Hearts Fan Flies from Australia to Witness Title Bid
A dedicated Hearts supporter has invested thousands of pounds on flights from Australia with the hope of witnessing his team secure the Scottish Premiership title.
If Hearts win their upcoming match against Falkirk and Celtic lose to Motherwell, Hearts will clinch the league title.
If these results do not occur, the championship will be decided in the final match of the season between Celtic and Hearts in Glasgow on Saturday.
A victory for Hearts would mark the club's first top-flight title since 1960 and the first time in over four decades that a team other than Celtic or Rangers has won the league.
Colin Brown, who currently resides in Sydney, Australia, spent A$4,500 (£2,408) on flights to be in Edinburgh this week to witness the unfolding drama.
"I bought the flight tickets after the Rangers game [on Monday 4 May] but I decided to come after the Motherwell game [on Saturday 11 April] prior to the split.
As soon as Landry Kabore put that third goal in, I turned to my wife and said 'I've got to be there'."
The 55-year-old does not have a ticket himself, but his father and brother have generously allowed him to use their shared family season ticket.
After three flights, he told BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast,
"I'll be there."
Last season, Hearts finished seventh, trailing Celtic by 42 points.
However, ahead of tonight's fixtures, Hearts have accumulated 77 points, the highest total ever achieved by a non-Old Firm team in Premiership history.
If the upcoming hours and possibly days unfold favorably, Hearts could secure the title for the first time in 66 years.
"This is everything,"said Colin, originally from Edinburgh.
"Apart from the birth of my children, this is the biggest thing. It's the one thing in your life that's constant.
Hearts are my club and it's the one thing that will never change."
"It's Our Time"
The Edinburgh team last came close to winning the Premiership in 1986.
However, the title slipped away after a loss against Dundee at Den's Park, allowing Celtic to claim the trophy instead.
Despite the pressure on the Gorgie side, Colin has managed to overcome any last-minute nerves.
"I am supremely confident,"he told the programme.
"We are going to do this, it's done. You've got to put the ghost of '86 behind you - we are going to win the league, it's our time."
Colin has been a devoted supporter since attending his first match nearly 50 years ago.
"The first game I remember going to was at Gayfield against Arbroath, 1978/79 season,"he said.
"As I remember it, Donald Park scored the winner to promote Hearts from the old first division.
Seven thousand Jambos were there - we all ended up on the pitch and I was like 'this is unbelievable'. My brother was there, my dad was there. It was phenomenal."
He plans to return to Sydney on Monday but remains closely connected to his Edinburgh team.
"I watch Hearts TV, I watch every game and I'm right across all the social media and the Hearts Standard [podcast].
My wife knows that when I pop my clogs, she's got to get my ashes on the pitch at Tynecastle Park. And that's genuine."
