According to the wonderful London Hearts Supporters’ website, 60 players have played for both Raith Rovers and Hearts (at different times of course) since 1913.
And it goes beyond players to managers too. For almost 17 years from 1951, Hearts knew only one manager, Tommy Walker. He presided over two league titles and four runner-up spots along with four League Cups and a Scottish Cup final win that wouldn’t be repeated for 42 years.
Contrast that with 2005 when Raith Rovers’ current manager John McGlynn temporarily took over managing a reeling Hearts side that had three other managers in the same calendar year, let alone season. Still, we won the cup.
After his stint at Hearts, Tommy Walker brought his success to managing Raith Rovers in the 1960s when the team saw a hat trick of much-coveted Fife Cup titles.
A few years earlier, Hearts’ legend Alfie Conn (snr) had joined Rovers as the ‘Terrible Trio’ of Conn, Bauld and Wardhaugh went their separate ways. Conn delivered 15 goals for Rovers in just 34 appearances.
And they came in the other direction too. Ian Ferguson netted Rovers £100,000 in his move to Hearts in 1991. Although his stay was short, his screamer in the draw against Hibs in the 1992 New Year game, followed by scoring the winner in the March derby are always remembered.
And of course Kirkcaldy-born Colin Cameron joined Hearts in 1996 on the back of playing in Rovers’ League Cup title win over Celtic and both legs of the famous EUFA ties against Bayern Munich (who had narrowly ousted Hearts only six years previously).
For me, Cameron was an exciting and creative player, especially when fed by the much underrated Stevie Fulton. His calm slotting of the first minute penalty against Rangers in the 1998 Scottish Cup Final win was sublime and any hoarseness that remains in my voice can be traced back to that moment.
So, that’s just a few of the long-time links between the two great teams of Raith Rovers and Heart of Midlothian, and I’ve not even mentioned the court case!
It is a long time since I traipsed around the country to away games. In recent years, I’ve seen the San Starko from the train far more often than from the stand, mainly due to its romantic setting almost overhanging the railway - a location later imitated by Arsenal as they attempted (but failed) to perch their new Emirates stadium just as close over the same line (albeit 400 miles further south).
However, I do have youthful vague memories of the occasional Jambo foray to Kirkcaldy and an inexplicable fixation with the filled rolls in a wee shop on the corner just up from the north end of the stadium.
So much so that some years later, I dragged colleagues there when on a trade union demo in Kirkcaldy only to be a little surprised that the remembered uniqueness had somehow dissipated over the years. Nevertheless, the food was satisfying. Hope the game is too.
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