Gary Mackay: The Jambos Kickback thread about Hearts that got me thinking ...

There’s a post on the Terrace section of Jambos Kickback that caught my eye this week.

Hearts fans have only been present at Tynecastle in cardboard form this season - and it will be great once they return.

I am the first to admit that I am not the best with computers and therefore don’t browse that often, but I was on the forum and something stood out.

There is a thread which has been started by a Hearts fan who had been asked by his children as to why he supports Heart of Midlothian Football Club.

After he put up his reasons, loads of people have replied with their own stories and it’s one of the best topics I’ve ever read in relation what makes our club so special.

I sometimes sit with my mouth aghast online at some of the stuff I read and I’m not signed up to reply myself, but I would like to tell my tale of how I followed Hearts.

Why did I start following Heart of Midlothian? Well, as a youngster I spent my Friday nights with my Nana and Granda in Murieston and they had a massive love for the football club, and that was married to the love they had for each other. They regaled me with stories about Conn, Bauld, Wardhaugh, Hamilton and then they took me to the games. I was at the Dunfermline cup final in 1967 when I was three, and then the Rangers cup final in 1976 when we were 1-0 down before 3pm, but the feeling of being surrounded by people who had such love for a club who, at that time was a real underdog, was there. I think when you live through difficult times for your football club and then you are a part of an improvement yourself as a player, and then watch people who you hugely respect such as Jim Jefferies and Billy Brown make history, the feeling is so strong. Hearts are a club where the coin flips and you experience the highs and lows and that’s what makes being a Jambo so special.

It would be worthwhile taking some of the quotes from that thread and getting them in the club museum. It captures the emotion of our support beautifully.

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