The 2015–16 Heart of Midlothian F.C. season was the 135th edition of Heart of Midlothian football competition. It was their first season of play back in the top tier of Scottish football since 2014, having been promoted from the Scottish Championship at the end of the previous season, having played just one season in the Scottish Championship. The club had been relegated from the Premiership at the end of the 2013–14 season. In the League Cup, Hearts reached the quarter-final and were eliminated by Celtic. Hearts will also compete in the Scottish Cup.
Friendlies Hearts returned for pre-season training on 19 June, before heading to Ireland for a four-day training camp in Dublin, with games against Bohemian and Shelbourne. On return to Scotland the club travelled to Raith Rovers, Dumbarton, Stirling Albion and Cowdenbeath. Hearts also took part in the Oban Challenge Cup, winning the Round-robin format tournament. The squad then traveled to England to play Preston North End, before returning to Edinburgh to play English Premier League side Everton.
Fixtures
Scottish Premiership
The fixture list for the first 33 Scottish Premiership matches in the 2015–16 season were announced on 19 June. Hearts were handed a home game to start the season against St Johnstone, with the championship flag set to be unveiled, having been promoted as champions the previous season. The match had been scheduled to be played on 1 August, however was moved to 2 August to be shown on live television.
Fixtures
League Cup
Having played in the Scottish Championship during the previous season, Hearts entered the League Cup at the first round stage. The draw was held on 6 July 2015, and the club were drawn at home against Scottish League Two side Arbroath.
Fixtures
Scottish Cup
Having played in the Scottish Championship during the previous season, Hearts entered the Scottish Cup at the fourth round stage. The draw was held on 1 December 2015, and the club were drawn at home against fellow Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen.
Fixtures
First team player statistics
Captains NoPosNameCountryNo of gamesNotes5DFÖztürk29Captain4DFAugustyn7Vice-captain6MFGomis7Vice-captain2DFPaterson2Vice-captain
Squad information The table below includes all players registered with the SPFL as part of Hearts squad for 2015–16 season. They may not have made an appearance. Last updated 10 February 2016 Number Position Nation Name Totals Premiership League Cup Scottish CupAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppearances (starts and substitute appearances) and goals include those in Scottish Premiership, League Cup and the Scottish Cup.
Disciplinary record During the 2015–16 season, Hearts players have been issued with fifty-five yellow cards and four reds. The table below shows the number of cards and type shown to each player. The red card issued to Callum Paterson during the game versus Hamilton Academical on 29 August, for a foul on Darian MacKinnon was reduced on appeal to a yellow card and as such is listed as a yellow card.
Having gone over the SFA disciplinary points threshold, Callum Paterson, Juanma Delgado and Błażej Augustyn served a one-match ban. Last updated 10 February 2016 NumberNationPositionNamePremiershipLeague CupScottish CupTotal 1GKNeil Alexander10001020 2DFCallum Paterson60001070 3DFKevin McHattie10000010 4DFBłażej Augustyn71001081 5DFAlim Öztürk30002050 6MFMorgaro Gomis40000040 8MFPrince Buaben70000070 11MFSam Nicholson30001040 14MFMiguel Pallardó30001040 17DFJuwon Oshaniwa11001021 18DFIgor Rossi Branco31001041 19FWJuanma Delgado61200081 20FWGavin Reilly01000001 22DFJordan McGhee10001020 23MFDanny Swanson10000010
Top scorers Last updated on 15 May 2016 PositionNationNumberNamePremiershipLeague CupScottish CupTotal119Juanma Delgado121013210Osman Sow9201137Jamie Walker700716Arnaud Djoum511752Callum Paterson5016625Abiola Dauda500520Gavin Reilly410511Sam Nicholson3115918Igor Rossi Branco20028Prince Buaben200212Billy King20025Alim Öztürk11021322Jordan McGhee01013Kevin McHattie0101 Total579369
Clean sheets {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: center;" |- ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=60| ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=60| ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=60| ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=150|Name ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=80|Premiership ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=80|League Cup ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=80|Scottish Cup ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=80|Total |- |1 |GK | |Neil Alexander |16 |0 |1 |17 |- |2 |GK | |Jack Hamilton |1 |0 |0 |1
! Totals !! 17 !! 0 !! 1 !! 18
Team statistics
League table
Division summary
Management statistics Last updated on 15 May 2016 NameFromToPWDLWin%15 May 2016
Home attendances
