Hearts

Malachy O’Rourke opted for a tactical switch at the start of the second half and handed Niall Devlin the responsibility of tailing David Clifford.

The All-Ireland champions outscored Tyrone 0-5 to 0-2 across the opening 10 minutes of the half, Dylan Geaney and David Clifford (free) firing over from two-point range to extend their lead to five.

Darren McCurry was sprung from the bench in response, and immediately got into the action by nailing a difficult two-point free.

The Ulster side had a chance to level from the next attack, Donnelly feeding McElholm through, but his angle was quickly narrowed as Shane Murphy made a brave stop.

Kerry almost killed off the Tyrone charge on 50 minutes. Sean O’Shea, just on to the field, squared the ball to Dylan Geaney on the edge of the area, and with the goal gaping, his pass was over-hit.

The warning shot seemed to fire-up the men in white and red, as they hit the next three points, McElholm and McCurry shooting over, before McElholm put one between the sides blazing over via the crossbar with many waiting for the net to bulge.

Dylan Geaney was in inspired form and kicked the next three scores, including his second two-pointer.

Not to be outdone, McCurry landed his second two-pointer from a free, as Kerry were punished for failing to keep three players in attack. When Donnelly followed up with his third of the day, there was just one point between the sides with 15 minutes left.

McCurry and David Clifford started to have their own personal battle on the scoreboard with little to separate the sides, before Paudie Clifford landed a 45′ after a disputed effort which the Tyrone players felt went wide, only for the umpire to award the 45′.

Super-sub McCurry kicked his eighth and ninth points to leave one in it with three to play.

Paudie Clifford and McCurry traded efforts heading into the final play of the match, Kerry winning their own kick-out as Armin Heinrich finished to the net on the hooter as Tyrone desperately tried to win the ball back at the death.

With all this flux and not a lot of time to bed everything in, the question is whether Hearts can push on again at the top of the table.

Vranckin was clear the remit was to do just that, and in his first job outside of Belgium he appears to relish that challenge.

He can also sympathise with what Hearts went through last season, losing the title in the dying minutes of a thrilling campaign.

The same thing happened to Vrancken at Gent in 2023, when a late Royal Antwerp goal on the final day denied his team the title.

“It takes time [to get over] for sure,” he said.

“But with aiming on the new season and working for the new goals, that’s the only way to get over it and to work for it.

“I hope that we’re on the good side of the story, let’s say, the next time. I think it’s just putting the energy in it and what’s left to come and not looking back too much.

“The best clubs to work in are those that have ambitions. I think this is a good ambition, it’s a good point of focus, a good goal to have. And then we have to work for it and aim as high as possible and then we’ll see where we’ll end.”

Hearts are moving closer to appointing Belgian football’s manager of the year, Wouter Vrancken, as the club’s new head coach.

The 47-year-old left hometown club Sint-Truiden this summer after leading them to third place in the Belgian Pro League – their highest finish in 60 years – in his first full season in post.

Derek McInnes departed Hearts for Rangers last week after taking the club to second place last season, missing out on a first title since 1960 on the final day to Celtic.

Hearts are now close to confirming his replacement. Vrancken is set to take charge of a first club outside his homeland after impressive spells at Sint-Truiden and Genk, whom he took to the brink of the Belgian title in 2023.

Having started his coaching career in Belgium’s lower leagues, his return to the top flight was as assistant at another of his former clubs, Kortrijk.

He took over as boss of Mechelen in 2018 and led them to promotion and the Belgian Cup in the same season before three top-eight finishes in the top flight.

“When Calls the Heart” co-stars Erin Krakow and Ben Rosenbaum celebrated one year of marriage by publicly introducing the latest member of their growing family.

Krakow, 41, and Rosenbaum, 39, revealed via People on Tuesday that they welcomed a baby girl — their first child together — in April. In a joint Instagram post with the outlet, the Hallmark co-stars shared tender photos from an intimate shoot of themselves cuddling their baby girl and posing with their dog, Willoughby. The couple did not dish additional details about their child’s birth.

“Our daughter has been the greatest gift, and we are loving getting to know her better with each passing day,” Krakow and Rosenbaum told People via email.

Krakow and Rosenbaum have starred in the hit Hallmark period drama since its premiere in 2014. “When Calls the Heart” is set in the early 20th century and follows Krakow’s schoolteacher Elizabeth Thatcher as she makes a life for herself in Hope Valley, a small town in western Canada. Rosenbaum stars as Hope Valley resident Mike Hickam.

The new parents first generated dating rumors in 2023 when Krakow revealed she and Rosenbaum had become dog parents. Months later, Rosenbaum confirmed their romance in a Valentine’s Day post. The pair tied the knot last June and revealed in November that they were expecting.

“When Calls the Heart” wrapped up its 13th season in March and will return for production on Season 14 in 2027.

Rangers have appointed Derek McInnes as manager on a three-year contract after agreeing a compensation deal with Scottish Premiership rivals Hearts.

McInnes is the third boss at Ibrox inside a year and replaces Danny Rohl, whose move to Austrian side RB Salzburg was confirmed earlier on Wednesday.

The 54-year-old joined Hearts from Kilmarnock last summer and led the Tynecastle club to a second-placed finish, missing out on the title to Celtic on a dramatic final day, but edging Rangers out of the Champions League qualifiers.

The former Rangers midfielder turned down an approach from the Ibrox club in December 2017 in order to stay at Aberdeen but has now followed Tynecastle captain Lawrence Shankland in moving from Hearts.

“It is a real honour,” McInnes said. “The demands here are clear and our supporters rightfully have high expectations. It is up to me, my staff and my players to meet those expectations, and have this club performing as it should.

“There is a lot of hard work ahead, but already the preparations have begun and I am looking forward to meeting the current squad in the coming weeks and welcoming some new faces.”

Alan Archibald, Paul Sheerin and Craig Clark will assist McInnes.

While Rohl was head coach, McInnes will have the title of manager and was the frontrunner as soon as it emerged that the German was keen to leave for Salzburg.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh said the Scot is “someone we have always rated highly” and is “exactly what this club needs at this moment in time”.

He added: “His deep Scottish and Rangers experience are important for us. He knows how to win in this league, and he is coming off an extremely strong season with Hearts.”

Rohl, 37, replaced Russell Martin as head coach in October and steered Rangers into a three-way title fight, but a post-split collapse yielded a third-placed finish behind Celtic and Hearts as the Ibrox club ended the campaign without silverware.

Cavenagh – who publicly backed Rohl at the end of the season – thanked him for his “service and commitment to Rangers”.

“He and his staff put in a significant amount of hard work during his time in charge, which we are greatly appreciative of,” he added.

Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland says he is fulfilling his “dream” of joining “boyhood club” Rangers after completing his transfer from Scottish Premiership rivals Heart of Midlothian.

The 30-year-old, who has agreed a two-year deal at Ibrox with the option of a further 12 months, scored 88 goals in 171 appearances across four campaigns at Tynecastle.

And he captained the Edinburgh side to second place this season, missing out on the title to Celtic on the final day, with Rangers in third, eight points behind Hearts.

Shankland will miss out on Champions League qualifiers with Hearts but told Rangers TV: “Rangers is my boyhood club and it has always been a dream to play here, so I was really keen to get it done.

“The club are in a position where they want to get back to winning silverware more regularly and I want to be a big part of that, so that’s what I have come here to do.”

Shankland was out of contract at Hearts last summer – and was linked with a move to Ibrox then – before signing a three-year deal in late June.

The former Queen’s Park, Aberdeen, Ayr United, Dundee United and Beerschot forward went on to hit 20 goals in 34 games in all competitions, including four against Rangers, as Derek McInnes’ side chased a first title since 1960.

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl said: “He is a player with proven quality, leadership and work ethic – and his goalscoring record in Scotland speaks for itself.

