During the 1896–97 season Hearts competed in the Scottish First Division, the Scottish Cup and the East of Scotland Shield.
| 1896–97 season | |
|---|---|
| Stadium | Tynecastle Park |
| Scottish First Division | 1st |
| Scottish Cup | 2nd Round |
| Top goalscorer | League:  All: |
Fixtures edit
Rosebery Charity Cup edit
| 5 May 1897 Rosebery Charity Cup SF | Hearts | 1–1 | St Bernard's | Tynecastle Park |
| 7 May 1897 Rosebery Charity Cup SF Replay | Hearts | 4–1 | St Bernard's | Tynecastle Park |
| 11 May 1897 Rosebery Charity Cup Final | Hearts | 0–3 | Hibernian | Tynecastle Park |
Scottish Cup edit
| 9 January 1897 Scottish Cup R1 | Hearts | 2–0 | Clyde | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 2,000 |
| 6 February 1897 Scottish Cup R2 | Third Lanark | 5–2 | Hearts | Cathkin Park |
| Attendance: 12,000 |
Edinburgh League edit
| 4 January 1897 Edinburgh Football League | East Stirlingshire | 1–1 | Hearts | Merchiston Park |
| 27 February 1897 Edinburgh Football League | Dundee | 1–1 | Hearts | Carolina Port |
| 13 March 1897 Edinburgh Football League | Hibernian | 5–1 | Hearts | Easter Road |
| 20 March 1897 Edinburgh Football League | Hearts | 4–0 | St Bernard's | Tynecastle Park |
| 27 March 1897 Edinburgh Football League | Hearts | 3–0 | Leith Athletic | Tynecastle Park |
| 3 April 1897 Edinburgh Football League | Hearts | 3–2 | Dundee | Tynecastle Park |
| 10 April 1897 Edinburgh Football League | St Bernard's | 0–1 | Hearts | Old Logie Green |
| 19 April 1897 Edinburgh Football League | Hearts | 4–3 | Hibernian | Tynecastle Park |
| 1 May 1897 Edinburgh Football League | Hearts | 8–0 | East Stirlingshire | Tynecastle Park |
| 8 May 1897 Edinburgh Football League | Leith Athletic | 2–2 | Hearts | Bank Park |
Scottish First Division edit
| 15 August 1896 Scottish First Division | Dundee | 0–5 | Hearts | Carolina Port |
| Attendance: 8,000 |
| 22 August 1896 Scottish First Division | Hearts | 6–1 | Abercorn | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 6,000 |
| 29 August 1896 Scottish First Division | Hearts | 2–1 | St Mirren | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 6,000 |
| 5 September 1896 Scottish First Division | Celtic | 3–0 | Hearts | Celtic Park |
| Attendance: 25,000 |
| 12 September 1896 Scottish First Division | Rangers | 5–0 | Hearts | Ibrox Park |
| Attendance: 14,000 |
| 19 September 1896 Scottish First Division | Hearts | 2–2 | Dundee | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 6,500 |
| 21 September 1896 Scottish First Division | Hearts | 2–1 | Rangers | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 6,000 |
| 26 September 1896 Scottish First Division | Hibernian | 2–0 | Hearts | Easter Road |
| Attendance: 12,000 |
| 3 October 1896 Scottish First Division | St Bernard's | 2–5 | Hearts | New Logie Green |
| Attendance: 7,500 |
| 17 October 1896 Scottish First Division | St Mirren | 0–2 | Hearts | St Mirren Park, Love Street |
| Attendance: 3,000 |
| 24 October 1896 Scottish First Division | Hearts | 1–1 | Celtic | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 11,000 |
| 31 October 1896 Scottish First Division | Abercorn | 0–1 | Hearts | Underwood Park |
| Attendance: 1,500 |
| 7 November 1896 Scottish First Division | Hearts | 3–1 | St Bernard's | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 3,000 |
| 21 November 1896 Scottish First Division | Hearts | 2–1 | Third Lanark | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 3,000 |
| 5 December 1896 Scottish First Division | Hearts | 1–0 | Hibernian | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 10,500 |
| 12 December 1896 Scottish First Division | Third Lanark | 1–5 | Hearts | Cathkin Park |
| Attendance: 2,500 |
| 13 February 1897 Scottish First Division | Clyde | 1–5 | Hearts | Barrowfield Park |
| Attendance: 3,000 |
| 20 February 1897 Scottish First Division | Hearts | 5–0 | Clyde | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance: 4,000 |