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Graphic comparing Dundee and Dundee United's opening six fixtures for the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership season. Dundee are shown to have the toughest start, while Dundee United have the easiest, based on opponents' average league position last season. Club crests and fixture opponents are included.

Dundee Face Toughest Start as Fixture Difficulty Ranked Across SPFL Clubs

An analysis of the 2025/26 Premiership openers reveals contrasting fortunes for the Dundee clubs — and how each team’s early schedule could shape their season. With the fixtures published last Friday, Dundee face the most challenging opening six games of the 2025/26 Premiership season, based on the average league position of their first six opponents from last season (5.33). In contrast, city rivals Dundee United have the easiest run (7.83), offering a smoother start to top-flight football. Dundee couldn’t have been handed a more challenging test as they look to improve on last season’s 10th-place finish under new manager Steven Pressley, who succeeded Tony Docherty in the summer. Their daunting schedule begins with Hibernian at Dens Park, followed by a trip to Ibrox to face Rangers. A fiery Dundee derby arrives early, also at home, and is sandwiched between a visit to Kilmarnock and a clash with Motherwell. They round off the run with an away trip to St Mirren — a real test for Pressley’s new era. On the flip side, the Tangerines kick off with a trip to fellow newly promoted side Falkirk, followed by a home double header against Hearts and Aberdeen. That leads into the eagerly anticipated derby at Dens Park, before an away day at Easter Road to face Hibs and a home tie against Kilmarnock to round out their first six fixtures. With Dundee facing the toughest start and Dundee United the easiest, our statisticians analysed all 12 SPFL clubs based on the average league position of their first six opponents from last season. Unlike a recent BBC Sport article using Opta’s Power Rankings, this approach is more straightforward — but the takeaway is the same: some clubs face far tougher openings. It’s worth noting this method does not account for home or away advantage, which can also shape early-season momentum. Aberdeen share the same opening fixture difficulty rating (7.83) as Jim Goodwin’s Dundee United. Despite a testing Matchday 2 meeting with Celtic at Pittodrie, they will likely back themselves for a strong start. At the other end of the scale, St Mirren and Livingston (6.17) aren’t far behind Dundee regarding fixture difficulty. Livingston, promoted via the play-offs against Ross County and St Mirren, faces challenging opening blocks, with Celtic and Rangers among their first six opponents. As for the Glasgow giants, Celtic face a trickier start (6.5) than Rangers (7.67). In Edinburgh, Hibs hope to build on last season’s momentum with a relatively favourable opening run (7.17), while city rivals Hearts have a slightly easier stretch (7.68). Falkirk and Motherwell sit mid-table in terms of difficulty (6.5), with Kilmarnock not far behind on 6.67 — potentially benefiting from a softer start on paper. As the 2025/26 Premiership kicks off on the weekend of 2nd August, it’s contrasting emotions on either side of Tannadice Street — with Dundee bracing for impact, and United looking to hit the ground running. Across the league, early momentum could be crucial in shaping the season ahead.

June 26, 2025

Hearts announce Stuart Findlay loan signing

Heart of Midlothian have confirmed the signing of Oxford United defender Stuart Findlay on a season long loan. Findlay, 29, will be reunited with boss Derek McInnes, under whom he spent last season at Kilmarnock. Speaking to the Official Hearts Website, McInnes said: “Stuart is obviously someone I know very well from the years we’ve previously spent working together. “I know his attributes and every aspect of his game. He’s a domineering defender, strong and athletic, and he is a real leader on and off the pitch. “I’m delighted to have him here at Hearts.” The defender, who earned his solitary Scotland cap in the 6-0 win over San Marino in 2019 during which he scored a goal, joins a plethora of new signings with Christian Borchgrevink, Alexandros Kyziridis, Elton Kabangu, Oisin McEntee and Claudio Braga having all arrived at the club on a permanent basis.

