The big trip north: an update

PLANS are coming together for The Great Expedition To Gorgie in January.

We are hosting a Burns Night party in York on Friday 25 January, and then coordinating a trip to Tynecastle the next day, for Hearts v Motherwell, with the aim of getting as many England-based Jambos as possible to travel north together for the match.

If you missed the original story on this, you can catch up here: Original article.

We've had a great response to our original plans, so here's an update....

We have now booked Brigantes in Micklegate for the Burns Night party, at a price of £8 a head for the haggis, neeps and tatties meal, complete with the traditional Address to the Haggis.

For those coming from outside York, Brigantes is only five minutes' walk from York Station and is a fantastic pub, which has won a number of awards in recent years. It's run by a member of York Hearts, which helps ensure we will get great service. We are likely to have most of the downstairs area.

The majority of people have said they would prefer to travel by train, and we've been in touch with East Coast to use their advanced group discount offer. They sell tickets up to 12 weeks in advance, which means our tickets will go on sale on or around November 3.

We are waiting to hear from them whether we need to book the tickets all at once. Our preference would be that they give us a customised discount code, so people can book and pay for their own tickets, while still benefiting from the group discount and hopefully ensuring we are all in the same carriage. We'll update on this as soon as we hear back from East Coast.

For those looking to stay in York, you may want to see the accommodation section of the Visit York website.

So near and yet so far....

FOUR members of York Hearts made it to Anfield, as Hearts came agonisingly close to a sensational victory over Liverpool. Few gave Hearts much hope after the unfortunate 1-0 defeat at Tynecastle last week, but Hearts held on for 83 minutes, before taking the lead through David Templeton. Sadly, the hosts levelled 4 minutes later, to deny Hearts the chance of extra-time. Well done to those who made the trip, or gathered in the White Horse to watch on TV. The next official club trip is on September 29 to Hearts v Kilmarnock.

The great expedition to Gorgie...

Are you a Hearts fan marooned in England? Then sign up now for the trip of the season!

This year, as well as organising monthly trips to Tynecastle, York Hearts want to meet other Jambos from around England and organise one great expedition north to Tynecastle.

Dozens of us travel up individually or in small groups week in week out - now let's do it as one. We are encouraging as many Jambos and Jambo sympathisers as possible to make the trip, from wherever you may be in England. Bring your friends, your kids, your wives, your husbands, your boyfriends, your girlfriends, your neighbours and your colleagues - the more the merrier. Whether you're a member of York Hearts, or a Jambo elsewhere in England, come along!

All the doom-mongers and nay-sayers claim that the death of Rangers will kill Scottish football and ruin crowds. We want to prove them wrong.

So on January 26, we will travel en masse to Tynecastle to watch Hearts take on Motherwell in the SPL. We considered choosing a derby game or a match against Celtic, but felt it was better to choose a typical SPL game, where our support would be more significant.

To add to the event, we will be organising a Burns Night event in York on Friday 25 January, for any Jambos elsewhere in England who want to break their trip north. Details will depend on numbers, but you can guarantee beer, haggis, whisky and a good laugh among fellow marooned Jambos.

Once we have an idea of numbers, we will make a block booking for tickets through Hearts. We will either hire a coach or make advanced bookings on the train, which would allow those further north to join us at Darlington, Newcastle, Durham or Berwick.

If you are interested, please email yorkhearts@yahoo.co.uk with a note of where you are, how you'd prefer to travel (bus or train), whether you'd be up for the Burns Night do in York on the Friday, and with contact details.

If you know someone else who might be interested, please spread the word.

Make a noise, the Gorgie Boys, are going to... Gorgie!

Hearts v Liverpool!

Hearts have today been drawn against Liverpool in the Europa League playoff round. The first game will be at Tynecastle on August 23 and the return will be at Anfield on August 30 (both Thursday nights). Demands for tickets is likely to be extremely high but we will do our utmost for members, as always. Please let the committee know ASAP if you want to go to either or both legs, and we will do what we can. email yorkhearts@yahoo.co.uk to register your interest and please ensure the committee have an up-to-date note of your name, address and HMFC reference number!