THINGS have been going pretty well for Hearts over the last few years. Ever since Robbie Neilson returned to the helm of the capital club in the summer of 2020, the intervening period has been marked by steady progress on and off the pitch.
Remember, it wasn’t so long ago that Hearts found themselves in the Championship, controversially demoted after the 2019/20 campaign was curtailed due to the pandemic. A Gorgie homecoming proved too tempting to resist for Neilson, who had just won the league with Dundee United, and he became the first manager to win back-to-back second-tier titles by the end of the season.
A third-place finish – one that was sealed at a canter in the end – followed upon the Jambos’ return to the big time and they continue to go from strength to strength. A first European group stage campaign in almost two decades provided an adventure for supporters (even if Hearts were found a little wanting in some of their continental fixtures) while on the home front, finishing third once again remains a very distinct possibility.