June 19, 2025

Hearts announce signing of Portuguese forward Claudio Braga

Heart of Midlothian confirmed the purchase of Braga, 25, from Norwegian club Aalesunds FK for an undisclosed fee. The player departs the Scandinavian side eight games into the OBOS-ligaen season, the country’s second tier, having scored three goals. Braga, who managed 9 in 29 appearances during the previous league campaign, can also play as both a left-winger and attacking midfielder. Derek McInnes, speaking to the Official Hearts Website said: “Claudio was one of our top targets so to be able to bring him in is fantastic. “What’s impressed me in my conversations with Claudio is his attitude and his determination to improve as a player and improve the team. “There is great potential there but also exceptional ability. He is a technically gifted player, he’s got a goalscoring pedigree but is also versatile and can play across the front. “This is an exciting signing and I have to thank the club for giving us the backing to make this deal happen, and I’m very much looking forward to welcoming Claudio to Hearts when we return for pre-season.”

June 15, 2025

Academy graduate Beth Rennie among four leaving Hearts Women

Heart of Midlothian have announced that Naomi Powell, Beth Rennie, Lisa Robertson and Ashleigh Williams will not be at the club next season. After spending the season on loan at Dundee United, academy product Rennie will continue to build on her progress away from the Jambos. Powell and Robertson leave the club after just one season, having joined from Hibernian and Celtic respectively with Williams arriving as recently as February from the Texas Tech Raiders. They follow keeper Charlotte Parker-Smith and defenders Emma Brownlie and Addie Handley in leaving the club, after the trio’s departure in May.

June 5, 2025

Sun, Shankland and suspicious Steelmen as Hearts take three points

Hearts 3 – 0 Motherwell A second Lawrence Shankland brace topped off with James Forrest finisher saw an improving Hearts dispatch a frustrated Motherwell side in the ‘best of the rest’ clash. Attempting to combat the heat, the referee called a stop to play to allow players to take a water break. However there would be no denying Shankland in front of goal, the striker profiting from a defensive howler from Stephen O’Donnell to give Hearts the lead. Having tasted the back of the net Shankland would come back for seconds after the break, meeting James Penrice’s delicate cross to almost put the game out of reach and in doing so scoring as many post-split as he had prior. Just two minutes later it was good night Vienna for Wimmer, as Forrest tapped home Aston Oxborough’s save after some excellent work from substitute Yan Dhanda to force the parry. Motherwell for their part did threaten prior to the collapse, Callum Slattery’s sizzling long range effort going just over the bar as the visitors probed for a hole in debutant Ryan Fulton’s goal. Slattery wheeled away in celebration after thundering home an equaliser, only to be denied after a lengthy VAR check ruled for offside as Dan Casey was judged to have obscructed in play. Fulton suffered his first real test, spilling Tom Sparrow’s low driven shot, fortunate not the have it collected by a Motherwell player. Three points for Hearts see them leapfrog Motherwell to go seventh and confirm survival for next season. Missing diamond but Shankland shines bright Quick to deny any criticism of his predecessor Critchley, interim boss Liam Fox did not need to say what he thought of the decision to drop Shankland deeper at the top of a midfield diamond. Instead he showed it by making the striker the sole man up top and it has paid dividends. Four goals in two games has gone some way in reminding the Tynecastle faithful just how good he is, but also what a player they will be losing should Shankland not re-sign. With Craig Gordon also more out than in as it stands, Fox, or whomever the board select as their next manager have a wealth of experience to replace. Either way, with Shankland in red hot form for the first time this season, fans may finally have something to smile about following a torrid year. Auditions but no x-factor In the build-up to this week, Wimmer called the three remaining games “an audition” for some members a bloated Motherwell squad. If that was the case, no prizes for guessing how many of the players earned the golden buzzer. Very much in the game even a goal down, the quickfire double sucked the life out any attempts to salvage something from the game. The manager denied he would make any decisions off the back of a single game. However, with a healthy expected for the signing of Lennon Miller and a cull of the fringes, fans can expect a stronger squad than the one that has flattered to deceive this year. What the managers said: Hearts interim boss Liam Fox: “I think I repeat what I said last week. If you put Lawrence Shankland in these types of positions and you do work on how you’re going to get the ball to him, Lawrence Shankland will score goals.” “This is not in any way, shape or form a criticism of the previous regime, I just felt it needed to get Shankland closer to the goal.” “At this moment in time, we’ve got a day off tomorrow and we’re back in on Monday and that until somebody tells me any different, that is where it’s at.” Motherwell boss Michael Wimmer: “It was a disappointed result. But this happens in football, I think, if you see the stats, it was four shots for Hearts or five shots and they scored three goals, and we had all of our shots and we didn’t score.” “It was not good enough, especially in both boxes, but to make decisions on players depending on one game. I don’t think it’s fair.” “My only thing is what I always say, but also in Germany, if the VAR says something and if the VAR says ‘come on, I have something to say’ then in my opinion it should be a clear mistake.” Line-ups: Hearts: Fulton, Penrice, Halkett, Kent, Forrester, Grant (Kartum 72), Baningime (Nieuwenhof 81), Devlin, Forrest (Kabangu 81), Shankland (c) (Wilson 72), Vargas (Dhanda 53) Unused subs: Clark, Kartum, Kingsley, McKay, Steinwender Goals: Shankland (30, 60), Forrest (62) Booked: Devlin, Halkett Motherwell: Oxborough, Seddon, Casey, O’Donnell (c), Sparrow, Miller, Halliday (Andrews 84), Thompson (Wilson 68), Slattery (Zdravkovski 80), Maswanhise (Dickson 68), Watt (Armstrong 68) Unused subs: Armstrong, Balcombe, Ebiye, Paton, Wilson, Jair Tavares Booked: Halliday, Miller