“He understands the demands and expectations that come with playing for Rangers and we believe his character and experience will be a huge asset for the group.”

Immediately after completing his transfer, Shankland, who has scored four times in 18 Scotland outings, will join Steve Clarke’s squad for the World Cup.

“I wish him well at the World Cup this summer and look forward to welcoming him back to Glasgow during pre-season,” Rohl added.

For Heart of Midlothian, the tantalising, scarcely-believable, bottom line is this: after 66 years they may be crowned champions of Scotland on Wednesday.

A large asterisk must sit beside that sentence, of course. For history to happen, Hearts must beat Falkirk at Tynecastle and Celtic lose to Motherwell at Fir Park.

Few can see it turning out this way, but Hearts’ home record is exceptional and Motherwell have already beaten Celtic this season. Schooled them, in fact.

That was in Wilfried Nancy’s time, though. A relative lifetime ago.

There’s been so much change at Celtic, Martin O’Neill’s wise counsel dragging the team forward and back into contention after the dismal days under Nancy.

They’re still playing catch-up, though. Still chasing and knowing all the while that one slip of their own against Jens Berthel Askou’s impressive and dangerous side and it could be curtains.

Despite trailing Hearts by a point, Celtic are the bookies’ favourite to win the title again. The cold-blooded odds-layers have rarely bought into the Hearts fairytale, most of them reckoning that Celtic would come good in the end.

The mere fact that Hearts have come this close is trippy. Thirty-six games played, 3,240 minutes across 10 months, table toppers since September and they have arrived at this point.

In their greatest league season since falling on the last day 40 years ago, they’ve been doubted along the way. Laughed at in the beginning when Tony Bloom bought into the club and said they could split the Old Firm in one season, and questioned in December when they dropped points in four games in a row.

Scepticism came in waves in late spring when they lost to two of the bottom six and then drew with Livingston, plumb last in the Premiership.

Injuries hampered them then as they hamper them now, but Hearts kept the show on the road. ‘Believe’ is the Tynecastle mantra, the gospel the manager Derek McInnes has preached.

In the Celtic dressing room, there is experience of reeling off wins to secure a title.

Winning their last five league games nods to the defending champions’ ability to harness experience.

They might not have been challenged to the final day much before, but in contrast to Hearts their winning experience is considerable.

“I honestly do feel that Celtic will be calm, just because they’ve been in this situation so many times before,” Halliday said.

“Now, some people don’t think that counts for much. For me, I personally do.

“Hearts have felt the pressure of being the team that’s been hunted for 30 weeks consecutively now, and they’ve handled it already extremely well.

“You talk about a manager’s role, I’ve no doubt whatsoever that Derek McInnes has played a huge part in that.”

O’Dea also believes that however different players and managers handle these situations, neither Celtic nor Hearts, who have come from behind to take points in their last five games, have shown signs of toiling.

“Both teams have an abundance of character,” he said.

“I don’t know if I could pick a winner in terms of the character from both groups, they’ve both shown it, so it makes for a good ending.”

The comeback win against Rangers was a huge hurdle cleared for Hearts on an emotional Monday evening at Tynecastle.

However, playing Motherwell at Fir Park this season is among the toughest tests in the league. Only Falkirk, twice, have won there and Motherwell have conceded just nine goals in 17 home games – the fewest of any side in the division.

Hearts put in a conservative performance to get a 0-0 draw in their other visit back in November.

But even the games at Tynecastle between the sides have been keenly contested.

Motherwell were 3-0 up and cruising in August before Claudio Braga inspired a remarkable comeback to earn a draw, in a sign of things to come for the Hearts.

Then Motherwell pushed Hearts to the final few moments last month before succumbing to a 3-1 defeat. Had the visitors been more clinical, it could have been a different result.

Motherwell have already derailed Rangers’ title challenge with a 3-2 win at Ibrox a fortnight ago, and Hearts will be well aware of the threat Jens Berthel Askou’s side pose.

Given Celtic visit Fir Park on Wednesday, Motherwell could well be the kingmakers as they chase fourth place and European football for themselves.

A Hearts victory would be a giant step towards history and ensure Celtic have no room for error. So far the men in maroon have handled everything thrown at them.

Here, both sides decided to get down to it from the get-go. No feeling their way in, no shadow boxing. With Hearts going for the title and Hibs busting a gut to derail them, there was a school of thought that this was the biggest Edinburgh derby of them all in the league.

And it felt like it. Boy, did it fizz and crackle. Seven minutes in and Martin Boyle scored. His last derby and there he was, writing his own farewell script. Or so he would have hoped.

Jamie McGrath’s vicious free-kick, Beni Banigime dozing and in rushed Boyle – cool and calm, a sidefoot to the solar plexus of the visitors. Down the Hearts end, too. A perfect view of their nightmare start.

Easter Road basked not just in the sunshine but in the anxiety of their guests, the unspeakable horror of having their league dream buffeted by their greatest rivals.

What unfolded was pulsating, a red card for Sallinger only four minutes after Boyle scored, a daft act of handling the ball outside his own area and a call that was easier to make than the officials made it look.

Everybody knew that Sallinger was goosed on first, or second, viewing. The officials took five or six minutes. It was a calamity for Hibs.

The mood completely shifted and shifted some more when the news came through that Rangers had blinked first in the title race. Later, McInnes spoke of the importance of winning your first post-split game and he was right.

Hearts and Celtic are now on the front foot.

While those elements all give Hearts confidence, the team who arrives into the final five games in the best form is Rangers.

In the last 12 games, Danny Rohl’s side have taken five more points than Hearts and are just one behind in second place.

Martin O’Neill’s Celtic have gathered three more than Hearts over the same period, and the league leaders have suffered three of their five losses this term in those last 12 matches.

Hearts’ performances have dropped slightly in the second half of the season, which is why Rangers and Celtic have slowly closed the gap despite their own flaws.

Undoubtedly the absence of striker, joint top scorer, and captain Lawrence Shankland from January until late March has affected that, as well as influential midfielder Cammy Devlin for a similar period.

Midfielders Oisin McEntee and Tomas Magnussen missing the rest of the campaign is a blow, but left-back Harry Milne is due back soon and centre-back Stuart Findlay made his comeback against Motherwell.

Rangers have the form. Celtic, meanwhile, have the most experience of winning the league in their squad and dugout, which the Hearts boss believes is a factor, if far from being critical.

“It doesn’t give them any guarantees, but it certainly does help them,” he said.

“I don’t get caught up in that too much, to be honest. Really, it’s performances and just getting results and getting them any way you can at this stage.

“I understand that [narrative], but I actually don’t think in the cold light of day it’s the most important thing.”

The PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year for the 2025-26 season is dominated by Motherwell and Hearts players.

Fourth-placed Motherwell lead the way with five, while table-topping Hearts have four.

Celtic midfielder Benjamin Nygren, who has scored 19 goals in all competitions, and Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez make up the XI voted for by footballers through their union.

Motherwell goalkeeper Calum Ward, defender Paul McGinn, midfielders Elliot Watt and Elijah Just plus forward Tawanda Maswanhise, the league’s top scorer with 17 goals, have all been selected.

They are joined by Hearts defenders Craig Halkett and Harry Milne as well as forwards Lawrence Shankland and Claudio Braga, who have 33 goals between them in all competitions.

The individual PFA Scotland nominees will be revealed later this month, with the winners announced on 3 May.

PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year for 25-26: Calum Ward (Motherwell), Paul McGinn (Motherwell), Craig Halkett (Hearts), Emmanuel Fernandez (Rangers), Harry Milne (Hearts), Benjamin Nygren (Celtic), Elliot Watt (Motherwell), Elijah Just (Motherwell), Tawanda Maswanhise (Motherwell), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts), Claudio Braga (Hearts).