When Hearts went top of the table during a captivating but ultimately ill-fated campaign of 1985-86, the Scottish football writer John Fairgrieve insisted far too much was being made of his team’s prominence. “This is the club that represents the capital city,” he wrote. “Not merely Stenhousemuir, Montrose, Hibernian or Arbroath.”
The dig at Hibs still makes those who frequent Tynecastle Park smile, but there was a broader truism. Edinburgh, for reasons enhanced by four decades of Old Firm championship dominance, is viewed in provincial football terms.
