Key Takeaways
- Hearts sit top of the Scottish Premiership with five games left, one point ahead of Rangers and four clear of Celtic.
- Manager Derek McInnes says the squad are using humour and enjoyment to handle the club’s first genuine title run since 1960.
- A derby win at Hibernian on Sunday would give Hearts early momentum before hosting Rangers at Tynecastle.
Most clubs chasing a first league trophy in 64 years would feel the heat. Hearts are laughing instead.
After a training camp on the Costa Blanca, the Edinburgh side returned to Scotland still leading the Scottish Premiership. They hold a slender one-point cushion over Rangers and are four ahead of Celtic as the top-six split begins.
Manager Derek McInnes says the mood inside the camp is surprisingly light. “There’s a lot of humour,” he told reporters. “Football is hard, so you must enjoy the good moments. We know what is at stake, but we are smiling while we work.”
Reaching 70 points before the split is already a club record. No Hearts team had ever topped the table at this stage, and no side outside the Old Firm has done it since the league format was introduced.
Key to their confidence is a strong record against the best. Hearts have taken 33 points from 15 matches against the top six, eight more than Rangers and 11 more than Celtic in those same fixtures. They have beaten both Glasgow giants twice this season.
Yet recent form favours their rivals. In the last 12 outings Rangers have collected five more points than Hearts, while Celtic have taken three more. Injuries have not helped. Captain and top scorer Lawrence Shankland missed 10 weeks, midfielder Cammy Devlin sat out a similar spell, and defenders Oisin McEntee and Tomas Magnussen are now ruled out for the run-in.
First up is a trip to Easter Road for the Edinburgh derby. Hearts lost 3-2 there in November after trailing 3-0, and McInnes expects an even tougher test this weekend. “Hibs want Europe, and they would love to stop us,” he said. “A win gives us momentum; a slip lets the others breathe.”
History suggests no side will win all five remaining matches, so small margins will decide the destination of the trophy. Hearts have never been better placed to end the wait that began when colour television was still a dream.