Hearts: This is my story...

ANDY GOURLAY, 48, from Bonnyrigg is a Hearts season ticket holder and has renewed for next season along with his wife and two children.

Why are you a Hearts fan? My Grandad was a Hearts fan and season ticket holder for all of his life and when I was young, I stayed with my grandparents during the week and I used to go to Tynecastle High School as well. Despite that though, he only ever took me to one reserve game! However, I think the seeds had been sown and when I was about 13-14, I started to go to the games regularly with my mates from Burdiehouse. I have been a big Hearts fan ever since then and I have now been a season ticket holder for about 16 years.

What was your first Hearts game? I don't know when my first game was but the first game that sticks out clearly in my mind was a 4-1 win against Hibs in 1973 – it was actually the first Edinburgh derby in the aftermath of the infamous 7-0 defeat that we suffered at Easter Road. It was a great opportunity for us to take some revenge for that game and we definitely got that. I remember Schaedler's OG to open the scoring and I remember that we hit the woodwork twice. The scoreline definitely flattered Hibs that day and we came pretty close to giving them a real hammering.

Who was your first Hearts hero? There are a few players who stick out in my mind from my early days as a Jambo. I always liked Donald Ford – he was a player who gave 100 per cent for us and should have had more Scotland caps than he did. Another favourite was Jimmy Cant who played in the sweeper role. I think he was the first player to have the "pop star" look and he always had his hair done before a game! However, my all-time favourite was Bobby Prentice who had exceptional skill and, in those days, players didn't have the same level of professionalism as they do now and if Bobby had been more "professional" off the park he could have really been a world class player.

Andy's favourite Hearts XI

Craig Gordon: Hearts have had a lot of very good goalkeepers but for me, Gordon was the best. He had great presence, agility and a terrific attitude.

Alan McLaren: A great tackler and a great man-marker. Alan was a top-class defender and I always thought that he could have gone further in the game than he did.

Craig Levein: He'd probably play the sweeper role in my team. If it hadn't been for injuries, he could have played at the very highest level. He was every bit as good as Alan Hansen but he had more pace.

Takis Fyssas: A top quality international player. He had confidence in his own ability because of what he'd achieved and while a lot of people thought he was quite arrogant, you need that confidence to be a top player.

Gary Mackay: He played a few games for Hearts on the right so I'll use him out there! He probably wouldn't be rated as an all-time great player for Hearts but he will always be an all-time Hearts great because of his passion for the club.

Paul Hartley: He really improved himself as a player and his hat-trick against Hibs in the Scottish Cup semi-final is the stuff of legend. Showed nerves of steel to slot home the penalty that put us in the Champions League.

Colin Cameron: Another terrific attacking midfielder who had nerves of steel from the penalty spot. Colin was a great player who had a big heart and he always gave 100 per cent.

Rudi Skacel: A midfielder with great skill and he had so much power in his left foot. I remember when We beat Hibs 4-1 at Tynecastle and the Hibees had said some pretty nasty stuff about Skacel and he offered the perfect response – he scored one and set up three.

John Colquhoun: A cracking wee player who could play anywhere. He was a good goalscorer and he had great powers of recovery too! He got some rough treatment but never seemed to spend much time on the sidelines.

John Robertson: Robertson picks himself for any all-time Hearts XI. He never actually scored a hat-trick in a Premier League match which shows just how good his strike-rate was. His late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Easter Road is one of my favourite memories.

Bobby Prentice: For all of the reasons I've already mentioned. He used to beat players for fun. Bobby was one of the most naturally gifted footballers that I've ever seen in a maroon jersey. A terrific player.