It ended in tears for Ex-Jambo Jardine but he'd do it all over again

IAIN JARDINE remembers the fear within the Hibernian players as the Hearts juggernaut arrived at Easter Road in March 1986. "Hibs were terrified to play Hearts at that time. I don't care what anybody says, it was a known fact they were going to lose."

Twenty-five years ago, goals from Sandy Clark and John Robertson secured a 2-1 victory in the Edinburgh derby to keep Hearts three points clear of Dundee United at the top of the Scottish Premier Division. They were also seven ahead of Celtic at a time when a win merited only two points. It seemed the title was within touching distance and Jardine was revelling in the most exhilarating experience of his career.

Ten months previously he arrived at Tynecastle from the Cypriot club Anorthosis hoping to hold his own amongst Premier Division players.

Challenging for the championship was not on the agenda at the time, but the 1985/86 season evolved into one of the most enthralling in living memory as Hearts' play touched the heights during a 26-game unbeaten league run. The victory at Easter Road in March 1986 was the 22nd in a row without defeat, a Premier Division record at the time.

"Those memories will stick with me forever. Although the whole thing ended badly on the last day, you can't forget the whole season just because of seven days at the end," said Jardine.

"The success we had, the undefeated run and the build-up to us possibly beating the Old Firm to the title was just amazing. We were well in front at the top of the league for a long time. We were flying and you weren't frightened to play anybody. We were the team to be feared."

In Leith that day, Jardine knew Hearts would overpower their city rivals.

"Our fans were all looking forward to it and Hibs knew what was coming," he continued. "The points were mounting up for us and Alex MacDonald was keeping us grounded. We had Sandy Jardine on the park playing and Alex in the dugout. They had seen it and done it all before. From Monday to Friday was great fun at the club because we were almost joking about it. There was great camaraderie and Alex MacDonald made sure it was that way.

"When you're winning you don't feel tired. I can't remember any games where teams ran over the top of us and we snuck a 1-0 win. It was quite the opposite because we dominated everybody we played. Celtic were on a great run but we just kept going and really enjoyed it while it lasted."

Jardine became an unsung hero throughout the 1985/86 campaign, producing dogged midfield displays that often went unnoticed by the public. He left Hearts for a second spell with Partick Thistle in 1989 and then spent 14 years as a publican whilst playing junior football for Kilwinning Rangers in his native Ayrshire.

He now works for an engineering firm and admits to missing the regular involvement in football. However, he acknowledges that nothing could ever replicate the camaraderie evident at Tynecastle 25 years ago. "It was my first season with Hearts because I'd just come back from Cyprus as the previous season finished. Myself and John Colquhoun signed within days of each other and the club was rebuilding the team a little.

"I didn't get into the side until a good few games into the season. We didn't start well and I was sub for a couple of games. I came on and scored, then two weeks later I scored again and I managed to hang in there for a long time. We were on that run and then I hurt my back and had to drop out of the team. Whoever came in just kept things going and we went all those games undefeated.

"I remember going to training on the Monday morning and the queues were halfway down Gorgie Road for tickets for the next game. Every Monday it was the same. I'd never seen anything like it before and it made every game like a home game. The Hearts fans were everywhere.

"Wallace Mercer, the chairman, loved it. He made sure we were on the front and back pages of the papers. We were recording singles for the charts and everything. Wallace grabbed the opportunity. Despite how it ended, I would go through it all again. That season was absolutely the highlight of my career."