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Club History

If you ever see a cavalcade of cars travelling up the M6 and A74 towards Edinburgh on matchdays, and flying maroon and whitescarves,the chances are you will have had a close encounter with the Manchester Hearts - but they're not from another planet just another country!

Though scattered throughout the North and Midlands of England members of the club come together regularly for matches, and the Manchester Hearts flag has become a welcome sight at most Hearts games.

The majority of members are exiled Scots who have been lifelong Hearts fans, although a large number hail from south of the Border but have been converted to the Jambo cause.

One such convert is club chairman, Mike Van Vleck who originates from Bolton. Mike became a Hearts fan when he attended the Texaco Cup match against Oldham Athletic in 1974.

"I used to work in an office near Oldham, and I couldn't believe it when a colleague returned from his lunch break on the day of the match to report that the town centre was swarming with Jambos," says Mike.

"When another workmate, told me there would be more Hearts fans than Oldham fans there that night, I decided to go to the match out of curiosity.

As I walked into Oldham social club, next door to Boundary Park, shortly before kick-off, a deafening chorus of Hearts chants hit me like a wall.

"I knew immediately which team I would be supporting that night! I was amazed that so many fans - there must have been 2000 down for the match - would travel all that way just for a Texaco Cup match.

"Although Oldham won the tie, I was so impressed with the size of the support and the noise they made, I became a Hearts fan straight away and have supported the club ever since."

Mike is proud to claim that he has been on ten of the European trips starting with Paris St Germain in 1984-85. And he has organised numerous trips himself which Manchester Hearts have shared with some of their Edinburgh-based counterparts.

In 1985, Mike joined up with John McBurnie and Des Burns, two Edinburgh exiles and lifelong Hearts supporters, and the trio formed the Manchester Hearts.

Mike Van Vleck, Des Burns, John McBurnie

In addition to gradually recruiting other members, they also launched their own fanzine, 'Heartbeat,' which seasoned Jambos may remember. Many hours were spent at Des's kitchen table as they typed articles, pasted pictures and stapled pages together - Neil Berry was a regular columnist for the first few years. During the eight years of the magazine's existence, it enjoyed a certain notoriety for its forthright views and even took part in an armed robbery! "

"The boot of Des's car had been loaded up with 'Heartbeats' ready for the trip to a Scottish Cup match against Falkirk at Brockville in 1990," says Mike.

" Des was horrified to look out of his bedroom window on the Saturday morning to find his car had been stolen.

"A week later it was found abandoned in Bradford after being used in an armed robbery. It had been pretty well bashed about and several other items were missing but our main concern was whether the Heartbeats were safe.

"Fortunately they were the only contents of the car which had not been touched, and were duly taken to Tynecastle the following week."

Manchester Hearts currently have 107 members, including 11 juniors, and although we still travel to most matches by sharing cars, we have also been running regular coaches during the past three seasons.

Branch meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month in the Bull's Head pub, Bury New Road, Whitefield, Manchester.

New members, who are always welcome, can enrol by turning up at a meeting or contacting secretary John McBurnie, on 01706 822714 or Email him at:

johnmac.manheart@totalise.co.uk