Home is Where the Hearts Are

“We can only go on past evidence, and that is that Tynecastle is where we pick up the majority of our points, so my aim now is to get us as much momentum as possible until we get back there next month, feeling good about ourselves, and when we get on a role, that will help enormously.”

There will be another huge home support for this Saturday’s game with St Johnstone at Murrayfield before Rangers visit the same venue seven days later. Rangers have sold their ticket allocation of 14,000 and it is expected the attendance at this game will be in excess of 30,000.

Hearts away record last season was dismal but the Jambos have already recorded three wins on the road in their opening nine games. After the Rangers game, Levein’s side will face Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, Ross County, Hamilton Academical, Motherwell and Dundee in successive games at Tynecastle before Celtic visit Gorgie the week before Christmas.

That old cliché of ‘there are no easy games at this level’ springs to mind but there’s no reason why Hearts shouldn’t be looking to take maximum points from the majority of these games which will propel Craig Levein’s men up the table.

Hibernian, Aberdeen and Rangers have all stated they are vying for second spot in the Ladbrokes Premiership this season (although as the Dons are presently joint top they may have even higher ambitions) If Hearts can turn the new-look Tynecastle into a fortress then there may be another name muscling in on the race for second spot.