After winning three Scottish championships and 19 full Scotland caps with Hibernian, Gordon Smith had a recurring ankle injury which led to his being given a free transfer in 1959. Smith believed that an operation could cure the injury and paid for an operation on the offending ankle himself. Walker then signed Smith for Hearts, who had been his boyhood heroes. Smith enjoyed immediate success at Tynecastle, winning both the 1959 Scottish League Cup Final and league title in the 1959–60 season. Hamilton scored for Hearts in that second successive League Cup Final and Young hit the winner, as Third Lanark were beaten 2–1. 1960 ended with Walker being awarded the OBE for his services to football.