In the post-match euphoria of the Edinburgh derby, the 40th anniversary of a Hearts landmark passed without comment.

A 1-1 with Dundee at Tynecastle on October 5 1985 was easily forgotten. Just 8512 fans turned up to watch Iain Jardine claim a point for Hearts with a second-half equaliser.

Alex McDonald’s team had lost to Motherwell and Clydebank in their previous two games. There was no hint, no suggestion, of a locomotive gathering speed. Nothing at all.

The following weekend Hearts travelled to Glasgow and pulled off a shock win over Celtic thanks to a John Robertson goal. Thereafter they began to work up a head of steam, the point against Dundee firing the starting gun on a 26-game unbeaten run which propelled them to the brink of the league title.

A point at Dens Park in the final game would have made crowned them champions. When Albert Kidd climbed off the bench to score twice for Dundee in the final seven minutes, Celtic snatched the title – and the green-and-white ribbons have barely left the trophy in the decades since.

Since Aberdeen...