With Hearts league match at Ross County. being moved to Sunday given the Europa Conference game on Thursday I had a free football day today. I had thought of going to Dingwall for the Ross County game but the move to Sunday snookered that. A number of trains have been cancelled due to industrial action going to Inverness to get a connection to Dingwall  and going back the only option is a rail but costing £89 ! I thought about going  to watch Hearts B v Stirling University at Rosewell but with the weather not being that great I did not fancy going all the way there and finding the game had been postponed. I decided to go to Meadowbank and watch Leith Athletic v Whitehill Welfare. With the kickoff being at 14.30 I left home around 13.20 and walked down to Haymarket to catch a bus to Meadowbank. A 4 arrived after a couple of minutes to head to Meadowbank. I had forgotten about the Scotland v Australia rugby international being also on today. The city centre was packed and...

  First time I have been at a Hearts European match this season due to illness. I was at the qualifying match v FC Zurich but qualifiers are not really European competition. . I did investigate the cost of going to Turkey next week but the cost put me off. £500 for a return ticket and after seeing Midnight Express years ago do not fancy going to Turkey. With an 8.00pm kickoff I had plenty time to get to Tynecastle. I left home at 19.00 and wandered slowly down the road to  Tynecastle arriving around 19.20. As this was a European game I had to buy a ticket and had loaded the electronic ticket onto my phone. I scanned the ticket at the turnstiles and entered the stand. As a season ticket holder I had priority for my usual seat in the stand and headed up to my seat in Section Q. The programme for the match was a ‘retro’ edition with the cover being based on the 1970s issues.  Hearts made three changes to the side defeated by  Celtic on Sunday. Steve Humphrys  and C...

At last getting back to Tynecastle for the first time since 28th August. Have. Issa four home games in the interim footprint the first time since 1967. With the game live on Sky kickoff was early at 12.30 so had an early lunch at 11.15 for heading to Tynecastle around 11.40. Got to the ground around 12.00 and scanned my season ticket to get it. This was the first game at Tynecastle with VAR in place and two new screens were in place at the Main Stand and the Wheatfield stand so fans would have information on what was happening. Before the kickoff the screens showed Hearts goals from previous games against Celtic including the semi final in the Scottish Cup when Rudi Skacel  and Craig Beattie both scored. They also showed Austin McCanns only goal for Hearts which defeated Celtic in 2003.  Hearts had ten players out with injuries earlier this week although thankfully both Michael Smith and Josh Ginnelly recovered sufficiently to make the starting lineup. It was also a chance for...

  I am breaking a habit tonight and going to Easter Road to watch Hibs. Why you may ask? Well it is the first game in Scotland to be covered by VAR and I want to see how much chaos this causes for the SFA. Hibs are only charging £5 for admission and a full house is expected. Hibs no longer issue an official programme but fans are now issuing a programme. There is a limited issue so I went down to Easter Road in the afternoon to pick up a programme from the programme shop near the ground.  Ended up missing the game as I missed the bus due to having a glass of chianti. Next bus would have got me into the game about ten minutes after kickoff so I ended up going back home. 

It's Sunday and off to see another South of Scotland Challenge Cup match. This time iy is Edinburgh South v Arniston Ranges at Pates Road. Kick-off is at 14.30 but I left home just after 13.00 to walk to the ground.I walked along the canal as far as Happy Valley and then cut off to head through Craiglockhart. After I crossed the road at Craiglockhart Hill I continued walking through the Criaglockhart area towards Paties Road. I missed the turn-off and ended up in Redhall but it was only a short walk walk to turn to the right and head towards Pates Road. I arrived at the ground at 14.05 and paid my £4 admission. Alex had said he was also going to the game and he arrived around 14.15. I saw him speaking to a couple of people and it turns out he was asking to take photo's of the team sheets. I asked him to send them on to megs there were no programmes or tannoy for team announcements. We took a seat in the stand and met up with 'The Game of Throw-ins" couple along with a ...