May 10, 2025

EPL Power Player Eyes Move into Scottish Football with £10m Hearts Deal

Premier League influence could soon reach into Scottish football as Brighton & Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom edges closer to securing a minority stake in Heart of Midlothian. The proposed £9.86 million investment from the British entrepreneur would mark a significant development for the Edinburgh club—if approved by its fan-ownership body, Foundation of Hearts (FoH). After more than a year of private negotiations, the deal now hinges on a vote by over 8,000 FoH members. If a simple majority supports the move, Bloom would acquire a 29 per cent stake in Hearts through the issuance of new, non-voting shares. While this would not grant him any say in the club’s decision-making processes, the deal would entitle him to appoint a representative to the Tynecastle board, taking the total number of directors to eight. Bloom’s reputation as one of football’s most analytical minds precedes him. Alongside his stewardship of Premier League side Brighton, he also holds a stake in Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise. His recruitment firm, Jamestown Analytics, has already begun working with Hearts, applying cutting-edge data techniques to modernise the club’s player and coaching recruitment strategy. His investment would bring significant financial injection and strategic expertise, but it also raises questions over the future of the club’s leadership. It remains unclear whether current CEO Andrew McKinlay will remain in post or what role Ann Budge, Hearts’ influential chairwoman, would play going forward. While Bloom wouldn’t be involved in day-to-day operations, Hearts would gain direct access to his network of football experts and innovative analytical systems. For some supporters, this represents a bold step into modern footballing infrastructure; for others, the idea of outside influence—even with non-voting rights—marks a shift in the club’s identity as a fan-owned institution. The vote is now open. Its outcome could mark the beginning of a new era at Tynecastle—one that brings Premier League connections and continental insight to Gorgie.

