Hearts vs Celtic - May 2010

H-E-A...R-T-S, if you can nae spell then here's what it says... goes the song. Welcome to another recount of the trips and tales from the terraces of europe and this time we're a little closer to home after a jaunt up through the bonnie wee hills and glen's of Scotland to the capital Edinburgh to sample a bit of  final day action to the SPL season.

Having family roots some 50 odd miles away in Glasgow and having the dismay and shame from my Celtic-supporting relatives that I would be frequenting the home end at Tynecastle made this an interesting trip. I was looking towards it as viewing the infamous Celtic away support from afar as a sea of green and white would surely descend on the terraces for this one.

Stopping off in Newcastle at the quite brilliant Metro centre for a touch of retail therapy and a potty-stop, it was back onto the A1 heading past the beauty that Northumberland has to offer and then driving close by the cliff sides of Berwick-upon-tweed with stunning views of the rocks being kissed by the waves on a sunny day. Surely this has to be one of the most beautiful and scenic drives in the UK if not the world.

After a bum-numbing 5 and a half hour drive from the East midlands we finally dropped anchor in Edinburgh staying around a mile from the airport.Stereotypes then entertained us upon check in to the hotel by way of a large group of kilt-clad gentlemen in the area for a wedding. Into the city centre via the efficient bus link swinging through Murrayfield and Edinburgh zoo (not literally of course) and it was onto Princess street for a gawp at the castle and a nosey at the Royal Mile.

Edinburgh is a quite beautiful city but one feels that a visitor would struggle to find a genuine Scotsman for all the foreign accents heard around town. The city centre is awash with tourist-target shops engaging the customer to the tune of crackling bagpipes through an old tape machine, and if that doesn't do the job than the masses of tartan and shortbread surely will. The royal mile is something spectacular to take in, street performers and a view of the sea through the buildings is nothing short of stunning.

So,why we were here......ah yes, football! Came to me in the end, an early kick off for the Jambo's as they're known locally was the order of the day as thousands in green and white were soon to be descending onto the capital for the final dual of the season. Celtic already conceding the title earlier in the season and with caretaker manager and old Leicester favourite Neil Lennon doing a fine job that would later earn him the permanent post there didn't seem a great deal left to play for.

All thoughts of a dull afternoon were soon diminished once we clapped eyes on the away support,thousands and thousands filled the Roseburn stand behind the goal and a bout of organised chanting ensued. Taking our seats in the Gorgie end of the ground a couple next to us seemed to think from the accents that we may be away supporters and duly moved seats! A first occurance on our travels and the rest of the Hearts supporters around us didn't seem interested in talking to each other let alone us, had it really been that bad of a season?

Tynecastle itself reminded me of Deepdale, Preston North End pre-development. Three relatively similar stands and an old grandstand. If its atmosphere you're after Tynecastle may not be for you, you could have heard a pin drop when the green army hushed for a milli second and with good reason as Robbie Keane stole in unmarked past the Jambo's back line to stroke a neat finish past the onrushing 'keeper. 1-0.

There was a brief moment of excitement for those in red as centre back Zaliuskas fired in a low drive to level the scores before the end of the half. Hearts battled well throughout and Celtic looked like a team simply playing for pride but true to form stole the win albeit through a quite sublime turn and volley from former Charlton man Zheng Zhi.

Not too dishearted with the loss and with positives for manager Jim Jeffries to ponder the Hearts faithful dispersed and the game went without incident despite the large police presence. Overall it was a rather tame introduction to the SPL but Hearts supporters (and indeed Hib's) can be very proud of their quite beautiful capital city.


The city....
Edinburgh itself is accessed by the A1 motorway from Newcastle-upon-tyne and by air through Easyjet from London-based airports and BMI baby from East Midlands. The airport itself is situated around 3 miles from the city centre and is served very well by bus. Also worth noting there is a park and ride service avaliable close the airport. Edinburgh Waverley station is bang in the centre of the city beside the castle. Do check out the royal mile, the castle, scotch whisky museum and many of the fantastic pubs the city offers.


What to do/eat/drink...

Edinburgh is a vibrant city with a large student population so good old fashioned pubs serving traditional scottish cuisine such as haggis neeps and tatties are easy to come by. For those into higher-end dining check out The Kitchin, chef Tom Kitchin's michelin starred restaurant by the dockside in Leith which does a quite brilliant lunch menu for under £25. As most will be aware Murrayfield hosts Scotlands international rugby matches and across the city at Easter road are Hearts-rivals Hibernian F.C.



How to get to the stadium...
Tynecastle stadium is situated close to Murrayfield towards the east of the city. The stadium is walkable from the city centre, from Princess street simply head down Shandwick place and onto Dalry road which then leads onto Gorgie road. The stadium will become visible to your right. Alternatively the closest train station to the ground is Edinburgh Haymarket, from there turn right out of the station onto Dalry road and head down to Gorgie road and the ground is on the right hand side.



Getting a ticket...
Tickets for Hearts matches in general are easy to come by given that the average attendance at Tynecastle in 2009/10 was touching 14,500. Tickets range from £15 in the main stand for adults to £28 in the Wheatfield side stand. Games against The old firm sides and Hibernian will be a few pounds more. Tickets can be purchased over the phone and sent out to your home address or bought from the ticket office at Tynecastle stadium.