A second game at Ainslie Park in two days with Spartans taking on Berwick Rangers in a South of Scotland Challenge Cup tie.A i am feeling a lot better I decided to walk to Ainslie Park and instead of walking down the railway path I went via Haymarket and the National Gallery and then down Orchard Brae. From their I walked up to Crewe Toll past the Western General and then along Ferry Road before turning off to Ainslie Park. I was a bit disappointed that season tickets were not valid for this match so I had bought a Fanbase admission ticket. This was scanned at the turnstile for entry.I then bought a programme before, as it was only 14.40 heading up to the cafe. I had a chat with Stuart, the Spartans announcer and programme editor before heading into the cafe. Just as I bought a coffee and a sausage roll a Spartans official cam round the cafe advising that kick-off was delayed until 15.15. The reason being that one of the linesman had phoned in to say he was stuck in traffic and wou...

  A Friday night match for a change with Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale (LTHV) playing  Craigroyston in the South of Scotland Challenge Cup. With the dark nights beginning to draw in I decided to get a bus rather than walk to Ainslie Park. I walked to Tollcross to find there was a twelve minute walk for a 27 bus. I walked up to Lauriston Place rather than wait in the cold and caught the bus there. I got off at Morrisons and walked down to Ainslie Park arriving about 19.20 for the 19.45 kickoff. I paid £5 for a concession entry and a programme to enter the ground where I met Alex. As the weather was getting colder we decided to take a seat in the stand and sat chatting until the match started. Now time for a rant. While LHTV produce a programme there are no team-sheets available or team announcements over the tannoy. Even worse squad numbers are not listed in the programme so players cannot be identified by referring to the programme. Both LTHV and Craigroyston also do not list...

  At last back to watch football ! I have not been to a match since 25th August and have missed Hearts last four home games. This must been the first time I have missed so many consecutive home games since proabably 1967. I decided Inwould go a watch Spartans today as I was feeling a bit better although still taking pills. I would normally walk to Ainslie Park but today I decided to catch a bus. I walked to Tollcross and found I would have twenty-five minutes to wait for a. 27 which goes direct towards Ainslie Park. A twenty-three was due in five minutes so I caught it to Goldenacre. From there I walked along Ferry Road towards Ainslie Park. I arrived around 14.40 and showed by season ticket for entry. Once in the ground I bought my £2 programme which included a team sheet. I did think about getting something to eat but decided  not to as I was not sure my stomach could handle it. I took up position against the perimeter fence at the cafe end of the ground to watch the sides c...

  Yet another report copied from the Hearts website due to illness. This was the last match I was able to attend until 8th October. Hearts will be playing in the group stages of the Europa Conference League this season, after FC Zurich claimed a 1-0 win at Tynecastle to go through as 3-1 winners on aggregate.  Jorge Grant was sent off for the Jambos in the second 45, with FCZ substitute Fabian Rohner’s strike ten minutes from time securing the win for the Swiss - despite an almighty effort from Robbie Neilson’s men to overturn last week’s defeat in St. Gallen  It was a radically different Hearts side that ran out under the Gorgie lights compared to the one that fell to defeat at Celtic Park the previous Sunday. No fewer than seven changes were made with the likes of Lawrence Shankland, Craig Gordon and Cammy Devlin reinstated to the team in a 4-3-3 formation.   Backed on by the most explosive atmosphere seen at Tynecastle Park in many a season, Barrie McKay was on ha...

  A Sunday game at Tynecastle after Dundee Utd played in the Europea League ployoffs in midweek.  Unfortunately they were defeated 7-0 by AZ Alkamar and their  European aspirations are now finished. I decided to try and get some exercise so left home at 13.45 and walked along the canal before walking down to Tynecastle at Shandon. I arrived around 14.30 in plenty time for the 15.00 kickoff. I have not been well over the last few weeks and have copied the match report from the Hearts website rather than being my own report.    Hearts boss Robbie Neilson made a single change from the side that was held at Easter Road last week, with Cammy Devlin coming into the side in place of Peter Haring. Backed by a boisterous Tynecastle crowd, the boys in maroon sliced United open with just under a minute on the clock. Alan Forrest’s mazy run eventually picked out a lingering Cammy Devlin by the by-line. The Aussie gratefully hoovered up the ball, before whipping it across th...