Kitted Out

There is nothing more exciting than an Edinburgh Derby, the anticipation of seeing something special unfold at Tynecastle. Since supporting Hearts from the mid-eighties, I have been lucky enough to watch some fantastic derby wins. I am also well aware of the relative stranglehold we have had over our neighbours at Tynecastle during that time period. Since 1983 we have played at Tynecastle 67 times, winning 34, drawing 24 and losing a meagre 9 games.

In all competitive games against

Hibs since 1983, we have played 142, won 62, drawn 50 and lost 30. Again, a very decent record over that period. This then got me thinking about some of the great Hearts players that had graced the Tynecastle turf and who had fared the best against Hibs?

After researching via the superb London Hearts website, it became clear that there were 5 stand-outs; John Robertson, Gary Mackay, Henry Smith, Craig Levein and John Colquhoun. The statistics speak for themselves:

Rank Player Games Won Drawn Lost Goals

1 John Robertson 55 27 21 7 27

2 Gary Mackay 52 23 22 7 4 3 Henry Smith 42 19 19 4 0 4 Craig Levein 38 20 12 4 4 5 John Colquhoun 37 18 12 7 5

It is no surprise that all five of these players have been inducted into the Heart of Midlothian Hall of Fame and are held in such high regard amongst the Gorgie faithful. the years and quite rightly he has earned the title Hammer of the Hibs. Craig Levein’s defensive prowess speaks for itself, Henry Smith was a superb keeper for Hearts as well as being a regular fixture between the posts for many years. John Colquhoun was idolised by the Hearts support and who can ever forget those two goals at Easter Road in season 1993/94.

I wanted to focus on Gary MacKay’s amazing derby record, 52 starts winning 23, drawing 22 and losing a paltry 7. A record any player would be more than happy to be associated with. Gary was Hearts through and through and would do anything for the cause. He is the club record appearance holder with 640 competitive appearances and 64 goals. A feat never likely to be bettered in the modern football environment.

Gary’s loyalty and dedication to the club meant he was awarded a testimonial in season 1990/91 against Everton. The game took place on the 13th of May 1991 in front of a crowd of 5575. Hearts ran out 2-0 winners thanks to two goals from a certain Joe Jordan! The then manager came on as a sub at half time and netted with two trademark power headers in the 55th minute and then the 88th. At the age of 39 he showed he hadn’t lost his predatory instinct. Hearts fans wanted him in the starting line-up for the following week! Gary himself was unlucky to have a penalty brilliantly kick saved from by Welsh legend Neville Southall in the 57th minute.

Pictured is a match shirt and shorts from the testimonial which was worn by the classy central midfielder Derek Ferguson. Derek joined from Rangers for a then club record transfer fee of £750,000. He played 127 competitive games making 121 starts and would eventually depart for Sunderland in a deal that would see John Colquhoun come back up the road to Gorgie at the end of season 1992/93.

The shirt itself was manufactured by Bukta who would end their 5-year association with the club at the end of season 1990/91. Admiral would begin manufacturing the kits at the start of season 1991/92. It had a button-down white collar with a maroon and grey trim. The body of the shirt was maroon with rhombus shapes interspersed throughout the shirt. The sponsor logo for the season was Miller Homes but for this one-off game local company Lothian Plumbing Supplies sat pride of place on the jersey. The logo was heat pressed and the club badge was embroidered. On the back of the shirt the number was heat pressed flock with the Bukta logo also appearing at the bottom of the number.

Grant Young is a Hearts shirt collector and is currently writing a book. He can be contacted at jambojim190512@ yahoo.com or via twitter @ heartsshirts