The Heart of Summer

Two aspects of the pre-season build-up to the new football season were going up to Ewart's at Oxgangs Broadway to buy in my copy of the Wee Red Book and to go along to the former Army Polo Fields at Dreghorn to see Hearts undertaking their pre-season training under the beady eye of John Cumming

John Cumming leading Hearts' pre-season training Dreghorn in the lea of the Pentland Hills Photograph SPL

Back in the day before social media and the ability to transfer knowledge instantly it was sometimes pot-luck whether we would get to watch the players. But in some respects whilst it might be disappointing it didn't really matter as on sun-kissed summer days it was always a great wee adventure making our way along the country lane under the dark avenues of July to the former polo fields at Dreghorn. If we'd been in the know at the time Dougie Ewart said that the Hearts bus was sometimes parked up at the garages at the top of Oxgangs Farm Drive so that would have helped to spread the word. 

 Hearts pre-season training at Dreghorn 21st July 1966 photograph SPL

Extract from Retep Nnamffoh’s Letts’ Schoolboy Diary

Tuesday 20th July 1971 '...In the afternoon a bunch of us walked up to the Army's Polo Fields at Dreghorn to watch Hearts doing their pre-season training. They were all there including Donald Ford; Jim Cruikshank; Alan Anderson; as well as Oxgangs' Eric Carruthers. It was just a wee ten minute walk up the road for him from 94 Oxgangs Bank...'

Hearts pre-season training at Dreghorn 21st July 1966 photograph SPL

Eric Carruthers and Donald Ford

Richard Anderson recalls 'I used to go there with my friends from Oxgangs. (I cycled up from Bruntsfield). Eric (Carruthers) was a pal of theirs away from the game. I remember how Cruikie would try to hide to avoid the running-round-the-pitch training. If we were lucky they'd get us to act as linesmen for their practice games. Any attempts to stop them swearing were pretty unsuccessful if we got a call wrong - they let us know alright!'

Some local lads watching Hearts training; photograph Gillian Ward

Colin Laidlaw, Oxgangs Farm Drive said 'I well remember doing this. I used to be pleased as punch when we used to get a lift home on the Hearts bus and they'd drop us off in the 'Drive'. John Harvey the manager/trainer at the time used to go to great lengths to stop the players swearing. When we didn't get a lift I fondly remember the walk back home as well; we used to gather wild strawberries growing at the roadside.'

Bob Elrick responded 'Cruikie was a great guy. He was my hero when I was a teen and when I met him in later life I really enjoyed speaking to him. I always remember that a goal was never his fault as he bawled out his defenders.' Alan Black says 'I think it was an Oxgangs right of passage, going up to watch Hearts train. Cruikie (Jim Cruickshank the goalkeeper) always had a word for his ball-boys.'

Hearts autographs; courtesy Jim Hunter

Davie Arthur said 'I was on that Hearts bus many times coming back from the training in the summer of 1964; I had over 100 signed scrapbook photos of Willie Wallace; I used to sit with him going back to Dr Motley's, Oxgangs Road North where we got dropped off. My old 1964 scrap books were thrown in the bin by my old man in a clear-out, down the f****** chute when we moved to Oxgangs House. I kept scrapbooks until 1968 until after they lost the Scottish Cup Final to Dunfermline; I lent the last one to some work colleagues of mine and never saw it again - I could name names LOL!'