1978–79 Heart of Midlothian F.C. season
| 1978–79 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Willie Ormond |
| Stadium | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Scottish Premier Division | 10th |
| Scottish Cup | Third Round |
| League Cup | Second Round |
| East of Scotland Shield | Winner |
| Top goalscorer | League: Willie Pettigrew (16) All: Willie Pettigrew (20) |
During the 1978–79 season, Heart of Midlothian F.C. competed in the Scottish Premier Division, the Scottish Cup, the Scottish League Cup, the Anglo-Scottish Cup and the East of Scotland Shield.
Fixtures
Friendlies
| 9 August 1978 Friendly | Hearts | 3–0 | Middlesbrough | Tynecastle Park |
| Gary Liddell Paul O'Brien Gerry McCoy |
| 19 November 1978 Testimonial | East Fife | 0–0 | Hearts | Bayview Park |
| Gary Liddell Paul O'Brien Gerry McCoy |
Tennents Caledonian Cup
| 5 August 1978 Tennents Caledonian Cup Semi-final | Rangers | 3–1 | Hearts | Ibrox Park |
| Gerry McCoy Gary Liddell Peter Shields Gerry McCoy |
| 6 August 1978 Tennents Caledonian Cup 3rd place match | Hearts | 2–0 | West Bromwich Albion | Tynecastle Park |
| Chris Robertson |
Anglo-Scottish Cup
| 16 August 1978 Anglo-Scottish Cup | Partick Thistle | 2–1 | Hearts | Firhill Park |
| 23 August 1978 Anglo-Scottish Cup | Hearts | 1–1 | Partick Thistle | Tynecastle Park |
League Cup
| 30 August 1978 League Cup R2 1st leg | Hearts | 1–3 | Morton | Tynecastle Park |
| Chris Robertson | Attendance: 6,729 |
| 2 September 1978 League Cup R2 2nd leg | Morton | 4–1 | Hearts | Cappielow Park |
| Chris Robertson | Attendance: 5,249 |
Scottish Cup
| 27 January 1979 Scottish Cup R3 | Raith Rovers | 0–2 | Hearts | Stark's Park |
| Billy Howitt | Roddie MacDonald Chris Robertson Peter Marinello Pat Byrne |
Attendance: 10,000 |
| 3 March 1979 Scottish Cup R4 | Hearts | 1–1 | Morton | Tynecastle Park |
| Stephen Hancock | Attendance: 9,000 |
| 5 March 1979 Scottish Cup R4 replay | Morton | 0–1 | Hearts | Cappielow Park |
| Billy Howitt | Roddie MacDonald Chris Robertson Peter Marinello Pat Byrne |
Attendance: 8,000 |
| 10 March 1979 Scottish Cup R5 | Hibernian | 2–1 | Hearts | Easter Road |
| Billy Howitt | Roddie MacDonald Chris Robertson Peter Marinello Pat Byrne |
Attendance: 22,618 |
East of Scotland Shield
| 10 October 1978 Final | Hearts | 1–3 | Meadowbank Thistle | Tynecastle Park |
| Willie Pettigrew Pat Byrne Willie Pettigrew Willie Pettigrew Willie Pettigrew |
Scottish Premier Division
| 12 August 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 1–4 | Aberdeen | Tynecastle Park |
| Jimmy Bone | Attendance: 11,091 |
| 19 August 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Celtic | 4–0 | Hearts | Celtic Park |
| John Robertson 57' John Robertson 70' Jimmy Bone 77' |
Ralph Callachan 11' William Irvine 65' |
Attendance: 22,907 |
| 26 August 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 1–1 | Hibernian | Tynecastle Park |
| Alex MacDonald 9' John Robertson 29' Jimmy Bone 47' |
David Mitchell 62' | Attendance: 19,663 |
| 9 September 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Partick Thistle | 3–2 | Hearts | Firhill Park |
| Iain Ferguson 36' (pen.) | Jimmy Bone 70' John Robertson 90' |
Attendance: 5,117 |
| 16 September 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 1–1 | Morton | Tynecastle Park |
| Roddie MacDonald 8' | Attendance: 6,945 |
| 23 September 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Motherwell | 0–1 | Hearts | Fir Park |
| Peter Weir 28' Peter Weir |
Attendance: 5,219 |
| 30 September 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Dundee United | 3–1 | Hearts | Tannadice Park |
| Attendance: 6,312 |
| 7 October 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 1–1 | St Mirren | Tynecastle Park |
| Frank McGarvey 44' | Jimmy Bone 48' | Attendance: 9,192 |
| 14 October 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 0–0 | Rangers | Tynecastle Park |
| David Dodds 36' | Attendance: 17,910 |
| 21 October 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Aberdeen | 1–2 | Hearts | Pittodrie Stadium |
| John Robertson 13', 27' (pen.) | Attendance: 13,707 |
| 28 October 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 2–0 | Celtic | Tynecastle Park |
| Bobby Thomson 66' | John Robertson | Attendance: 19,269 |
| 4 November 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Hibernian | 1–2 | Hearts | Easter Road |
| Gary Mackay 66' (pen.) | Tosh McKinlay 18' McCall 57', 73' |
Attendance: 20,120 |
| 11 November 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 0–1 | Partick Thistle | Tynecastle Park |
| Doug Rougvie 33' Neil Simpson 89' |
Attendance: 11,967 |
| 18 November 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Morton | 3–2 | Hearts | Cappielow Park |
| Gary Mackay 21' (pen.), 67' | Frank McAvennie 12' Frank McDougall |
Attendance: 7,765 |
| 25 November 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 3–2 | Motherwell | Tynecastle Park |
| Sandy Clark 34', 70' John MacDonald 78' |
Attendance: 8,984 |
| 9 December 1978 Scottish Premier Division | St Mirren | 4–0 | Hearts | St Mirren Park, Love Street |
| Attendance: 5,183 |
| 16 December 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Rangers | 5–3 | Hearts | Ibrox Park |
| John Robertson | Brian McClair 26', 81' James Dobbin |
Attendance: 19,754 |
| 23 December 1978 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 0–0 | Aberdeen | Tynecastle Park |
| Johannes Edvaldsson | Jimmy Bone | Attendance: 9,199 |
| 20 January 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Motherwell | 3–2 | Hearts | Tannadice Park |
| Ian Gibson 19' | Donald Park 31' George Cowie |
Attendance: 3,881 |
| 10 February 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 1–2 | St Mirren | Tynecastle Park |
