Hearts triumphant players fist pumped and waved to jubilant fans in the stands as they left the Tynecastle turf after their thoroughly deserved 2-1 victory over Rangers to the sound of Merry Christmas Everybody by Slade.
The lyrics seemed to sum up the feeling in the packed house, bar those supporting the Ibrox men, of course. Hearts fans rose to applaud their favourites at the final whistle. Everybody in maroon was having fun.
The words in the classic song also say: “Look to the future now, it is only just begun.”
That could well be the story for Hearts who enter Christmas 2025 in pole position in the William Hill Premiership, six points clear of champions Celtic who survived a scare against ten-man Aberdeen but emerged 3-1 winners. Celtic have a game in hand.
It was defender Stuart Findlay and skipper Lawrence Shankland who scored the decisive goals in four devastating minutes near the end of the first half.
Youssef Chermiti replied five minutes into second-half injury time, punishing a defensive mistake on a breakaway, but it was not enough to prevent the fourth-placed Govan side slipping to their first away league defeat in a year.
That secured a second win for Hearts over Rangers this season and extended the gap between the sides to 12 points.
Yes, Rangers did have a goal disallowed for offside with the sides deadlock at 0-0, and they played well in the first 15 minutes, but Hearts weathered that storm.
Findlay’s headed opener after 38 minutes, after slick build-up play involving Claudio Braga and a superb right-foot cross from Alexis Kyziridis, plus Shankland’s strike, which beat Jack Buckland at his near post, put the Men in Maroon in the driving seat.
They carried a threat and, in truth, they could have been out-of-sight had Shankland not sent a gilt edged chance wide from the centre of the penalty box and then failed to convert from an opportunity on the right had side of the box later in the game.
McInnes felt his men were worthy of the lead at the break and he said: “We just had to see it out. We defended brilliantly.”
The former Aberdeen and Kilmarnock boss still feels his men can improve and he is looking to consolidate top spot when they visit Easter Road to face Hibs on December 27 (12.30). Another big test for his talented squad.
Rangers’ players left the pitch downcast. Danny Rohl, their manager, felt his men were organised until the first goal hit the net, and he argued that Rangers had their moments. In fact, BBC Scotland Sport say the Glasgow side enjoyed 57.2 per cent of possession against 42.8 per cent for the home side who had 14 shots against 11 from their rivals.
The two quick goals, Rohl said, changed the game and the defeat was, in his words, a sideways step.
Their next assignment is at home to high-flying Motherwell on Saturday (15.00), but McInnes is not concerned about the points tally of the rest. His concentration is on continuing to improve his side who have enjoyed a spectacular start to the current campaign.
There is, he argued, a lot of football to be played between now and the end of the season and this is a far cry from 12 months ago when the Jambos were struggling near the foot of the 12-strong table. The future may have just be up and running.
JAMBO JOY: Hearts leave the field to the acclaim of home fans. Picture by Nigel Duncan