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" |- ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=100 | Comp ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=120 | Date ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=60 | Score ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=250 class="unsortable" | Opponent ! style="background:maroon; color:white;" scope="col" width=150 | Attendance |- |League Cup||30 July 2015||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|4–2 ||Arbroath||6,240 |- |Premiership||2 August 2015||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|4–3||St Johnstone||16,334 |- |Premiership||12 August 2015||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|2–0||Motherwell||16,645 |- |Premiership||22 August 2015||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|3–0||Partick Thistle||16,657 |- |Premiership||20 September 2015||bgcolor="#FFCCCC"|1–3||Aberdeen||16,702 |- |Premiership||3 October 2015||bgcolor="#FFFFCC"|1–1||Kilmarnock||16,461 |- |Premiership||24 October 2015||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|2–0||Ross County||16,264 |- |League Cup||28 October 2015||bgcolor="#FFCCCC"|1–2||Celtic||11,598 |- |Premiership||7 November 2015||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|2–0||Hamilton Academical||16,121 |- |Premiership||21 November 2015||bgcolor="#FFFFCC"|1–1||Dundee||16,736 |- |Premiership||27 December 2015||bgcolor="#FFFFCC"|2–2||Celtic||16,844 |- |Premiership||30 December 2015||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|3–2||Dundee United||16,721 |- |Scottish Cup||9 January 2016||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|1–0||Aberdeen||13,595 |- |Premiership||16 January 2016||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|6–0||Motherwell||16,574 |- |Scottish Cup||7 February 2016||bgcolor="#FFFFCC"|2–2||Hibernian||16,845 |- |Premiership||27 February 2016||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|1–0||Kilmarnock||16,354 |- |Premiership||1 March 2016||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|2–0||Inverness Caledonian Thistle||15,767 |- |Premiership||5 March 2016||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|1–0||Partick Thistle||16,558 |- |Premiership||19 March 2016||bgcolor="#FFCCCC"|0–3||St Johnstone||16,295 |- |Premiership||8 April 2016||bgcolor="#CCFFCC"|2–1||Aberdeen||16,995 |- |Premiership||30 April 2016||bgcolor="#FFCCCC"|1–3||Celtic||16,527 |- |Premiership||7 May 2016||bgcolor="#FFFFCC"|1–1||Ross County||15,438 |- |Premiership||15 May 2016||bgcolor="#FFFFCC"|2–2||St Johnstone||16,046 |- |bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| |bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| |bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| | Total attendance: |360,317 |- |bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| |bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| |bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| | Total league attendance: |312,039 |- |bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| |bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| |bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| | Average league attendance: |16,423
Club
Club staff
NameRole Robbie Neilson Head coach Stevie Crawford Assistant head coach Roger Arnott Academy Manager John MurrayChief Scout John HillFirst-team Sport ScientistScott WilsonStadium Announcer
Boardroom NameRole Ann BudgeExecutive chairwoman Eric HoggOperations Director Brian CormackFoundation of Hearts representative Craig LeveinDirector of Football
Playing kit Hearts kits were manufactured by Puma for the 2015–16 season, ending the club's three-year association with Adidas. The home and away kits are sponsored by the charity Save the Children, in a three-year deal funded through philanthropy. The sponsorship deal marked the first time a UK based football club had been sponsored by a worldwide charity.
Deaths The following players and people associated with the club died over the course of the season. Former forward Jimmy Murray.
Transfers
Players in Date Player From Fee14 May 2015 Liam Fox Raith RoversFree12 June 2015 Russell McLean Alloa AthleticFree18 June 2015 Jahmal Howlett-Mundle Crystal PalaceFree18 June 2015 Blazej Augustyn Górnik ZabrzeFree23 June 2015 Gavin Reilly Queen of the SouthUndisclosed25 June 2015 Juanma Delgado KalloniFree22 July 2015 Igor Rossi Branco MarítimoFree1 August 2015 Juwon Oshaniwa AshdodFree6 August 2015 Dario Zanatta Vancouver WhitecapsFree9 September 2015 Danny Swanson Coventry CityFree23 September 2015 Arnaud Djoum Lech PoznańFree1 February 2016 Don Cowie Wigan AthleticFree1 February 2016 John Souttar Dundee UnitedUndisclosed2 March 2016 Perry Kitchen D.C. UnitedFree
Players out Date Player To Fee29 May 2015 James Keatings HibernianFree31 May 2015 Brad McKay St JohnstoneFree31 May 2015 Adam Eckersley HibernianFree31 May 2015 Danny Wilson RangersFree31 May 2015 Scott Robinson KilmarnockFree31 May 2015 Jason Holt RangersUndisclosed31 May 2015 Jake Hutchings Enfield TownFree31 May 2015 Liam Gordon St JohnstoneFree8 July 2015 Dale Carrick KilmarnockFree1 September 2015 Kevin McHattie KilmarnockFree1 September 2015 Gary Oliver Queen of the SouthUndisclosed6 January 2016 Kenny Anderson WaalwijkReleased8 January 2016 Nathan FlanaganFree11 January 2016 Scott Gallacher Alloa AthleticFree1 February 2016 Danny Swanson St JohnstoneFree1 February 2016 Osman Sow Henan Jianye £1.5m
Loans and temporary transfers In Date Player From Fee1 February 2016 Abiola Dauda Vitesse ArnhemLoan
Loans and temporary transfers out Date Player To Fee14 July 2015 Liam Henderson StenhousemuirLoan31 July 2015 Alistair Roy East StirlingshireLoan7 August 2015 Robbie Buchanan CowdenbeathLoan5 November 2015 Jahmal Howlett-Mundle MontroseLoan28 January 2016 Billy King RangersLoan1 February 2016 Morgaro Gomis MotherwellLoan
Contract extensions The following players extended their contracts with the club over the course of the season. DatePlayerLengthExpiry5 May 2015 Billy King2 years20175 May 2015 Robbie Buchanan2 years20175 May 2015 Gary Oliver1 year201629 May 2015 Miguel Pallardó1 year20161 December 2015 Igor Rossi Branco1 year20172 December 2015 Arnaud Djoum18 months20179 December 2015 Jamie Walker2 years201814 January 2016 Liam Smith2 years2018
See also List of Heart of Midlothian F.C. seasons
Notes
References