May 6, 2025

Hearts rally to down Staggies

Hearts came from a goal behind to condemn Don Cowie’s men to a sixth straight league defeat in a 3-1 victory in Dingwall on Saturday.Ronan Hale’s 14th goal of the season proved to be the only highlight as a double from a rejuvenated Lawrence Shankland and a late strike from Alan Forrest was enough to give interim manager Liam Fox a win in his first game in charge. Hale’s strike just before the half-hour mark was as good as it got, the Irishman unleashing a brilliant strike 20 yards from goal, which was drilled into the bottom corner. Shankland has been deployed in midfield for large parts of the season, but Fox opted for the traditional number 9 role with Elton Kabangu and James Wilson on the bench, marking a departure from the Neil Critchley era. Those changes proved dividends as Shankland brought Hearts level just shy of half-time, the Scottish International received the ball from Beni Baningime and struck low below Jordan Amissah. A flurry of Staggies chances and a VAR check for a penalty gave Cowie hope that they might be able to retake the lead, but it wasn’t long before Shankland fired Hearts in front, to the delight of the near-900 Hearts fans in the Highlands. A brilliant passing move from the Jambos saw the ball worked from defence to attack, resulting in a terrific ball from Vargas across the Ross County goal, which had the Staggies defence at a standstill as Shankland was his classic predatory self and swept the ball cooly past Amissah. Blair Spittal spent three years in the Highlands and almost hit a sweet strike from distance that cannoned off the crossbar as the Staggies looked down for the count. Cowie made sweeping subs to try and inject some life into the County attack and claw themselves away from the relegation playoff spots. That change did little to appease the Staggies faithful, however, and the pivotal fourth goal would follow late into the game. Akil Wright slipped under pressure from Shankland, who raced down the left and flashed the ball to an unmarked Forrest, who calmly slotted Hearts’ third to take the three points back to Edinburgh. County remain two points behind Dundee but the threat of a third straight relegation play-off is looming large for the Dingwall side with three games remaining. They travel to Perth next weekend to take on a seemingly doomed St. Johnstone side. Hearts are looking to finish best of the rest as they chase top spot of the bottom half of the split in pursuit of Motherwell. With the games remaining, it remains to be seen if boss Fox can use them as an audition for his own shot of the Jambos job. FULL-TIME: ROSS COUNTY 1 – 3 HEARTS Ross County: Amissah; Wright, Tomkinson, Ashworth, Brown, (Nisbet 63), Kenneh, (Efete 63), Randall, Harmon, (Grieves 74); Samuel (Robesten 83), Hale, White 6 (Phillips 63). Subs not used: Ross, Campbell, Lopata, Smith. Hearts: Gordon; Forrester, Kent, Halkett, Penrice, Baningime, Spittal (Nieuwenhof 70), Vargas (Dhanda 80), Grant, Forrest, (Wilson 90), Shankland. Subs not used: Fulton, Kingsley, McKay, Steinwender, Kabangu, Kartum. Referee: Don Robertson Man of the match: Lawrence Shankland.