| Donald Park | William Irvine | Attendance: 7,803 |
| 24 February 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 3–2 | Rangers | Tynecastle Park |
| Robert Glennie McCall Iain Ferguson Fraser |
John Robertson | Attendance: 16,050 |
| 17 March 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Hibernian | 1–1 | Hearts | Easter Road |
| Derek O'Connor 88' John Robertson 91' |
Ally McCoist 31' Bobby Williamson 47' |
Attendance: 13,297 |
| 28 March 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 1–2 | Hibernian | Tynecastle Park |
| John Robertson 36', 71' | John Gahagan 28' | Attendance: 16,042 |
| 31 March 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Morton | 2–2 | Hearts | Cappielow Park |
| Brian McClair 22', 37', 79' John Colquhoun 75' |
Donald Park 87' | Attendance: 5,767 |
| 4 April 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 2–0 | Dundee United | Tynecastle Park |
| Eamonn Bannon 20' Tommy Coyne 24', 82' |
Walter Kidd 7' | Attendance: 6,480 |
| 7 April 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 3–0 | Motherwell | Tynecastle Park |
| Steve Clarke 65' | Willie Johnston 87' | Attendance: 6,651 |
| 11 April 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 0–3 | Partick Thistle | Tynecastle Park |
| John Robertson 18' Jimmy Bone 45' |
Rowan Alexander 66' | Attendance: 8,265 |
| 14 April 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 0–3 | Dundee United | Tynecastle Park |
| John Robertson 8' (pen.) | Attendance: 7,564 |
| 18 April 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 0–3 | Celtic | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 10,633 |
| 21 April 1979 Scottish Premier Division | St Mirren | 2–1 | Hearts | St Mirren Park, Love Street |
| Ian Porteous 46' | John Robertson 62' | Attendance: 6,049 |
| 25 April 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Dundee United | 2–1 | Hearts | Tannadice Park |
| Attendance: 6,005 |
| 28 April 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Rangers | 4–0 | Hearts | Ibrox Park |
| Attendance: 20,464 |
| 2 May 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Aberdeen | 5–0 | Hearts | Pittodrie Stadium |
| Roddie MacDonald Donald Park 82' |
John Brogan 54' Raymond Blair 83' |
Attendance: 6,602 |
| 5 May 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Partick Thistle | 2–0 | Hearts | Firhill Park |
| Stewart McKimmie 62' | Attendance: 4,605 |
| 7 May 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Hearts | 0–1 | Morton | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Willie Johnston | Tommy Burns 45' | Attendance: 2,253 |
| 14 May 1979 Scottish Premier Division | Celtic | 1–0 | Hearts | Celtic Park |
| Gary Mackay 10' | Jim McInally 50' | Attendance: 16,507 |
Scottish Premier Division table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | St Mirren | 36 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 36 | |
| 7 | Morton | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 52 | 53 | −1 | 36 | |
| 8 | Partick Thistle | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 34 | |
| 9 | Heart of Midlothian (R) | 36 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 39 | 71 | −32 | 23 | Relegation to the 1979–80 Scottish First Division |
| 10 | Motherwell (R) | 36 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 33 | 86 | −53 | 17 |
Source: Statto and RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated
Squad information
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Scottish Premier Division | Scottish Cup | Scottish League Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| GK | SCO | John Brough | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| GK | SCO | Thomson Allan | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Willie Gibson | 39 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Cammy Fraser | 39 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Jim Brown | 32 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Drew Busby | 31 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Walter Kidd | 34 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Bobby Prentice | 13 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Jim Jeffries | 34 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Malcolm Robertson | 35 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Graham Shaw | 12 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Ian Black | 17 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Frank Liddell | 36 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Derek O'Connor | 22 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Colin More | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | John Craig | 22 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Dave McNicoll | 20 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Lawrie Tierney | 15 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Eamonn Bannon | 21 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| GK | SCO | Ray Dunlop | 20 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Denis McQuade | 24 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Rab Stewart | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | David Scott | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Des O'Sullivan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Donald Park | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Paul Rodger | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Kenny McLeod | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Gordon James Smith | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Ian Paterson | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Peter Johnstone | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |