When can Hearts win the league? Premiership title could come within days with Tynecastle braced for history

Craig Halkett and Blair Spittal stood with arms in the air in celebration as Alexander Schwolow prepared to take a goal kick. They knew it would be the last act of a tumultuous night never to be forgotten. The German goalkeeper launched the ball high into the air and referee John Beaton blew the final whistle on another momentous Hearts victory. Tynecastle Park erupted. With Rangers beaten 2-1 and effectively out of the title race, Hearts and Celtic are now left to fight it out.

Everyone inside Tynecastle understood the magnitude of what happened last night. The famous old ground has hosted some seismic occasions down the years. Hearts’ win over Aberdeen to secure a Champions League place in 2006 was epic. Victory over Hibs in 2014 to prevent relegation at the hands of their biggest rivals was another gargantuan moment. Beating Rangers to edge ever closer to a first league title in 66 years just hit differently. The noise told its own story as Tynie shook beneath the 18,831 crowd.

With three games remaining and Hearts three points clear at the top of the William Hill Premiership, this is fairytale stuff. Even for management, directors and players, this situation seemed impossible as recently as last summer. Perhaps only the mystical Tony Bloom had any kind of premonition that Hearts could be crowned champions in 2026. Dressed in a maroon suit, he bounced around the directors’ box during the match and even supped a celebratory pint with fans in the Tynecastle Arms. Fair to say he is loving these visits to Edinburgh.

Supporters previously frightened to even contemplate a title win for fear of jinxing the whole process are now daring to dream. They want to know when Hearts might actually win this thing and cause all manner of euphoria to break out. There are various permutations which could arise over the final three matches, but the blunt fact of the matter is the title could be secured within days.

Hearts currently sit on 76 points - the club’s highest ever total - with Celtic on 73 and Rangers seven adrift of the leaders on 69. Hearts’ goal difference is +32, Celtic’s is +27 and Rangers’ is +33. Victory for Derek McInnes’ side against Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday night puts them six points clear of Celtic, who host Rangers the following day. Should the Parkhead club fail to win that match, Hearts will be undisputed champions of Scotland if they beat Falkirk at Tynecastle next Wednesday. Yes, the title could be done and dusted eight days from now.

If Celtic secure a sixth successive win by beating their Glasgow rivals, Hearts cannot win the league against Falkirk. That renders this weekend potentially the most pivotal of the entire campaign. All the Tynecastle side can do is focus on their own business and a tricky fixture in North Lanarkshire. McInnes has been adamant throughout the entire season that his squad should not rely on favours from others.

There are a few ‘ifs’ in every possible scenario and most observers will be mindful that football is never straightforward. Scottish football even less so. However, Hearts are just about within touching distance of their first top-flight title since 1960. The iconic team of Dave Mackay, John Cumming and Willie Bauld waited 66 years for successors to take on their mantle. Craig Halkett, Claudio Braga, Lawrence Shankland and the rest have stepped forward. Now it’s about finishing the job.

Should Celtic and Hearts win both of their next two games, keeping the Edinburgh club three points ahead, the destiny of the Premiership trophy would be decided at Celtic Park on the season’s final day a week on Saturday. Hearts are the visitors and would need only a draw to be crowned champions. That scenario would open up the dreaded possibility of a Celtic title triumph on goal difference, bringing back bad memories for anyone in Gorgie.

For now, Hearts are in the driving seat, gaining speed and hurtling towards history after beating Rangers. They are the proverbial runaway train and nobody in Scotland seems to have enough power to stop them. Monday’s second-half performance and the inspiration of Spittal ensured Rangers got a goal of a start and still lost against this defiant, determined, bunch of players. Stephen Kingsley and Lawrence Shankland claimed the goals but so many others seized the game by the scruff of the neck. Watching them run about like men possessed provides an understanding of the achievement they aspire to.

Granted, their football hasn’t always been scintillating recently and they could do with addressing that at Fir Park. Nothing is secured yet and there is still a significant amount of work to do to ensure this season ends with every Hearts supporters’ dream manifesting into reality. The coming days are among the biggest and most important in Heart of Midlothian history. By the middle of next week, you could be looking at the new champions of Scotland.