Tuesday, March 19, 2013

In 200 years, they'll know the score....

THE story of York Hearts' greatest day will be recounted in 200 years' time, thanks to a new project in York.

City of York Council is to bury a time capsule containing many people's stories and memories of York, as part of the York800 celebrations.

York Hearts have added a photograph and small report from May 19 last year, covering the trip to and from Hampden and the celebrations in York after Hearts' Scottish Cup Final victory.

The capsule will be dug up again and its contents examined in 2212, to coincide with the 1,000th anniversary of York gaining its Royal Charter as a city.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Caps but no cup on the day everything was flat

THERE were flat caps, flat tyres and a flat atmosphere as 20 members of York Hearts headed to and from Hampden on Sunday.

It was one of the biggest turn-outs for a trip since the friendly against Barcelona in 2007, but the day ended in frustration as Hearts failed to add the League Cup to the Scottish Cup in the Tynecastle trophy room, going down 3-2 to St Mirren in a disappointing game.

Club members were joined by a few extras for the dawn departure from Memorial Gardens, with several Jambos who were visiting York for the weekend making use of the bus north, and we picked up two others en route on the M74.

The day began in good mood, as Hearts sought to hold both domestic cups at once for the first time. Gav and Badger donned new "Ayup for the cup" T-shirts, a number of us wore less-than-fetching Yorkshire flat caps for the day, and Sam handed out Mickey Mouse masks to a select band who had vociferously belittled the competition in recent years.

We fought through blizzards on the way north but Stuiart Tait's killer quiz and the Jambo Tribe CD (starring our own chairman) made the trip less more enjoyable.

We had time for just a quick pint in The Beechwood pub pre-match and then to the game. The atmosphere was oddly flat from the off, Hearts fans perhaps still blase and high from last May's Scottish Cup final or perhaps just all-too aware that the team had rarely impressed this year. Certainly the mood was more subdued than at most finals, understandably so in the end.

Hearts began well, went 1-0 up and had plenty of chances to add to their tally, but we lost our way after the first half hour, conceded three goals and left ourselves an uphill battle. Ryan Stevenson added his and Hearts' second after 85 minutes but it was too little too late. Hearts hit the woodwork three times and can probably count themselves slightly unfortunte to lose, but they ultimately paid the price for failing to seize control when they had the chance.

The drive back went from tedious to very tedious when two of the bus's tyres blew out on the M74 heading south. The driver did well to get us on to the hard shoulder and we then endured a long wait atop the embankment until replacements arrived. Our bus was broken, our bus was broken, sorrow, sorrow, sorrow, sorrow.

The next trip will be after the SPL split. Details to be confirmed in due course.