John Gibson: Foul play! Leslie’s car has gone

Leslie Deans wasn’t best pleased, I can tell you. En route to Hampden for the cup final. Along with a clique of fellow Jambos, Leslie, chairman of Hearts in the late 90s, had enjoyed lunch in a nearby Cathcart Road restaurant.

One of those bumper bonhomie occasions, with Pilmar Smith and George Foulkes among his fellow noshers, the prospect of a cup triumph helping the fare go down.

Imagine Leslie’s reaction, then, when on exiting the restaurant he discovered his car, with the disabled sticker prominently displayed, had vanished. Leslie, who owns a major property firm in Edinburgh, takes up the tale.

‘‘I was absolutely livid. It all but took the edge off our day. The match result, of course, kept me fuming. I chanced upon a passing policeman kind enough to ring his headquarters. They revealed where my car was and I managed to get into Hampden’s car park.

‘‘But I’ve taken up the matter with Glasgow City Council.’’

I sympathise totally with the former Heart of Midlothian supremo. He well knows my commiserations are heartfelt.

Happy birthday

Whale meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when. On a supermarket shelf, maybe. But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day up there with Vera Lynn.

Dame Vera, God bless her, was 96 this week so bless ‘em all, the long and the short and the tall. Made of the right we’ll-fight-them-on-the-beaches stuff.