May 3, 2025

Hearts woes continue as Murray Dundee poach crucial win for Dundee

Having missed missed out on the top six and a Cup final, Hearts’ misery prolonged itself with the Edinburgh club now just five points above the relegation play-off place as Dundee executed a perfect smash and grab at Tynecastle. Opening the scoring was none other than Dundee’s own prodigal son Simon Murray, whose brilliant season continued as a cleared ball landed at the striker’s feet, making no mistake in slotting home his 22nd goal in all competitions late in the first-half. As Hearts struggled to mount a convincing attack, Dundee were all too happy to sit back and counter with a lack of creativity keenly felt. Dundee were guilty of wasting a golden opportunity presented to them as Seb Palmer-Houlden was guilty of stuffing a golden opportunity with a header sent wide of Craig Gordon’s goal. This was a Hearts side that had put eleven past Dundee in their last three meetings and yet they looked a side transformed for all the wrong reasons, unable to muster a goal in a dispiriting opening half for the home fans. Struggling under the weight of the Dundee defenders bearing down on him, Elton Kabangu having two chances. The first a nicely weighted through ball which the striker could only send wide and the second fired directly into Trevor Carson after James Penrice had drilled a low ball into his feet. Frankie Kent would come agonisingly near to levelling the score, heading a whipped in corner just over the bar as the fans’ frustration continue to grow. Kenneth Vargas came closest to an equaliser in added time but was denied by a good Carson block from a short distance. With the sounding of the final whistle, Dundee could relish putting themselves two clear of Ross County and out of the play-off place. Dundee find solidity off the back of a gritty win and a clean sheet to boot, you would hardly believe that this was the same Dundee side that had shipped an astonishing seventy-one goals this season. The 4-0 defeat to Hibernian was perhaps straw that broke the camel’s back, or perhaps thanks to the realities of the relegation battle settling in, Tony Docherty and his players have been forced to adapt, closing ranks as soon as Murray had done was Murray does. Of course the striker will make the back pages, but immense credit should go to Joe Shaughnessy and company for their tactical discipline and ability to hold concentration to see out the victory. Now two points clear of eleventh, Dundee’s tactical shift may pay dividends yet. Critchley feels the heat If the fans’ displeasure wasn’t clear to Neil Critchley during the game, he certainly couldn’t avoid it as a shower of abuse rained down as the side made their way down the tunnel. On the scale of lethal to languid in possession, Hearts veered completely towards the latter. Looking to pick holes in an unrelenting Dundee defence was never going to be an easy task as the visitors demonstrated a newfound defensive resolve. But it was made even more difficult by an inability to take the chances that came their way. Kabangu was certainly guilty, but he was not alone. Fourteen shots and only four on target might not paint the clearest picture of how those chances unfolded but Carson was allowed to stay on his feet far more often than he should have. Four games to go and all of sudden last season’s third best side risk proving that there is no such thing as ‘too big to fail’ in the Scottish top flight. What the manager’s said Dundee boss Tony Docherty: “Hugely, I think you use that sometimes, proud of your players, really delighted with the level of performance I got from the players there. It’s been a hard two weeks.” “I said to the boys when I came into the dressing room, some of them went to go on their phone, I don’t want them to go on their phones. I don’t know the results now, I just want to focus on my own team.” “They’re such an honest, hard-working group to leave everything on the pitch and to make sure they go over and above for their teammates, and I think you’ve seen a team that did that today. So to come here and to get that performance and to get that result, as I say, I’m hugely proud of them.” Hearts boss Neil Critchley: “Yeah, it’s a tough day, no doubt about that. And probably the way the game transpired is probably how it’s going for us a little bit at the moment.” “We’re in a fight. There’s four games to go and there’s 12 points to play for, and you’ve seen Dundee today, the fight that they showed.” “I’m used to it. That’s football, that’s supporters nowadays. Everyone’s entitled to opinion, there’s emotion, there’s passion, it’s an emotive game, particularly here at Tynecastle and it means a lot to people, and I’m comfortable with that.” Line-ups: Heart of Midlothian: Gordon (c), Penrice, McCart (Kingsley 46), Kent, Forrester, Devlin, Baningime (Drammeh 46), Spittal (Dhanda 77), Grant, Kartum (Vargas 63), Kabangu (Forrest 90) Unused subs: Fulton, Halkett, Nieuwenhof, Steinwender Booked: Kabangu Dundee: Carson, Larkeche (Samuels 80), Robertson, Shaughnessy (c), Astley (Ingram 91), Portales (Fraser 91), Tiffoney, Cameron, Mulligan, Palmer-Houlden (Robertson 63), Murray Unused subs: Koumetio, Donnelly, McCracken, Reilly, Sylla Goals: Murray (38) Booked: Palmer-Houlden, Carson, Cameron, Robertson

April 29, 2025

Celtic One Result Away from Title as Post-Split Premiership Fixtures Confirmed

Celtic could secure the Scottish Premiership crown on 26 April when they visit Dundee United, needing just a draw to mathematically confirm their dominance. The reigning champions hold a commanding 15-point advantage over Rangers with only five games left, putting them on the verge of a 13th league title in 14 seasons. In a post-split schedule that raises some familiar concerns about fixture balance, the SPFL has now confirmed the remaining fixtures for both the top and bottom halves of the table. The final Old Firm clash of the campaign is set for Sunday 4 May at Ibrox – a potentially fiery occasion even if the title is already wrapped up. Aberdeen kick off their top-six run with a home tie against Hibernian, while Rangers will travel to face St Mirren in their opener. The top-six fixtures will all conclude on Saturday 17 May with simultaneous 12:30 BST kick-offs. However, the post-split format has once again led to some uneven home-and-away tallies. Hibernian must travel to St Mirren for a third time this season, granting the Buddies 20 home matches and only 18 away. Motherwell, meanwhile, will end their campaign having played 20 away fixtures. It’s the first season since 2017-18 where fixture balance couldn’t be maintained across the league. At the other end of the table, St Johnstone begin their survival bid away to Motherwell. They sit bottom, five points behind the rest with time running out. Just six points separate seventh-placed Hearts from 11th-placed Dundee, with only the side finishing 12th relegated automatically. The team in 11th will enter the play-offs. Bottom-half clubs will conclude their campaigns a day later than the top six, with all games on Sunday 18 May at 15:00 BST. 🔝 Top Six Fixtures Saturday 26 April Dundee United v Celtic (12:30) Aberdeen v Hibernian (15:00) St Mirren v Rangers (15:00) Saturday 3 May Hibernian v Dundee United (15:00) St Mirren v Aberdeen (15:00) Sunday 4 May Rangers v Celtic (12:00) Saturday 10 May Celtic v Hibernian (15:00) Dundee United v St Mirren (15:00) Sunday 11 May Rangers v Aberdeen (12:00) Wednesday 14 May Aberdeen v Celtic (19:45) Rangers v Dundee United (19:45) St Mirren v Hibernian (19:45) Saturday 17 May (All 12:30) Celtic v St Mirren Dundee United v Aberdeen Hibernian v Rangers 🔻 Bottom Six Fixtures Saturday 26 April Hearts v Dundee (15:00) Kilmarnock v Ross County (15:00) Motherwell v St Johnstone (15:00) Saturday 3 May Dundee v Motherwell (15:00) Ross County v Hearts (15:00) St Johnstone v Kilmarnock (15:00) Saturday 10 May Hearts v Motherwell (15:00) Kilmarnock v Dundee (15:00) St Johnstone v Ross County (15:00) Wednesday 14 May Dundee v Ross County (19:45) Hearts v St Johnstone (19:45) Motherwell v Kilmarnock (19:45) Sunday 18 May (All 15:00) Kilmarnock v Hearts Ross County v Motherwell St Johnstone v Dundee

