Top of the 'Toon: Hearts Challenge Old Firm

Hearts come out on top in the Edinburgh derby. Can they upset the Old Firm domination of Scottish football?

There’s a positive buzz around Scottish football at the moment: a realistic chance for the first World Cup qualification since 1998, Scott McTominay’s eighteenth-place ranking at the Ballon d’Or, the kebab pie returning from its annual summer hiatus, and a team outside the Old Firm sat at the summit of the Scottish Premiership. 

Last weekend was an eventful one for Scottish football fans. Rangers manager Russell Martin was ‘sacked in the morning’ after yet another disappointing result against newly-promoted Falkirk. Aberdeen claimed their first league win of the 2025-26 season, and Celtic came from behind against Motherwell with a late winner to extend their unbeaten run. 

The highlight of the weekend, however, came on Saturday evening as Hibs travelled to Hearts in the first Edinburgh derby of the campaign. Hearts claimed three points at the death, scoring their third stoppage time winner of the campaign to go clear at the top of the table and claim their first derby win in two seasons.

Hibs have had the swing of the derby pendulum in recent history, winning two and remaining unbeaten in the last four. Tynecastle, Hearts’ home stadium, has been a happy hunting ground for the Leith team, with Hibs losing only one of the last five away fixtures. 

A Hibs victory in the previous derby at Easter Road helped send Hearts to a disappointing seventh-place finish last season, and helped themselves secure a chance at European football by finishing third. 

Going into last week’s game, Hearts were unbeaten at the top of the league, picking up their first away win in the top flight against Rangers since 2012 along the way. Hibs’ confidence was further boosted after picking up a well-earned point the previous week away to Celtic and remaining unbeaten in the league.

The derby kicked off in windy conditions amidst a sea of maroon and cabbage green. The first half saw limited chances for either side. 

The second 45 was more captivating with Hibs captain Martin Boyle denied by both the crossbar and the linesman’s flag. It seemed the two teams would leave with a point apiece until a sumptuous cross was met at the back post by Hearts centre-half Craig Halkett in the second minute of stoppage time, sending the home fans into bedlam. 

This was a statement win for the men in maroon, maintaining their position at the top of the table. Many pundits and fans are wondering whether a league title could be on the cards for Hearts. We are only seven games into the league season, so there is a long way to go until the finish line — but if Hearts can keep up this stellar form, who is to say that it’s not possible? 

The Old Firm has dominated domestic football for what seems to be forever. The last team outside of Glasgow to win the Premiership was Aberdeen in the 1984-85 season under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson, before his Manchester United immortality. 

With the financial gap increasing in recent times between the Old Firm and the rest of Scottish clubs, taking new measures is the only way to compete. 

Hibs secured a £6 million deal from American businessman Bill Foley’s Black Knight Football Club for a 30% stake in the club at the start of 2024, and have claimed large sums from overseas investment. 

Hearts is the largest fan-owned club in Britain, with the Foundation of Hearts owning over half of the economic interest in the club. 

During the summer, they agreed to a lucrative deal worth just shy of £10 million with Tony Bloom, a majority shareholder of Premier League side Brighton, in exchange for a 29% stake in the club. 

Bloom expects a league title for Hearts within the next ten years and hopes to end the Old Firm monopoly. Sitting top of the table, having already sunk Rangers, Hearts face the other half of the Old Firm at Tynecastle after the international break, a game that may prove decisive come the end of the season. 

A maroon wind is blowing through Scottish football.