Looking back at Albert Kidd Day
Is 40 years of hurt about to come to an end?
Hello
Every month Nutmeg allow me to go back in time to long before my football cartoons existed. This time we head back to a very relevant time - 3rd May 1986. A two horse race for the title between (pre Bloom) Hearts and Celtic. The Jambos were two points and four goals better off. It was theirs to lose. Hearts travelled to Dundee needing only a draw while Celtic went to the Paisley Saints needing a win by at least four goals and Hearts to get beat. Unlikely.
Well let’s start with a sickness bug hitting the Hearts squad on the lead up to the game. Craig Levein was ruled out and others like Roger Whittaker and Kenny Black could only manage a half at best. Manager Alex MacDonald had already read the tea leaves.
At Dens Park the game was officiated by Bill Crombie of Edinburgh and a Jambo apparently. How does that happen? Some might say that Paisley were bound to lie down and rollover for the Celtic. Their choice of kit had referee Andrew Waddell wondering that too.
Celtic started like a team that needed to win by a few goals and promptly set about scoring them. Four in the first half alone. The pick of them was an end to end one touch passing beauty that was set up for he who wouldn’t be named to score.
Dundee and Hearts were locked at 0-0 at the half. With Celtic already doing their bit Hearts knew that a draw was enough even if it would be nerve jangling.
Cometh the hour (or so), cometh the man. That man being Albert Kidd who was subbed on for fellow Hoops fan Tosh McKinlay.
The stalemate continued until the 83rd minute. A Dundee corner taken by Bobby Connor was nodded down by a flying Bomber Brown and wee Albert pounced on it to lash the ball past Henry Smith. Oh Shit.
Four minutes later and Kidd went on a run from the halfway line leaving a bum tweaking Kenny Black in his wake. A one two with Harvey and he was in. The caterpillar had gone full Celtic butterfly!
Via transistor radios and homing pigeons word got to Love Street that Hearts had completely fucked it. The Bhoys went mental.
Full time agony and disbelief for every one of the 10,000 Jambos at Dens Park. BBC commentator Archie MacPherson was moved almost as much as Neil Berry’s bowels.
And so it was that Hearts lost the league in the last seven minutes of the season. A week later they were pumped in the Scottish Cup Final by Aberdeen. What seemed to be nailed on joy turned into a scar that may never heal.
POSTSCRIPT
May 2026 and The Football Gods have convened a meeting as Bloomhearts sit atop the Premiership with only three games remaining and a potential last day decider at Celtic Park.
Will they or won’t they?
It never ceases to amuse that Hearts lost the league title in 1964-65 to Kilmarnock on the arcane method of “goal average” ( goals for divided by goals against). They would have won if the teams had been separated by goal difference. In 1985-86, Hearts lost out to Celtic on goal difference. They would, of course, and almost inevitably, have won if the tie had been settled by the previous process of goal average. The football gods appear to have a sense of humour.
Smith - Zico - Whittaker - Levein - S Jardine - K Black - Berry - Mackay - Colquhoun - S Clark - Robertson. All Scots. Unbeaten in 25 games before the Dundee collapse. They should never have brought on Robin Askwith that day at Dens ....... 🍼👦🏻👦🏻😆