April 15, 2025

Retiring Gayle breaks Hearts in Edinburgh derby

Venue: Tynecastle Park Date: 26/12/24 Time: 12:30 Hibernian fans will be begging Dwight Gayle to reconsider his retirement at the end of the season after his derby winner pushed the Leith side to just four points off the play-off places. Using all of his nous, the 35 year old met Nicky Cadden’s fantastic cross with the slightest touch to take the ball past Craig Gordon. A Kye Rowles own goal put Hibs in front after just nine minutes, deflecting Josh Campbell’s header past a helpless Gordon. The visitors looked to have shot themselves in the foot when Rocky Bushiri’s own goal allowed Hearts to draw level against the run of play after the defender mishit his attempt to clear Lawrence Shankland’s header. Despite being under the cosh for large parts of the game, Neil Critchley’s men had opportunities to get themselves on the scoreboard beforehand. Musa Drammeh could not put James Penrice’s cross on target, heading far wide of Jordan Smith’s goal. His next attempt was improved, albeit slightly, hitting the target but failing to trouble the keeper. Aside from the header leading to the goal, Shankland endured a frustrating afternoon, firing a couple of shots straight into Smith’s arms. Hearts were fortunate not to go two when Gordon spilled Nicky Cadden’s low driving shot from outside the box, the home side’s blushes spared by Hibs not having a poacher to profit from the mishap. The Scotland international quickly made amends using almost every part of his body, denying Chris Cadden with his legs and later flinging himself to meet goal bound attempts from Campbell and Elie Youan before his chest kept Cadden out once again. With the defeat Hearts drop back to 11th in the table, just two points off the bottom. Attendance: 18,726 Line-ups: Hearts: C. Gordon, J. Penrice, K. Rowles, C. Halkett (L. Boyce 85′), D. Oyegoke, B. Baningime (M. Boateng 78′), C. Devlin, B. Spittal (Y. Dhanda 70′), L. Shankland (c), M. Drammeh (K. Vargas 79′), J. Wilson Substitutes: M. Boateng, L. Boyce, Z. Clark, Y. Dhanda, A. Forrest, A. Forrester, J. Grant, A. Salazar, K. Vargas Hibs: J. Smith, J. Iredale, R. Bushiri, W. O’Hora (L. Miller 77′), N. Cadden (J. Obita 85′), J. Newell (c), (Kwon Hyeok-Kyu 69′), N. Triantis, C. Cadden, J. Campbell, E. Youan (D. Gayle 68′), M. Boyle Substitutes: L. Amos, J. Bursik, D. Gayle, J. Hoilett, Kwon Hyeok-Kyu, D. Levitt, L. Miller, N. Moriah-Welsh, J. Obita Referee: Nick Walsh

December 26, 2024

Hearts

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