Follow
The Hearts, by Mike Smith (2004)
THIS is a book by a man who missed the birth of his first child to go to the Scottish Cup Final in 1986.
His wife did not understand why he wanted to travel 140 miles from Aberdeen to Hampden, nor did she see the reasoning behind the fact that, while she could have more babies (and she did) Hearts might never get to another Scottish Cup Final (they did).
Smith admits he may not have been the perfect father. He did miss his youngest daughter’s fourth birthday as a result of being in Madrid to see Hearts being hammered by Atletico. And his older daughter’s twelfth birthday was spent in the thronging streets of Edinburgh watching Hearts parade the Scottish Cup in 1998. But this book is for the thousands of other people for whom Follow The Hearts is more than a way of life – it is life.