Classic Memories Of Hearts Vs Celtic

Over the years the Hearts-Celtic fixture has produced some cracking matches, and as we look ahead to the latest SPL clash between these two sides this weekend, I've decided to take a little trip down memory lane to recall six of the best that I've personally attended.

Before anyone starts, I'll freely admit that this selection of matches mainly features Hearts victories but I think I'm entitled to recall these more than the many gubbings we've received at the hands of Celtic over the years!

See if you can remember being at any of these games, and feel free to post memories of other classics between the sides in the comments below:

Hearts 1-0 Celtic (Scottish Cup quarter-final, 1987)

I don't really remember too much about the game itself, but the atmosphere in this cup tie was possibly the best that I ever experienced in the old Tynecastle.

It was the season after the infamous '85/86 season when Celtic pipped Hearts for the title on the last day, and this match was seen as something of a revenge mission for the Hearts players, and indeed fans.

One of the main things I recall about this afternoon was that Scotland were playing against Ireland in the old 5 Nations at Murrayfield, a match that if I remember rightly actually kicked off at the same time as the football, which was absolutely ludicrous if you think about it! With the massive Celtic away support (they got an allocation of something like 13,000 in those days) and the Irish rugby fans in town I'd never seen so many green and white clad sports fans in my life, and I seem to remember hilariously seeing some drunken Irishmen ending up at Tynecastle by accident having bought a ticket for the wrong venue from touts in the street!

Half-time in this match was incredible, with the Celtic end's scarf-holding rendition of 'Never Walk Alone' being more than matched by a mass 'twirly' from the other end, which lasted for almost the entire interval. Seeing all of this from something like 30,000 people packed into Tynecastle was a great spectacle.

And of course, from Hearts' point of view this day ended perfectly when, after a tough midfield battle of a match with little in the way of creativity, John Robertson lashed home the game's only goal direct from a free-kick on the corner of the penalty area at the School End, via a slight deflection off the shoulder of Celtic's then golden boy Paul McStay, which of course made it all the sweeter!

The less said about the subsequent semi-final against St Mirren with Hearts then favourites for the tournament though, the better!

Celtic 2-2 Hearts (SPL, 1987)

This was my first ever visit to the old Parkhead, which was an experience in itself in those days, especially if you were in the away end as a Hearts supporter, a club whose fans weren't exactly welcomed to the east end of Glasgow with open arms back then (not much has changed!).

The travelling supports that went through to Glasgow in those days were much healthier in terms of numbers than they are now of course, and something like 8,000 Jambos were crammed into half of the old away terracing for this game and helped to generate a fantastic atmosphere.

Hearts played really well in the game and went a goal up in the first half when John Robertson slid home from close range after great lead-up play from Mike Galloway and Wayne Foster, who back then formed a pacy and pretty potent strikeforce with Robbo and John Colquhoun.

In the second half, recent signing Galloway then looked to have put Hearts on course for an unexpected away win when he took advantage of an Anton Rogan slip (they tended to be plentiful!) to bury it past Pat Bonner at the Hearts end.

However Celtic were famed for their late comebacks and were a long way from being out of things even at two down. With around ten minutes to go Andy Walker tumbled in the box after a challenge from Dave McPherson and the referee pointed to the spot, softly in my completely biased opinion! Walker himself converted the kick and, after the home side laid siege to the Hearts goal for the remainder of the match, Paul McStay smashed home a half-volley right at the end to snatch a dramatic point for Celtic.

The first of many disappointments in that part of the world.....!

Hearts 3-1 Celtic (SPL, 1991)

Hearts were top of the league under Joe Jordan as Christmas approached and this was billed as their first real test as genuine championship contenders.

Tommy Coyne, who picked up the mantle from Mark McGhee as the Celtic striker who ALWAYS scored against Hearts, did his usual in the first half to put his team ahead, and in the second everyone in the ground thought he had doubled the lead with a header destined for the top corner that had goalkeeper Henry Smith wrong-footed and diving the wrong way. However the big 'keeper amazingly changed direction in mid-air to somehow claw the ball over the crossbar, a save that surely goes down as one of the very best ever seen at Tynecastle.

That save proved to be the turning point as Hearts went on to produce a rampant second half performance to ruin the Celtic debut of a certain Tony Mowbray(!).

George Wright equalised after a good old-fashioned penalty box 'strumash' following a Hearts corner, and a few minutes later after another corner, Craig Levein swept the home side ahead with a left foot shot at the back post.

That season's goalscoring hero Scott Crabbe then put the icing on the cake for Hearts late in the game after one of Davie McPherson's legendary charges down the right wing presented him with the chance to lash it home from around the penalty spot.

Probably one of the most comprehensive ever Hearts wins over Celtic in the SPL.

