The Past: On This Day in 1886 Heart of Midlothian versus Bolton Wanderers.

On this day in 1886 the Heart of Midlothian played their first ever game at the new Tynecastle Park! After several years of moving from one ground to another, beginning at the Meadows, using Powderhall, and Powburn among others, and for a short while the small area on the other side of the Gorgie Road was the original 'Tynecastle Park.'

The 'Hearts' had been created when a group of young men watched Queens Park play an exhibition football match in Edinburgh in 1872. Queens Park were the most famous football side in Scotland at the time. Thus inspired the men, who were thought to attend a dance hall called the 'Heart of Midlothian,' began to meet in the Edinburgh Meadows to play the game. In 1874, although team captain Tom Purdie always insisted it was 1873, the football club came into being. In those early days football clubs flourished everywhere and Edinburgh was filled with groups of young men developing the game. It soon became clear that the Heart of Midlothian were one of the more prominent sides, and under wise management moved to the newly developed area of Gorgie.

Interest in the opening game was great, and nearly 6000 people attended the event, paying the same entrance fee charged at the previous ground, sixpence! When they first started at the Old Tynecastle pitch ladies were allowed in free! And these creatures wanted equality? At 4 pm on the tenth of April 1886 the Heart of Midlothian opened their new stadium with a match against the English giants Bolton Wanderers. Loudly cheered by the crowd, many of whom had travelled on the special cars (that's trams to you and me) from Register House. Bolton, refereed to as 'The professionals,' as their players were paid, and the Hearts men were 'amateur.' at the time. At least they were supposed to be 'amateur,' but Hearts, like most clubs were discovered to be paying players secretly. However the game against Bolton began with Hearts playing against the sunshine yet within five minutes Tom Jenkinson scored the first goal ever at Tynecastle Park, and it put Hearts into the lead! By half time Hearts were three goals ahead, Rab Henderson and Bobby McNeil with the second and third, and soon after half time a fourth arrived when Henderson once again "Kicked the ball through the goal." Later, after goalkeeper William Gibson had made one or two saves a 'scrimmage' occurred near the Hearts posts and the "ball having rolled in the strangers scored a goal." Thus the Heart of Midlothian began their illustrious history at Tynecastle with a win by four goals to one, just as one would expect! The teams on that day were as follows:-.

Heart of Midlothian: Gibson, goal; Adams and Fairweather, backs; White, Aitkin and Fraser, half backs; Jenkinson, McKay, Henderson, Common and McNeil, forwards.

Bolton Wanderers: J Traynor, goal; Hutchinson and Parkinson, backs; Weir, Steel and Roberts, half backs; Davenport, Brogan, Struthers, Hewatson and Hough, forwards.

Umpires - for Hearts, Mr Reid, for Bolton Wanderers, Mr Bentley, Referee Mr Sneddon, the Edinburgh Association.

Tom Jenkinson Scorer of the first goal at Tynecastle Park.

Since this game thousands have come, from all over the world, to watch the famous Heart of Midlothian play on this ground. Who can blame them? Football played here at the end of the nineteenth century reveals the way the game developed. Penalty kicks, the penalty box, tactics, especially the 'scientific football' developed in Scotland, that is the passing game to you and me! This shows the difference between Scots and Englishmen. The English wished to continue the individual dribbling by himself through all the opposition, while the more egalitarian Scots played as a team! Hmmm some things never change!