining the best away day.
The chosen away day will come as a suprise to many and is not considered a good day out by alot of Scottish football fans.
For me, the best away day in Scottish football is **drum roll** Rugby Park home of Kilmarknock FC.
I’ve had the pleasure of going up to Killie a few times but this season was the best.
The early train to Glasgow from Edinburgh went quicker thanks to the tins and massses of Jambos also travelling. A quick stop off at the Horsehoe bar where a delicious bacon roll was consumned as we moved between Queen Street and Central station. The train pulled into Kilmarknock at around 1 o’clock 2 hours before kick off.
We stopped off at the Mack’s bar a mere 5 minute walk from the station. A relaxed crowd with Hearts and Killie fans mixing, we went to watch the early Premier League game and have a couple more drinks but were met by friendly bar staff offering a warm welcome along with a jukebox a pool table and well priced food and drink. After popping to a couple more pubs on the way to the ground we finally arrived. After scanning our tickets the first thing of course was head to the food kiosk to sample the famous Killie pie which really are just as good as legend leads you to believe.
As for the game itself we were 3-0 down within 15 minutes and was probably the worst performance of the season. But really, who cares? We go to the football to have a break from our lives to go out with friends you’ve not seen in a while and to have a few drinks over the weekend. Winning at the football is just an added bonus.
Salt & Sauce Soccer 