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RSSTommy's sweet revenge
Former Hearts star Tommy Murray famously sat on the ball in the build-up to a winning goal over Rangers in December 1972 - and he revealed today the ploy was purely to gain revenge on the Glasgow side.
Hearts dramatic new home kit is a unique modern twist on that spectacular "Ajax" style of the 1970s inspired by Tommy Murray's moment of magic at Ibrox.
The previous season had seen Gers winger Willie Johnston play a similar trick on the Jambos and Tommy vowed at the time to get his own back.
The opportunity arose the following year at Ibrox, Donald Ford going on to finish off the move with a superb header to clinch victory for Hearts.
"Rangers were winning easily when Willie Johnston decided to sit on the ball and beckoned to Ian Sneddon to come forward and get it," said Tommy.
"I thought to myself: 'If I ever get the chance to do that myself…'
"In the same game the following year I did get my chance of revenge. There were 10 minutes left to play and the game was level at 0-0. To be honest it was more a time-wasting ploy than anything else - we were just trying to hang on to a point. I didn't think for a minute a goal would come out of it.
"I did the same to Sandy Jardine as Willie Johnston had done to Ian Sneddon and when when he came towards me, I passed the ball to Jimmy Brown who had run round behind me and he managed to cross to Donald Ford who scored and that was more or less it.
"There was a bit of friendly banter with the Rangers guys afterwards!
"I was at Tynecastle for five years and I think most Hearts fans remember me just for that. In fact, I played football for around 25 years and I think I'm remembered more for that than anything else."
The incident didn't go unnoticed in the corridors of power, with the rules soon changing to make such an act punishable with a booking.
"The rule was actually changed around two weeks later to make it ungentlemanly conduct but funnily enough nothing was said when Willie did it to us," added Tommy.
