Football: Can Hearts FC win the Scottish Premiership?

Craig Gordon heroics bolsters Hearts’ league title push

For four decades, the Scottish Premiership has been dominated by the Old Firm, but this season, it may be time to rethink the boundaries of what can - and cannot - be achieved in Scottish football. 

Whispers of an era ending are starting to become louder, and that is because Heart of Midlothian FC are creating a fairytale, now three points clear at the top of the league standings with a game in hand on Rangers after defeating Dundee 1-0 at Dens Park and confirming our Scottish Premiership predictions. 

Derek McInnes’ side took the lead in the 27th minute through a 20-yard pearler from Claudio Braga and looked to be sailing to their 14th win of the season, but that was until Alexander Schwolow was sent off on the stroke of half-time for denying Tony Yogane a clear goal-scoring opportunity. 

Forced to reshuffle his setup, McInnes withdrew Braga for substitute goalkeeper Craig Gordon. The 43-year-old shot-stopper had not played a single minute in the top flight before coming on, with his last meaningful action coming for the Tartan Army against Denmark in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. 

Dundee, fresh off three consecutive wins, sensed the opportunity to strike and launched wave after wave of attacks against the Jambos' defence, which by the end of the match, featured no less than five centre-backs, putting absolutely everything on the line to maintain their lead. 

The tension peaked deep into stoppage time at the end of the match, when Emile Acquah powered a header toward the bottom corner, but Gordon defied his years with sharp reflexes and athleticism, launching himself to his left to deny the equaliser and secure the points. 

Not only did that result keep Hearts perched at the summit of the Premiership standings, but it also provided a much-needed boost to their campaign, which has faced recent setbacks, including injuries to key players, a costly red card, and the need to come up with makeshift solutions in pivotal moments. 

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Can Hearts really go all the way to win the Scottish Premiership?

Last month marked the first time since 1993 that a team other than the Old Firm led the title race at Christmas, but even then, many Scottish football fans were reluctant to believe that Hearts could go all the way, given the Glaswegian giants’ dominance over the past 40 years. 

A loss to Hibernian on December 27 allowed Rangers to cut the gap to three points - albeit having played a game more - but the Jambos bounced back in style with back-to-back wins to maintain their advantage at the summit following that resilient performance at Dens Park. 

While McInnes has worked wonders at Tynecastle Park, the true orchestrator of the Jambo’s dream season has been Tony Bloom, who made the remarkable claim that they would win the title within 10 years after he became involved with the club less than two years ago.

Cue Alexandros Kyziridis and Claudio Braga, two players brought in based on skillset and suitability, not just accolades. So far this season, Kyziridis and Braga have combined for 22 direct goal contributions, while Lawrence Shankland is the league’s joint top-scorer with 10 goals and two assists. 

Together, the trio have got the Jam Tarts to the top of the goal-scoring charts in the top flight, and if they can continue to deliver at this level, it could prove the difference between possessing mere bold ambition and actually achieving something genuinely historic. 

Still, despite holding the lead heading to the conclusion of the second round of fixtures, Hearts have plenty of work to do, with Rangers in stellar form at present. Indeed, no team in the top flight has earned more points than the Light Blues since Danny Rohl arrived at the Ibrox in October. 

Additionally, Celtic, now on 41 points after 21 games, seem to have turned a corner after weeks of turbulence under Wilfried Nancy, and are still the favourites with all of the best online betting sites to pull off a comeback and go on to win the Scottish Premiership this season. 

With Martin O’Neil back at the helm, calmness has been restored at Celtic Park as the Hoops returned to winning ways with a convincing 4-0 victory over Dundee United at the weekend, reaffirming that they are not out of the title race just yet. 

The coming weeks will be crucial to Hearts’ title push. The Jambos face St. Mirren in midweek and Falkirk at the weekend, before what could be a make-or-break showdown against Celtic at Tynecastle Park on January 25. 

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