Five reasons to believe in Hearts title glory as cavalry arrives after injury woe to spearhead trophy charge

It’s still being whispered quietly but the chances of Hearts winning a Premiership title have never been higher in the modern era than they are right now.

Derek McInnes’ Jambos have been the standout team in this season’s Scottish top flight and heading into post-split fixtures against top six opposition, they are in first place. They lead Rangers by a point and defending champions Celtic by three ahead of a mammoth Edinburgh derby at Easter Road against Hibs on April 26th, the first of five possibly historic clashes.

Aberdeen in 1985 were the last side outside Rangers or Celtic to win the league, and in doing so this year, Hearts would clinch their first since 1960. Doubters have been quick to write them off when things have threatened to go sour but wins like last weekend’s over Motherwell, coming from a goal down to win 3-1, proves Hearts will take this fight right down to the wire. Here are five reasons why Jambos belief in a title bid should soar.

The A-team

After starting the season on fire and going undefeated until the November 23rd defeat by Aberdeen, the running narrative of Hearts’ second half of the season has been ‘wait until they get the injured players back.’ Lawrence Shankland, Cammy Devlin, Stuart Findlay and Harry Milne are just some of those to have missed either months or key matches, but now the A-team are getting back together.

Yes, a suspected Oisin McEntee hamstring blow against Motherwell will provide some concern, and Tomas Magnusson may need to join Ageu in watching from the sidelines. But Stephen Kingsley and Findlay are amongst the latest to make their comebacks as Shankland and Devlin catch an extra breather to reach 100%. Then there’s Milne and Marc Leonard - who was suspended against Motherwell - still to return and that could be against Hibs. That will see almost all of Hearts’ top performers back on the pitch for the first time in months. They’ve managed to get by with square pegs in round holes at times in recent matches and still remain top. What will they be like when the cavalry comes charging in?

The late show

It might not be news to the heart-rates of Jambos everywhere but Hearts simply do not know when they are beat. Their ability to snatch points in the dying embers of games has been paramount to their one-point lead with five games to go. Some have questioned whether it’s better to be lucky than good at points, but when you’ve netted six consequential goals after minute 85, then that’s more than mere coincidence. It proves no heads tend to go down in the maroon camp.

Leading marksmen

One area Rangers and Celtic have struggled with all season is an out an out striker. Bojan Miovski netted a brace against Falkirk last time out for Rangers, and Youssef Chermiti has made a habit of scoring in big games, but they have not been consistent. The leading goalscorer in terms of a natural striker at Parkhead has been Johnny Kenny with four efforts. He’s currently out on loan at Bolton in England’s League One with midfielder Benjamin Nygren looked upon for inspiration. Shankland has two goals and an assist in his two starts since returning from injury, taking his goalscoring tally for this term to 13 in the league. Braga has 14 and Pierre Landry Kabore holds five, and a strong case can be made for Gorgie boss McInnes having the best forward line to work with.

“I knew the situation I was coming back into, but a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes when you're out to make sure you're fit,” said Shankland after the win over Motherwell. “I've done a lot of hard work with the physios to make sure I was in a place where I felt that once I was back in training I was going to be close to being ready to play. That’s the plan, but it’s only when you get on the pitch that you find out where you really are. That's what we need everybody as a collective to do; you play your part. So I'm happy where I'm at.”

Old Firm record

In games against Hearts and Rangers this season, Celtic have picked up three points out of a possible 18. Rangers have taken eight against the leaders and team beneath while the Jambos have accumulated an outstanding 13 from matches against Old Firm opposition. That record is ultimately why they are top in large degree and the post-split fixtures are kind to them in terms of where they take on Glasgow foes next. Rangers come to Tynecastle for a sizzler next month, where Danny Rohl suffered defeat last time, and McInnes’ men are yet to lose. It’s Celtic Park on the final day for Hearts and the Hoops have lost the most amount of home matches out of the trio, two of the three coming against their direct rivals.

Experience factor

One thing some will hold against this Hearts crew is they’ve never been in this position before. There is truth in that when it comes to the club, as since the day that shall not be named in 1986, this is as close as they’ve been to going all the way. That said, they do have a manager who was in the Rangers ranks as they surged towards nine titles in succession during the 90s. Craig Gordon has won honours at Hearts and Celtic, Shankland won trophies with Ayr and Dundee United, Alan Forrest too with the Honest Men. Halkett and Kingsley helped Hearts out the Championship. The clear difference is the stakes are obviously higher.

Celtic’s winning core is obvious, with Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney and James Forrest bona fide winners at this level. But important players going into the run-in like Viljami Sinisalo, Yang, and Benjamin Nygren haven’t been thrust into key positions down the stretch, and even the experienced campaigners haven’t felt the pressure ramped up like this before. Seeing Hearts lift the title they’ve been accustomed to for over a decade at Parkhead would be a humiliation ritual for those in Glasgow’s east-end. Of the starters at Falkirk, only James Tavernier remains from the last league-winning Rangers side, and they’re in the same boat as Hearts with a smattering of stars who’ve had silverware success elsewhere. Experience is key but in unchartered waters, how much of an advantage really is it, when the circumstances are so unique?

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