Celtic 1-2 Hearts (SPL, 1992)

Later on that same season, Hearts were still in the SPL driving seat and faced with yet another match that the press were deeming to be THE test of their championship credentials. They'd proven that they could beat the Glasgow teams at home, but could they do it on Old Firm turf?

Well, the answer was 'yes' on this bitterly cold afternoon at Parkhead, as struggling Celtic fell deeper and deeper into their latest crisis (they had quite a few back in the early '90s).

The first half was notable only for another tremendous reflex save by Henry Smith from the head of Tommy Coyne, ensuring that the teams went in at half-time on level terms.

However Hearts came out for the second half clearly meaning business, and when their former hardman Mike Galloway (now with Celtic) was sent off for flicking the 'V's at Tosh McKinlay, they set about going for maximum points.

Scott Crabbe put them on their way with one of the most memorable goals ever scored by a Hearts player in Glasgow. Taking a pass from McKinlay right on the corner of the penalty area, Crabbo executed a first-time curling shot beautifully out of the reach of Celtic 'keeper Gordon Marshall to send the crowd crammed in behind the goal into raptures. I've yet to see another Hearts goal with quite so much deliberate swerve put on the ball as Crabbe's strike that day - very reminiscent of the famous Norman Whiteside goal for Man Utd in the FA Cup Final of 1985 in fact, only from the other side with the right foot instead of the left. Superb stuff.

Two minutes later Hearts were in dreamland when John Millar burst through from midfield to bury a shot behind Marshall to make it 2-0. Victory guaranteed?

Not quite. Hearts didn't have a great record defending leads in Glasgow and once again they were made to sweat in the latter stages when John Collins pulled one back with ten minutes to go. Thankfully though, this was one of the few occasions when Hearts were able to keep the door shut and record a famous victory.

Hearts 1-0 Celtic (League Cup quarter final, 1996)

Another epic cup tie, this time in the League Cup tournament, came just a few days after the infamous 'four men sent off at Ibrox' debacle.

Hearts had to put a patchwork side out to face an extremely talented Celtic side including the likes of Van Hooijdonk and Di Canio, and given their record against the Old Firm clubs at that time it's fair to say that there weren't many optimists among those of a maroon persuasion going into this game!

However they say that when all the odds are against you, you truly have nothing to lose, and it was this attitude that clearly allowed Hearts to go out and play with the complete freedom that allowed them to not only compete with Celtic that night, but to eventually get the better of them too.

This was the night that young Gary Naysmith made his full debut for the Hearts first team, and he immediately gave us a good few signs of things to come with an excellent display.

Hearts had also drafted in the experienced English centre-half Andy Thorn for this match, in the absence of almost their entire defence who had been given their marching orders the previous Saturday at Ibrox. Ahh.....the legendary Andy Thorn, eh?!

What followed was an absolutely gripping cup tie played to a great atmosphere. Celtic were quite obviously the better footballing side on the night, but what Hearts lacked in technical ability they more than made up for in endeavour and team spirit, and by the time the match went into extra-time their more talented opponents were tiring.

In the 110th minute John Robertson then reminded us all (as if he really needed to!) just why he was THE king of Tynecastle when he dramatically fired home the night's only goal from a clever Neil McCann cut-back from just inside the penalty area.

Definitely one of the best cup ties seen at Tynie in recent years, and a truly memorable result against a top side.

Hearts 2-1 Celtic (SPL, 2003)

I seem to remember this being a hell of game, but it's in here more for a single moment rather than the whole match itself - that incredible Austin McCann strike in the last minute of course.

Celtic were going for the league and early in the second half their talisman Henrik Larsson put them one up with a typically opportunist piece of finishing from just inside the six-yard area.

Hearts battled back as the match raged from end to end, and Phil Stamp fired home a dramatic equaliser with 15 minutes to go to set up the proverbial 'grandstand finish'.

Celtic always looked the likelier of the two sides to go on and get the winner if there was to be one, but against all the odds (in more ways than one!), Hearts broke upfield in the dying seconds and had a 'three on two' in their favour. Everyone was screaming at Scott Severin to pass the ball out right to where all the space was, but instead he played a short pass to the left to the onrushing Austin McCann, who was a) marked by two Celtic players and b) generally speaking, rubbish! The resultant couple of seconds are amongst the most bizarre I've ever experienced in a football stadium, and the looks of sheer disbelief on all of the faces around me after McCann had crashed home an unstoppable 30 yarder confirmed to me that I wasn't the only one feeling that way!



So that's the six matches. There have been many more of course, both from a Hearts point of view and obviously Celtic over the years, whose fans would possibly point to the 3-2 game at Tynecastle in 2005/6 as their most memorable recent result in this fixture after Hearts had been two up and coasting.....but this is a Hearts site so we won't mention any more of that!

As already posted above, feel free to leave some of your own memories of this fixture in the comments below......footballing ones that is!

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.