Perched at the top of the Scottish Premiership since the end of September, Hearts are now having to contemplate being leapfrogged by Celtic at the final hurdle.
While Hearts' position at the summit has remained close to steadfast for most of this season (Rangers took top spot for 1,260 minutes in April when they played first), their points advantage over the Glasgow giants has fluctuated. The gap has been as many as nine points, but after the Jam Tarts were held to a 1-1 draw by Motherwell at the weekend and nearest challengers Celtic won the Old Firm game 3-1 at Parkhead, it is now down to just one.
There was drama in the midweek games, with Hearts easing past Falkirk 3-0, while Martin O'Neill's men were awarded a 98th minute penalty which was scored by Kelechi Iheanacho to keep the gap between the sides at just one point. Then, at lunchtime on Saturday, the final game of the season when the top two go head to head in the east end of Glasgow in what is for all the marbles, a winner-takes-all showdown with everything at stake.
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With only two games to go, and a fragile one point lead for our team, how are we, the Hearts supporters, meant to be feeling in this week of all weeks?
Although I cannot speak for others, I suspect I am still speaking for the majority by suggesting that it is currently very difficult to think about anything other than our football team every day -- and I am writing this article in the ESPN offices at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania while also preparing for this week's PGA Championship coverage.
This current feeling is all-consuming; "What if we win the league? What if we lose the league? How would my life change if we actually do it? What if we mess it up?" When we wake up, at breakfast, at work, at dinner, while we're meant to be relaxing, taking the dog for a walk, getting ready for bed, heck even in our dreams -- it's Hearts this, Hearts that, Hearts everything. If there was a 25th hour in the day I guarantee we would spent most of the extra 60 minutes thinking about Hearts, and still want the fourth official to indicate added time so we can ponder for longer.
Hearts fans have become accustomed to seeing the team in pole position in the league -- they have certainly had plenty of time to get used to it -- although exactly when each supporter started to believe their team could actually win the league varies wildly. For me, it was probably mid-January after the team secured back-to-back wins over Dundee and St Mirren, playing the majority of both games with 10 men after first-half red cards in each.
However, I doubt you will find many of us who are full of confidence that Hearts will get over the line, or those who are steadfast in that belief -- recent history warns us not to. No club other than Celtic and Rangers has won the title since Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen in 1985, but cautious optimism is certainly prevalent among most of us. "Believe" has become the buzzword around Tynecastle once again, as it was back in 2006 when Hearts last split the Old Firm and secured qualification for the Champions League qualifying stage.
But when you've suffered several setbacks watching your team over the years, especially in 1986 when Hearts were only eight minutes away from winning the title until conceding two late goals to Dundee at Dens Park to hand the title to Celtic, then it's no wonder a lot of us seem to have a form of footballing PTSD. That underlying angst when our minds subconsciously point us in the direction of things going wrong (again) is there because, for the most part, it usually does.
So which one is it to be? Heads filled with positive thoughts and mental images of being on the streets of Edinburgh for a title-winning parade this Sunday and a quick check of the passport to ensure it is still valid for travel for next season's trips to watch the Jam Tarts face some of European football's heavyweights? Or allowing that wee rascal, the demon perched on the other shoulder, to keep reminding you how easily it might all be snatched away over the course of the next few days.
Let's get one thing straight: yes, it would be a crushing blow if Hearts produced a fate akin to Devon Loch's performance in the 1956 Grand National, suffering a catastrophic fall so late in proceedings. However, if we don't win the league this season then it certainly will not be a 'bottle job', despite rival fans claiming every month throughout this season that it was only a matter of time before the maroon bubble was popped. Instead, it remained intact throughout October, November, December, January, February, March and April, culminating in a title run-in that has captured the attention of football fans across the world.
Granted, it's not how you start but how you finish, however manager of the year Derek McInnes and his players deserve so much credit for producing an unlikely title challenge -- they were 150/1 to win the league back in May -- and have significantly overachieved throughout this campaign against not one, but both of the Glasgow giants. They've faced the Old Firm seven times so far this season, remaining unbeaten in three games against Celtic (winning home and away) and losing only once to Rangers at Ibrox (but winning the three other meetings).
"I think you've got to recognise the strengths they've got: Rangers and Celtic's poorest paid players will be on more than my highest paid player and I don't think that should be forgotten about," said Derek McInnes, speaking recently on the Hearts podcast Scarves Around the Funnel.
"I doubt there's another league in Europe with the disparity of a team at the top of the league like ourselves up against two heavyweights and what they're paying. But I don't feel like this is going to be our best chance [of winning the league]. I think we have a brilliant chance at the minute, but hopefully there are other opportunities going forward when we are in a similar position. That would be the hope."
Hearts fans are allowing themselves to dream. That this is just the start of the journey, and not a one-off title challenge, optimism backed up by one of Tony Bloom's prescient predictions when giving a rare press conference on the eve of the campaign.
"I think Hearts this season will have an excellent season," said the club's minority shareholder, who acquired a 29% stake in June 2025. "I truly believe in the squad of players that has been assembled. And I've got every faith in Derek's ability to get the best out of them and to improve them. I think we've got a very good chance of at least being second this season."
Quite the foresight, especially when you compare and contrast the position Hearts found themselves in exactly 12 months ago.
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If you believe in omens, then the stars might just be aligning for Hearts ahead of the final-day showdown. Saturday's trip to the east end of Glasgow is taking place 28 years to the day since Hearts won their first Scottish Cup in 42 years via a 2-1 victory over Rangers at Celtic Park in the spring sunshine.
Belief has carried the club this far -- why not a little further?